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Death Toll Rises To 15 In Listeria Cantaloupe Outbreak

Worker holds up a cantaloupe for sale Ed Andrieski/AP hide caption

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Ed Andrieski/AP

Shots - Health News

Death Toll Rises To 15 In Listeria Cantaloupe Outbreak

September 30, 2011 • Updated figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 84 people in 19 states have been sickened by listeria bacteria from an outbreak linked to cantaloupes.

Fans pose for a picture with a pawpaw character at the 13th Annual Pawpaw Festival in Albany, OH. Abby Verbosky/NPR hide caption

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Abby Verbosky/NPR

The Salt

Where To Get Your Taste Of The Pawpaw

September 30, 2011 • Festivals, beer, recipes and pie

The Salt

Vilsack: Not Done With Potatoes And School Lunch

September 30, 2011 • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says changes to the school nutrition rule are underway, including more clarity on the recommendation to reduce kids' potato and starchy vegetable consumption. He also says rural America needs a 'thank you.'

Scent Of Rotten Fruit Signals Sex, At Least For Fruit Flies

Hey, ladies

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Jan Polabinski/iStockphoto.com

The Salt

Scent Of Rotten Fruit Signals Sex, At Least For Fruit Flies

September 29, 2011 • The chemicals in rotting fruit excites male fruit flies, even before they catch a whiff of their future mates. After they mate on the fruit and leave the eggs behind, their larvae can hatch into a nutrient-rich world.

The Pawpaw: Foraging For America's Forgotten Fruit

Maggie Starbard/NPR

The Salt

The Pawpaw: Foraging For America's Forgotten Fruit

September 29, 2011 • The pawpaw is a tropical-type fruit native to North America with a long and almost forgotten history. Thomas Jefferson once prized it, and now scientists are looking at whether the pawpaw can claim some health benefits, along with cachet. NPR's Tiny Desk Kitchen goes on the hunt for this tasty treat.

Pricier PB&J's In The Forecast, Thanks To Peanut Shortage

Peanut butter prices are up — and likely to increase again. Edward Todd/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Edward Todd/iStockphoto.com

The Salt

Pricier PB&J's In The Forecast, Thanks To Peanut Shortage

KBIA

September 28, 2011 • High cotton prices and bad droughts have conspired to create conditions that have caused a national peanut shortage. Consumers like Jennifer Rice will have to pay more to put peanut butter sandwiches in the lunchbox.

Growing Listeria Outbreak In Cantaloupe Prompts Focus On Prevention

Ed Andrieski/AP

The Salt

Growing Listeria Outbreak In Cantaloupe Prompts Focus On Prevention

September 28, 2011 • Listeria's long incubation period in the gut or even in the fridge means the threat is potentially sticking around longer than in other food-related outbreaks. So its more important than ever to be vigilant about what's in the fridge and how you fix it.

National

'Diversity Bake Sale' Stirs Up Controversy

September 28, 2011 • The Berkeley College Republicans based prices of their baked goods on customers' race and gender. The Tuesday event was protesting proposed legislation that would allow race, gender and ethnicity to be considered in the admissions process across California public universities. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with Berkeley College Republicans President Shawn Lewis and UC Berkeley student body President Vishalli Loomba.

The Salt

Water, Water, Everywhere, But Not Enough To Waste

September 28, 2011 • In sub-Saharan Africa, where agricultural productivity is lowest and food shortages are most common, "huge volumes of rainwater are lost or never used," says Alain Vidal, director of the Challenge Program on Water and Food, which commissioned the studies.

Courtesy Simon & Schuster

Opinion

Kitchen Window

Fresh Curry Leaves Add A Touch Of India

September 28, 2011 • The aromatic leaves — not at all related to curry powder — impart a pungent, lime-lemony flavor to breads, main dishes, cocktails and more. Food writer Monica Bhide, from the northern part of India, calls them the culinary essence of her youth.

How A Small Red Fruit Performs Taste Miracles For 'Flavor Trippers'

The miracle fruit from West Africa has a chemical that binds to and boosts sweet taste receptors in the presence of acidic foods. Courtesy of Keiko Abe hide caption

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Courtesy of Keiko Abe

The Salt

How A Small Red Fruit Performs Taste Miracles For 'Flavor Trippers'

September 27, 2011 • Japanese food chemists have found a way to explain how a chemical in miracle fruit makes sour flavors taste sweet. The fruit has inspired a small counterculture of flavor trippers as well as chefs who are experimenting with the chemical as a low-cal sweetener.

Opinion

The Salt

Caffeinated Women May Be Fighting Depression With Every Cup

September 27, 2011 • A Harvard School of Public Health study of more than 50,000 nurses suggests the more caffeine they drank, the less likely they were to be diagnosed with depression. Researchers are calling for more study on why this might be.

Lemongrass Brings Essential Spark To Southeast Asian Cooking

Lemongrass stalks, when finely chopped, add a unique citrusy note to Thai cuisine. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

The Salt

Lemongrass Brings Essential Spark To Southeast Asian Cooking

September 26, 2011 • Lemongrass is prized in Southeast Asia for lightening meat dishes and keeping powerful seafood flavors in check, as well as imparting its own unique citrusy, herbal flavor. The Thai people have also traditionally prized lemongrass as a digestive aid.