http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/index4.cfm?blogrss=26056&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed UC Food Blog en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:17:39 PST Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:17:39 PST UC ANR Mark Bittman, cookbook author and New York Times food writer, used the occasion of New Year’s Day to throw down the gauntlet for real and permanent change to the U.S. agricultural system. “We must figure out a way to un-invent this food system,” he says in a Times opinion column. He likens the scale of the task to tectonic cultural strides like abolition, civil rights, and the women’s vote. As to how we go about achieving this goal, Bittman speaks in broad terms. He......
]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:24:14 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9021&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed annguy@berkeley.edu(Ann Guy) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9021 For years the news and media have released reports that the holidays mean weight gain and ever-widening waistlines. All the hype leaves me asking: how many holidays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s do we actually have? Ok, so take out your calendar and circle the holidays and potential “food-related” events you might attend. We have Thanksgiving Day, Hanukkah, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and a Saturday or two of holiday parties to attend. When we look at......
]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:44:27 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8855&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucanr.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8855 A UC Cooperative Extension specialist says there isn’t enough scientific evidence to warrant consumers making changes to their diets nor to their children’s diets based on recent media reports about levels of arsenic in rice. The issue arose from an analysis by Consumer Reports of white and brown rice from around the world and rice products like rice cereal, rice milk and rice pasta. “In virtually every (rice) product we tested, we found measurable amounts of total......
]]> Fri, 07 Dec 2012 10:06:51 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8856&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8856 The warmth and joy of the holidays often stirs the giving spirit, boosting donations to food banks. All contributions are welcome, of course, but food donors can add extra value to their gifts by making careful choices when scouring the pantry or grocery store for food contributions, say UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators. UCCE’s nutrition education program, known as UC CalFresh, teaches good-sense eating on a budget to low-income families throughout California. The......
]]> Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:32:49 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8829&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8829 It might be pouring rain today, but soon enough California will be dry again. As demand for water for a growing urban population and for environmental restoration increases, farmers throughout the state are working to grow crops using as little water as possible, and UC is working with them. "Water supplies are being constrained. Farmers are facing reduced access to water," said Shermain Hardesty, a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at......
]]> Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:01:54 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8810&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed paleff@ucdavis.edu(Penny Leff) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8810 As we pushed ourselves away from the Thanksgiving table last week, my family, friends and I gave a collective groan from overeating. We are fortunate to have plenty to eat. In 2009, an estimated 3.8 million California adults went hungry because they could not afford to put sufficient food on the table, according to a policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. That’s up from 2.5 million Californians who went hungry in 2001. To supplement their food supply, Californians......
]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:20:48 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8793&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8793 I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the flavor of persimmons with one exception … dried. Dried persimmons have a more intense flavor and make a wonderful, healthy snack. I have dried the Fuyu persimmons by just cutting the fruit horizontally into about ¼-inch thick slices and then putting them in the food dryer. It is a very easy method to preserve the fruit. They are tasty little treats but they can be a bit leathery and brittle. This year I tried a different method of......
]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:20:49 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8755&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pgeisel@ucanr.edu(Pamela Geisel) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8755 In sub-Saharan Africa, postharvest losses of horticultural crops range from 30 percent to an astonishing 80 percent. Ongoing problems with food quality, safety and nutritional value are well documented. A number of past projects have identified appropriate actions, including implementing improvements in produce handling, training for regional agricultural leaders, capacity building, and small-scale infrastructure development, but these recommendations had not ever been integrated into local......
]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:54:41 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8728&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed postharvest@ucdavis.edu(Mary Reed) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8728 California produces more figs and pomegranates than any other state in the nation; in fact, our state is the sole producer of 99 percent or more of the U.S.-grown pomegranates and figs, according to the California state office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. And honey? The Golden State ranks second in honey production, eclipsed only by North Dakota. So why not combine all of them into a dessert? And add some walnuts and goat cheese for good measure--and good......
