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The MONTHLY Victory Garden 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 food holiday was first celebrated in 1977, when Stan Makowski, the mayor of Buffalo, New York, declared July 29 to be National Chicken Wing Day. The origin of the chicken wing is believed to be traced back to 1964, when Teressa Bellissimo, owner of Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, created the snack for her son and his friends. At the time, chicken wings were typically used for soup stock, but she deep fried them and tossed them in butter and hot sauce.

SEATTLE — A judge ordered a 15-year-old held in juvenile detention Monday in connection with a gunfight at a crowded Seattle food festival that killed three people and injured at least four others. Prosecutors said the gunfight involved the 15-year-old, a 19-year-old man who died at the scene and possibly a third person. The 15-year-old is being held on suspicion of three counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He had not been involved in a criminal case before in the county, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney said. “At this...

Ask someone who investigates foodborne illness for a living what they won't put on their plate, and the list is shorter—and stranger—than you'd expect. It's not that these experts live in fear. Most will tell you that all food carries some risk, and the real skill is deciding which risks are worth taking. Frank Yiannas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s former deputy commissioner for food policy and response, says he doesn't think of foods as simply "good" or "bad." Instead, "I approach everything with what I would say is a quantitative risk assessment," he says. "I'm calculated." Still, after...

Bill Peterson used to go to Whole Foods or Kroger for fruits, vegetables and milk. Now, he swears by private-label chain Aldi, which sells those items at a fraction of the price. The Chicago home remodeler is gainfully employed, but says the economy feels fragile. “There’s no job security … everything has gotten stupid expensive,” the 61-year-old said. Inflation remained high for several years, and U.S. consumers became more focused on value. The shift transcends income class, and experts increasingly see it as the start of a deeper retrenchment in how Americans shop, eliminating a long-held stigma among some for...

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Economic Development Corporation admitted this week that his city-owned grocery stores “might not have all the items” you’d find in a typical supermarket. The five stores — which are expected to cost taxpayers upwards of $70 million — will likely not include hot food counters or butchers, EDC officials revealed during a board meeting Thursday. “It may not have all the items, but it’s going to be like a typical grocery store,” insisted Jeanny Pak, interim CEO of the EDC, the powerful city-run nonprofit tasked with boosting economic growth and development. Pak also echoed Mamdani’s assertion that...

For millions of Americans, the weekly grocery trip has become one of the biggest strains on the household budget. Even as overall inflation has cooled, food prices remain stubbornly high, forcing shoppers to compare prices more closely than ever before.Now, a new study suggests one of the country’s largest supermarket chains may be offering the best value on everyday essentials.Kroger topped a comparison of four major grocery retailers, beating Walmart, Aldi, and Albertsons on the total cost of a basket of common store-brand staples.Kroger Comes Out on TopThe price comparison, conducted by Restaurant Furniture Plus and reported by Southern Living,...

In 1832 president Andrew Jackson deemed it of very high importance that the people of Quallah Battoo knew who America was. The result was one of the US Navy’s least known military escapades, when sailors and marines fought Sumatran pirates. Because, don’t all good stories involve pirates? Marines and Sailors Versus Pirates: The Quallah Battoo Expedition | 16:11 The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered 151,217 views | October 25, 2024

Two new studies examining gray wolves in California paint a complex picture of life on California’s ranching landscapes: wolves eat cattle more than anything else and the presence of the predators causes significant stress among livestock. ... wolves from the Lassen and Harvey packs in northeastern California were primarily eating cattle. They collected scat samples during the summer months of 2022 and 2023 and found 72% of wolf scat contained cattle DNA. .... Wolves are a state and federally recognized endangered species. The first confirmed wolf entered California in 2011, following a nearly 100-year absence. The California Department of Fish...

A California city is moving to enact a permanent ban on new drive-thru restaurants, spurred on by a group of vocal locals who have organized to oppose a potential new In-N-Out location. While many other cities (and states) openly court the privately owned, Southern California-founded burger chain in hopes of attracting its business, Culver City isn’t swayed by the scent of animal-style fries and mustard-grilled Double-Doubles. The stand-alone city within Los Angeles County voted on Monday to extend a recently enacted 45-day moratorium on any new drive-thrus for another 10.5 months, giving city officials a long enough runway to draft...

