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NATIONAL TRUFFLE DAY National Truffle Day on May 2 serves up a deliciously sweet treat and places the chocolate truffle in the spotlight. #NATIONALTRUFFLEDAY N. Petruccelli of Chambery, France is believed to be the inventor of the chocolate truffle in December 1895. Truffles became much more prevalent in 1902 after the Prestat Chocolate Shop opened in London. In fact, Prestat still sells "Napoleon III" truffles made to the original recipe. Traditionally, chocolatiers make this sweet confection with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate, icing, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or coconut. Oftentimes, they may fill the truffle with other yummy...

Multinational food manufacturer Tyson Foods has been accused of dumping millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into lakes and rivers across the U.S. The 370 million pounds of chemicals dumped by the food company include: Nitrogen Phosphorus Chloride Oil Cyanide The chemicals were reported to have to been released by the company’s 41 slaughterhouses and processing plants over the past five years. The National Pulse reported: According to the investigation by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the toxic chemicals were flushed from Tyson facilities during the release of wastewater. This water also was found to contain high concentrations of...

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

Advances in biotechnology are transforming food production with fungi playing a pivotal role. Research led by Vayu Hill-Maini utilizes genetic engineering to enhance fungi’s natural properties, creating nutritious and sustainable meat alternatives. This approach not only opens new avenues in food science but also integrates sophisticated culinary applications. A gene-edited fungal culture from Vayu Hill-Maini’s research, seen on a dinner plate. Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab Hacking the genome of fungi for smart foods of the future. With animal-free dairy products and convincing vegetarian meat substitutes already on the market, it’s easy to see how biotechnology can change the food industry....

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, plays a pivotal role in shaping the food policies issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), known as the Dietary Guidelines. As it works on the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, it’s important to note that the Academy’s decisions on what is and isn’t healthy for Americans are significantly influenced by its relationship with the ultra-processed food (UPF) industry. This relationship, which has seen the Academy accept nearly $15 million from multi-processed food companies, agribusiness companies, and Big Pharma,...

NATIONAL PIGS-IN-A-BLANKET DAY On April 24, observe National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day with just a few ingredients. #PigsInABlanketDay Celebrated across the world, the term often refers to a variety of different dishes. In the United States, Pigs-in-a-Blanket is often hot dogs or sausages wrapped in biscuit or croissant dough and baked. Pigs-in-a-Blanket are generally served as an appetizer or as breakfast. However, it can be served at any mealtime! Another popular version of pigs-in-a-blanket includes cabbage rolls stuffed with a beef filling. It's often covered with a tomato or cream sauce. Many recipes use the name "Pigs-in-a-Blanket" to describe just about any...

It's not hard to see how the sapphire tower gets its name. Image Credit: HannaTor/Shutterstock.com Sometimes in nature, there are events that we have to wait for. Some, like the upcoming American cicadapocaplypse might not be so popular – whereas, across the pond in Birmingham, UK, botanists are thrilled to reveal the blooming of their sapphire tower. The sapphire tower plant (Puya alpestri) from the Chilean Andes can take up to 10 years to flower. The plant is a member of the bromeliad family, distantly related to the pineapple. Normally found at high elevations of up to 2,200 meters (7,218...

Costco Chicken Lover Logic: Keep Those Poisonous LED Lights Off My Chicken... Scan My Body Instead These people vote...................DEMOCRAT of course.............

For about a century, the novelty of horse diving from great heights into a tiny tank of water was all the rage in America. And was every bit crazy as it sounds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VIDEOS AT LINK............... A horse takes a practice dive at Atlantic City's Steel Pier Park in 1978. (John Margolies, Library of Congress) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Readers will inevitably take sides with this story. There will be outrage. Decidedly, animal rights activists for sure will howl with rage. The intent is not to spark debate or rekindle old controversy. What’s done is done, live and learn. In many ways, we...

NEW ORLEANS — As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it's worth noting that they're not just annoying, noisy pests — if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat. Blocks away from such French Quarter fine-dining stalwarts as Antoine's and Brennan's, the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans has long served up an array of alternative, insect-based treats at its “Bug Appetit” cafe overlooking the Mississippi River. “Cinnamon Bug Crunch,” chili-fried waxworms, and crispy, cajun-spiced crickets are among the menu items. Periodical cicadas stay buried for years, until they surface and...

14% of American adults are affected by chronic kidney disease – and anyone in that category should be very careful about how much watermelon they eat. A new series of case studies examines how a favorite fruit can cause life-threatening issues. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a slurpy bite of watermelon on a hot day. With the US watermelon season fast approaching, many are looking forward to eating the naturally sweet fruit. And because watermelon is made up of 92% water, nothing in it can cause health problems, right? Not quite. A collection of three case studies recently published...

Astronauts face significant perils while in space. Multiple studies indicate that humans who spend long enough in orbit may experience a range of health maladies that include weight loss, immune system weakening, loss in bone density, vision loss, and even mysterious headaches. However, new research is revealing how an ancient food product used for millennia may help alleviate some of the risks that astronauts face, and it tastes good too. In a joint project between the European Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency, and the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics, a team of researchers and astronauts...

One of nature’s most important keystone species is working itself to death. Colonies of honey bees — crucial pollinators for a wide variety of plants and cash crops — are at risk of collapse because of climate change, a recent study by scientists at Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture found. Long and warmer fall months across the Pacific Northwest encourage bees to emerge from their colonies when they should be resting, said Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, a research leader at the USDA’s Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Arizona. “When it’s warm out, they fly and when they...

A map of where two periodical cicada broods have been observed across the eastern U.S. shows the areas in which they are likely to emerge in the next few weeks. Experts are predicting that the two populations, which have been hibernating underground for over a decade, will appear at the same time, carpeting an area from southern Wisconsin to the Carolinas with as many as a hundred trillion bugs.

“Such litigation shows promise for addressing gaps left by inadequate regulation and for holding major polluters accountable,” Yale researchers says. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anew legal analysis in the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law proposes filing lawsuits against America’s agriculture industry, following the same legal playbook climate activists are using against the oil industry. To be sure, climate activists have for years targeted the agriculture industry, particularly methane emission from cattle and their manure. The United Nations, in fact, has a program dedicated to educating people about how meat production is contributing to climate change. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency has a...

Rehabilitating the dessert with ground water aquifer reserves, how it happened.

Jade Simon, a professor at Laramie County Community College, was a critical part of a paleontologist team that discovered a new species of meat-eating dinosaur that’s best described as a giant 170-pound chicken from hell. A new prehistoric avian dinosaur, similar to this one, has been discovered. A Wyoming paleontologist helped verify it. (Cowboy State Daily Illustration) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When paleontologists found a drumstick from what can best be described as a 68-million-year-old chicken from hell, they needed expert on prehistoric hell chickens to confirm it as a new species. And they found her in Wyoming at Laramie County Community College....

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

Short video on why you should not eat the Chinese garlic..................

A group of fishing associations is sounding the alarm about new plans from the Biden administration to industrialize the Gulf of Maine by leasing two million acres of area for wind farm construction, a move that fishermen say will be detrimental to their business and marine life.One large portion of the WEA is frequented by the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the groups said. Leasing the area to wind farming "is flatly inconsistent with a policy of endangered species protection."