]]> Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:35:53 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8710&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8710 I first tasted a feijoa (fay-zho-uh, or pineapple guava) as a student here at UC Davis many years ago. A friend showed me her secret trees (south side of Wellman in Davis — tons on the ground right now!), and I was hooked. I didn’t think much of it at the time, other than thinking this is one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. It tastes better than candy, and ripens right around Halloween - sweet! I had never seen or heard of a feijoa. You likely haven’t either,......
]]> Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:08:39 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8678&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pwdevine@ucdavis.edu(Pam Devine) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8678 What if you could significantly improve the nutritional quality of your diet, just by switching one of the vegetables you eat every day? In parts of Africa, some people are doing just that by switching from yellow or white sweet potatoes to orange-fleshed varieties. In many African countries, sweet potatoes are a common staple—though not the orange-fleshed varieties I’m used to finding on the Thanksgiving table. That orange color signifies the potato’s beta-carotene......
]]> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:20:59 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8206&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bldawson@ucdavis.edu(Brenda Dawson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8206 The pomegranate has moved from a fruit once used primarily as a holiday table decoration to a sought after health food. Rich in antioxidants with a tangy flavor and a deep jewel like color, there's a lot to love about the pomegranate. Except, getting to the fruit. Extracting the edible arils is tricky enough; but take the next step of juicing and you'll quickly realize why commercially prepared pomegranate juice carries a dear price tag. We have two pomegranate trees in our yard, and this year......
]]> Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:17:22 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8636&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cckintigh@ucanr.edu(Cynthia Kintigh) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8636 Fairs in California have come a long way from their agricultural roots. Originally created as a showplace for recently harvested crops and livestock raised by youth, fairs now are focused on entertainment, shopping and just about anything deep-fried or on a stick. UC Cooperative Extension and the Fairs and Expositions branch of the California Department of Food and Agriculture teamed up this summer to host meetings at seven county fairs to see how to bring back the quaint agricultural flavor......
]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:15:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8456&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8456 Edible landscapes are growing like zucchini in the sun as more people recognize the health and economic benefits of designing their yards with pretty plants that taste good, too. “Sales of fruits and vegetables have remained strong, even during this recession when sales of other plants have lagged,” said Ron Hoffman, owner of Morris Nursery in Riverbank,Calif., echoing the sentiments of many in the state’s nursery industry. “People enjoy growing their own produce and......
]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:46:00 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8572&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8572 While many of us cherish the mystique of popping a wine cork, screw caps are becoming more commonplace in the wine industry. Half a century ago, screw caps were associated with cheap rotgut wine, but now they have replaced corks in many premium wines and at many of the world’s best wineries. Wine bottles are sealed primarily in three ways — natural corks, synthetic corks or screw caps. All have their advantages and disadvantages, and most certainly their proponents and opponents.......
]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:16:50 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8563&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed afilmer@ucdavis.edu(Ann Filmer) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8563 Everyone was dusty, tired and ready to relax. Pizza dinner had just ended on the third night of outdoor education in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but it wasn’t quite time to go. A counselor brought out a bucket containing all of the food leftovers from the plates of the sixth graders, their teachers, naturalists and parent chaperones. It was empty. The crowd cheered: The group had met its goal of zero waste. The camp made me think about how much food we throw away on a regular basis.......
]]> Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:35:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8530&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed alec.rosenberg@ucop.edu(Alec Rosenberg) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8530 I often look at foods and wonder, “Who’s idea was it to eat this?” Some foods just don’t look like they should be food, including huitlacoche. Huitlacoche is corn smut — a fungus that often infects sweet corn during times of drought. It enters the plant through the ovaries, and replaces the corn kernels with large tumor-like spores that look like really ugly mushrooms. Farmers in the U.S. have spent millions of dollars trying to eradicate the infection. The UC......
]]> Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:15:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8506&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed mpalin@ucanr.edu(Marissa Palin) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8506 Peppers in an array of colors, shapes, sizes and flavors grown at the UC Davis Student Farm are igniting interest in plant breeding and the astonishing botanical diversity of the Capsicum genus, to which all peppers belong. “Fifty-two varieties is a wonderful candyland for me, but it’s just a few of the many varieties in the world,” said graduate student Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, who works on a partnership project between the Student Farm and researcher Allen Van Deynze. Funded......
