In this week’s news: leads levels in the White House soil, sugar shortages, bartenders learning to harvest cocktail ingredients, and bacon beer:
Lead Levels in Soil: The White House, in preparation for a kitchen garden, reduces the levels of lead in their soil, according to The New York Times. I learned that every urban gardener should have their soil tested for lead levels, and that crab meal – made from the shells and offal of coastal water blue crabs by kiln-drying the materials before grinding into meal – can restore healthy soil levels. Read the article to learn other good sources of organic matter, then order a 50 pound bag of crab meal from Extremely Green Gardening Company.
Running Out of Sugar?: The CBS News blog EconWatch reports that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack received a letter from some of our biggest food companies warning that the U.S. might run out of sugar if import restrictions aren’t reduced. If this is true, there will be less sugar to make candy bars, cereals, and other products produced by giants like Kraft Foods, General Mills, Hershey, and Mars, who all signed the letter. Prices may also soar, while jobs decrease (maybe our waistlines will as well?). Find the article here.
Bartenders Harvest Raw Ingredients: In this article from Gourmet magazine, bartenders are learning to harvest the raw products used to make wine and liquor. By sourcing their ingredients – from harvesting grapes, rye, and sugar cane to tackling the agave plant – these mixologists serve up drinks and stories to customers. I love to see the knowing-where-your-ingredients-come-from movement seeping from the kitchen into the bar.
Bacon Beer: I watch most of the food competition shows and just about every judge thinks bacon makes every dish better. Could it do the same for beer? Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery, will find out. Mr. Oliver is using “fat washing” to add bacon fat flavor to a brown ale, a technique that he says will lead to one of two possible outcomes – it will be the most disgusting thing ever tasted or it will be so amazing he will rule the world. Check out Grub Street New York and The New York Times Diner’s Journal for more information.
