Food : NPR

Heat, Drought Draw Farmers Back To Sorghum, The 'Camel Of Crops'

A test field of sorghum outside Manhattan, Kan., planted by Kansas State University. Dan Charles/NPR hide caption

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Dan Charles/NPR

Heat, Drought Draw Farmers Back To Sorghum, The 'Camel Of Crops'

October 31, 2013 • Consumers in search of novelty are turning to once-obscure grains like quinoa, spelt and sorghum. But sorghum's great virtue for farmers is the fact that it can thrive with so little water.

Candy Sales Are Flat; The Industry Blames The Weather

Halloween candy is offered for sale at a Walgreens store on September 19, 2013 in Wheeling, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

Candy Sales Are Flat; The Industry Blames The Weather

October 31, 2013 • The National Confectioners Association says weather was one factor in keeping Halloween candy sales flat for the last two years. But could consumers also be heeding the messages to cut back on sugar and empty calories?

The Secret, Steamy History Of Halloween Apples

Howard Chandler Christy's painting Halloween, as reproduced in Scribner's in January 1916. Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Wikimedia Commons

The Secret, Steamy History Of Halloween Apples

October 31, 2013 • A Halloween apple was once a powerful symbol of fertility and immortality. In Europe and the early years of America, girls used apples and apple peels to divine their romantic destiny.

Why Are Kids Who Get Less Candy Happier On Halloween?

Kids might be more satisfied if they get one good treat instead of one good treat and one lesser treat. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Why Are Kids Who Get Less Candy Happier On Halloween?

October 31, 2013 • In a psychology study using Halloween candy, kids who got a candy bar and a piece of bubble gum were less satisfied than kids who got just a candy bar. The study shows that when we think about experiences, we are significantly biased by how the experience ends.

Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

There are people who'd rather not eat food? Yes. And Silicon Valley investors are betting they'll buy Soylent. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

October 30, 2013 • Inventor Rob Rhinehart has raised $1.5 million in seed funding for his powdered food alternative. He and his investors say there's a big market for his product: time- and cash-strapped people currently living on takeout.

Before Marathoners Had Energy Bars ...

October 30, 2013 • Long before there was an industry supplying athletes with high-tech energy fuel, marathoners had to make due with what they had. And what they had may disgust you.

How Much Water Actually Goes Into Making A Bottle Of Water?

The amount of water to make the bottle could be up to six or seven times what's inside the bottle, according to the Water Footprint Network. Steven Depolo/Flickr hide caption

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Steven Depolo/Flickr

How Much Water Actually Goes Into Making A Bottle Of Water?

October 30, 2013 • The bottled water industry says it uses water far more efficiently than other beverages. But water activists say that few companies in the beverage industry are calculating their total water footprint.

Rina Rapuano for NPR

Black Sesame Seeds Can Be So Much More Than A Decoration

October 30, 2013 • In the U.S., sesame seeds seem to be used for little more than sprinkling atop rolls or loaves of bread. But in many Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, the tiny, nutty seeds are incorporated into both savory and sweet preparations.

Community Supported Canning Gets Locavores Through Winter

For $300, a share from Cheryl Wixon's Kitchen will get you 54 jars of pasta and pizza sauces, cranberry ketchups and fruit jams and butters delivered between November and April. Courtesy of Andrea Hand hide caption

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Courtesy of Andrea Hand

The Salt

Community Supported Canning Gets Locavores Through Winter

October 29, 2013 • Farmers and small processors are marketing local canned and dry goods under the CSA model. They call small batch food processing "back-breaking work." But many of them are in it to build their local food economy.

A Japanese iPhone Gadget Teases The Tummy With Food Smells

Simply plug the Scentee device into your iPhone jack and let the scent of grilled meat waft your way. YouTube hide caption

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YouTube

The Salt

A Japanese iPhone Gadget Teases The Tummy With Food Smells

October 29, 2013 • Scentee draws power from an iPhone to blast you with the smell of hearty meat or lavender. But could the synthetic smell of meat trick your brain into thinking you're eating meat instead of plain rice?

Startups Try To Reroute Food Waste To The Hungry

Roger Gordon (left) is offered a box of bananas from a worker who was throwing away the lightly speckled fruit at Mexican Fruits in Washington, D.C. Gordon's startup, Food Cowboy, works with truckers to divert edible produce from landfills to food charities. Serri Graslie/NPR hide caption

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Serri Graslie/NPR

The Salt

Startups Try To Reroute Food Waste To The Hungry

October 29, 2013 • Forty percent of food in the U.S. goes uneaten each year. The major problem is also a major opportunity for startups like Food Cowboy and CropMobster, which are trying to cash in by connecting sellers of excess food to people in need of it.

Sriracha Factory Under Fire For Fumes; City Sues

Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT/Landov

The Two-Way

Sriracha Factory Under Fire For Fumes; City Sues

October 29, 2013 • Some people in Irwindale, Calif., say the smells coming from the factory where the hot sauce is made are very irritating. They report burning eyes, sore throats and headaches. So the city has asked a judge to order a halt in production until a fix can be found.

Goodbye Paper Menus? Restaurants Test The Water For Tablets

A restaurant customer tries out the Aptito app on a digital menu. Courtesy of Aptito hide caption

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Courtesy of Aptito

The Salt

Goodbye Paper Menus? Restaurants Test The Water For Tablets

October 28, 2013 • Digital menus may help diners make more informed choices about restaurants' food and drink options. And they may boost restaurant profits, too: Sales have increased 23 percent since one Florida restaurant introduced tablet menus in September.

Lard bread gives a bad name a good name. NPR hide caption

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NPR

The Salt

Sandwich Monday: Lard Bread

October 28, 2013 • For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try lard bread, which is even more appetizing than it sounds. Mostly found in Brooklyn, it's soon to be found inside us.

Buffett Family Puts Money Where Their Mouth Is: Food Security

Warren Buffett (left), Howard G. Buffett (center) and grandson Howard W. Buffett collaborated on a book about the challenges of feeding more than 2 billion more mouths by 2050. Scott Eells/Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Eells/Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Salt

Buffett Family Puts Money Where Their Mouth Is: Food Security

October 28, 2013 • In a new book, billionaire investor Warren Buffett and his son and grandson discuss how to feed a growing planet. "We've been fortunate to make a whole lot more money than anybody can spend intelligently on themselves, so the object is to spend it intelligently on the rest of the world," says the senior Buffett.