]]> Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:29:38 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8487&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ehightower@ucdavis.edu(Eve Hightower) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8487 Every wonder whether those crowd-sourced reviews online actually make a difference in a business’s bottom line? For restaurants, the answer is an unequivocal yes, according to a new study by UC Berkeley economists. Researchers analyzed restaurant ratings on Yelp.com and found that, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, a half-star rating increase translates into a 19 percent greater likelihood that an eatery’s seats will be full during peak dining times. “This is the first study to......
]]> Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:14:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8457&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed annguy@berkeley.edu(Ann Guy) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8457 Betsy Knapp, a former social worker, always knew that she loved helping people. But the experience of becoming a UC CalFresh Master Education Extender revealed her passion for nutrition education. The Master Education Extender Team (MEET) was designed to recruit volunteers in the community and train them to extend UC CalFresh family-centered nutrition education in the community. MEET is growing rapidly. Just nine months old, MEET has six active extenders who have delivered nutrition......
]]> Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:19:59 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8410&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucanr.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8410 Restaurant patrons with their varied food preferences play a huge role in determining which food items are included on the menu. Now an international team of researchers, including a UC Davis plant scientist, is finding that plant-eating insects do much the same in the natural world, maintaining and shaping the genetic variation of their host plants in a geographic area. The plant-grazing bugs accomplish this by forcing the plants to create diverse natural defenses to avoid being eaten, which......
]]> Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:16:06 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8428&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pjbailey@ucdavis.edu(Pat Bailey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8428 Two weeks ago, my colleague wrote about LA County Cooperative Extension’s popular “Grow LA Victory Garden” initiative – Resources for beginning vegetable gardeners develop from LA initiative. This exciting initiative has achieved great success in LA County over the past two years by teaching more than 1,100 beginner gardeners how to grow their own vegetables at home through Master Gardener-led classes. These classes impart an array of useful skills onto beginner......
]]> Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:29:29 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8414&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bkroche@ucanr.edu(Brenda Roche Wolford) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8414 It’s easy to finish half a bag of chips, or more, while being spread out on a couch, watching TV, the remote near and handy. So robotic can such chip consumption be that it’s easy, too, not to glance at the chip parade traveling resolutely from bag to mouth. But glance we must, for had it not been for the work of a research team, those healthy potato chips for most of us today would be out of reach and pricey, crunched into a crisp footnote in potato history. The research team,......
]]> Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:37:20 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8380&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed iqbal@ucr.edu(Iqbal Pittalwala) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8380 Remember when you were a kid and it was Tommy’s birthday and his mom brought those delicious cupcakes with the mounds of frosting to school? Picture with me all that syrupy sweet frosting in dazzling colors piled to the sky on top of a fluffy cupcake. While we are visualizing cupcakes, let’s do some cupcake math. If a teacher celebrates 30 students’ birthdays during the year, or about one per week in a nine-month school year, in addition to holidays like Halloween, Christmas,......
]]> Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:03:31 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8368&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucanr.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8368 Home vegetable gardening has always been popular in Los Angeles County. At the UC Cooperative Extension office in Los Angeles, we have a long history of teaching people how to garden through our Common Ground Garden Program. We began to get even more inquiries than usual from beginning gardeners starting three or four years ago. As it turned out, this was part of a larger trend. A national survey showed a 19 percent increase in edible gardening in U.S. households in just one year, between 2008......
]]> Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:29:11 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8342&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucanr.edu(Rachel Surls) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8342 Feel that chill in the morning air? Autumn's here, school's starting, and soon we'll be bustling about, wearing sweaters, cleaning rain gutters and raking leaves. But first, according to many traditions, it's time to take a break and celebrate the harvest with local farmers. Many cultures throughout the Northern Hemisphere have long traditions of harvest festivals held around the time of the main harvest in autumn. Most harvest festivals feature feasting, music, romance, dancing and freedom......