Walmart is lowering prices on thousands of products, including beef, Coca-Cola and laundry detergent, saying the cuts are aimed at reducing the costs of seasonal summer items. The largest U.S. retailer on Monday said the price cuts will be available in its stores and in Sam's Club locations, on Walmart.com, SamsClub.com, and through the Walmart and Sam's Club apps. The reductions apply to groceries and other household items, such as grills, sunscreen and lawn mowers. President Trump praised Walmart for the reductions and sought to claim credit for the decision. "I have just been informed that one of the biggest,...

The MONTHLY Victory Garden 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...

Red and green chile peppers are more than just ingredients in New Mexico; they’re a way of life. The question “Red or green?” is one you’ll hear at restaurants across the state. For the indecisive or adventurous, there’s always “Christmas,” a mix of both. Red chile comes from ripened New Mexican chile peppers that are left on the plant longer, allowing them to deepen in color and develop a rich, earthy flavor. As they mature, these peppers take on more natural sugars, which contribute to the velvety depth of red chile sauce. Green chile peppers are a cornerstone of New...

JD Vance, RFK Jr. and other officials swear by a diet of grass-fed meat and fermented foods, even when the sulfurous odors cause friction at homeA new diet is sweeping through President Trump’s cabinet—and it involves heaping portions of sauerkraut. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Vice President JD Vance have all embraced the diet, drawn by the promise of slimmer waistlines and glowing skin. They all apparently have determined the health benefits outweigh the slightly sulfurous odors that have been the cause of some domestic friction. “Within 30 days I...

An Arizona woman went on an unhinged rant against a taco restaurant because it is owned by two white brothers. Lily Kaplan torched Poolboy Taco in Phoenix after sampling the Mexican eatery's nachos and soft tacos. She shared a blistering review with her 21,000 TikTok followers earlier this month slamming the quality of the food and taking aim at owners Jared and Aaron Pool.

Pizza Hut, the 68-year-old chain that has long struggled with growing competition and outdated restaurants, will be sold for $2.7 billion by parent company Yum Brands. Yum said Tuesday that the private equity firm LongRange Capital will buy Pizza Hut, excluding the mainland China business, for about $1.5 billion. The mainland China Pizza Hut will be purchased by Yum China Holdings Inc. for approximately $1.2 billion, the company said. China is Pizza Hut’s second-largest market outside the U.S., accounting for 19% of sales. Yum Brands, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell, began to explore its options for Pizza Hut...

Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that common dietary sugars fructose and glucose, despite having the same amount of calories, communicate with the brain through different gut-brain pathways, a difference that may help shape our food and beverage preferences. In mice, the team identified a dedicated gut-brain signaling pathway through which fructose communicates with the brain and found that it is much less effective than glucose in turning down the activity of hunger-related neurons. Their findings were published June 10 in Neuron. “This work adds to our growing understanding of how modern diets, especially those high in fructose...

Costco is pushing back hard against a proposed class-action lawsuit that accuses the retail giant of misleading shoppers about its popular $5 rotisserie chicken. In a motion filed last week in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, the warehouse club asked the court to dismiss the case, which was brought in January by two California customers. The plaintiffs claim Costco’s Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken contains carrageenan and sodium phosphate while still being marketed as having “no preservatives.” According to the lawsuit, that labeling misleads consumers and violates Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, California’s Consumers Legal Remedies...

Now that the race for U.S. Senate in Texas is solidified between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, there are photos emerging of Talarico, who had famously declared his campaign to be "non-meat," now packing all kinds of meat into his mouth. End Wokeness is highlighting some of the images on X, stating: "James Talarico's team is now forcing him to eat meat in front of reporters "proving he's Texas tough." "He looks like he wants to puke."

HelloFresh decided to get a little bold with its latest marketing for Pride Month, and it’s fair to say the reaction has been a mixed bag. On Friday, the meal kit company posted a statement on Instagram that read: We know eating isn’t always a top priority this month. We respect that. But for those of you who are... prepping... we have an extensive lineup of high-fiber recipes available. Happy Pride." On Instagram, many fans were all for the brand’s creative approach. The comment section was filled with praise, with one person writing, “This is what happens when a brand...