]]> Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:39:46 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8305&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed paleff@ucdavis.edu(Penny Leff) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8305 You’ve probably heard it millions of times in your lifetime, but it bears repeating: Not everyone has enough, good food to eat. To that end, the Horticulture Collaborative Research Support Program at UC Davis builds global partnerships for fruit and vegetable research to improve livelihoods in developing countries. Starting in September, those partnerships will include 14 graduate students from UC Davis, Cornell University, North Carolina State University and University of Hawaii at......
]]> Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:36:25 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8191&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bldawson@ucdavis.edu(Brenda Dawson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8191 Can I introduce the unappetizing topic of hospital food? Hospitals are notorious for not practicing what they preach in their own food service operations. Their food vendors provided fruits and vegetables that were overcooked, over-sugared, over-salted and ready-to-eat. By “leaving the cooking to them,” vendors made cafeterias more profitable by eliminating labor-intensive, freshly prepared meals. Kitchens replaced skilled cooks with untrained staff who rarely needed paring knives......
]]> Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:45:34 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8261&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjklahorst@ucdavis.edu(Suanne Klahorst) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8261 A year ago, a co-worker wrote a post on this blog entitled “It’s just a waste.” The sad facts of food waste are something we pay attention to since we work for the UC Postharvest Technology Center. A key component of our Center’s mission is to “reduce postharvest losses.” This topic also hits close to home on a personal level since I have always struggled with using up produce before it spoils. I go shopping about once a week, and tend to purchase just a bit......
]]> Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:57:55 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8243&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed postharvest@ucdavis.edu(Mary Reed) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8243 If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what does a Gravenstein apple pie do? It causes a stampede to the dining room table, that's what it does. Expect to see chairs overturning, plates flying and forks spinning. That's because Gravensteins make the best pies. As any apple pie aficionado will tell you: the best pies are the "G" pies: Gravenstein (first) and Granny Smith (second). The Gravenstein apple reigned as the preferred apple on our family farm in western Washington. We found the......
]]> Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:25:56 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8218&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8218 Postharvest technology. Hmmm. What does that even mean to you? Like most people, you’ve probably never thought about it, but it actually affects you every day. At least whenever you eat fruits and vegetables, and let’s face it, we all need to be eating more fruits and vegetables. Working at the Postharvest Technology Center, I often think about how to spread our mission of how to reduce postharvest losses and improve the quality, safety and marketability of fresh horticultural......
]]> Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:08:11 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8198&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pwdevine@ucdavis.edu(Pam Devine) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8198 We're used to hearing news about food safety issues in the commercial food supply; from spinach to cantaloupes, consumers keep a watchful eye to make sure that the food they bring home from the market is safe for their families. But how much thought do you give to the safety of the fruits and vegetables from your backyard? Many home gardeners assume that just because the food came from their own backyard it is safe. But that's not always the case. The free UC ANR publication Food Safety in......
]]> Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:39:41 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8129&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cckintigh@ucanr.edu(Cynthia Kintigh) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8129 When it comes to planting stone fruit at home, pluots are the way to go, says Chuck Ingels, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Sacramento County. Cherries are delicious, but with a new maggot pest, are hard to grow. Peaches and nectarines are susceptible to leaf curl disease, which is challenging to manage because the most effective products have been removed from store shelves. Apples and pears can suffer from fire blight and coddling moths worms. “I think plums and pluots are the best......
]]> Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:00:23 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8105&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8105 People often complain about grocery store tomatoes, saying they’re too hard and don’t have the flavor we remember from the days of old. And we thought we knew why - because the millions of tons of tomatoes harvested in the United States and beyond have to be picked before they’re fully ripe and juicy in order to survive being shipped long distances. What’s more, many shoppers store their tomatoes in the fridge, which destroys both their flavor and texture. But guess......
]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 08:13:30 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8086&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8086 The news this past week that nearly three tons of Trader Joe’s prepared barbeque chicken salad were recalled due to possible contamination by Listeria moncytogenes had me wondering anew about this mysterious foodborne pathogen. And today, seven tons of Garden Fresh prepared salads were also recalled. I’ve spent precious minutes worrying about E. coli (ubiquitous, especially in poop) and Salmonella (the reason we must take care with raw eggs), but why doesn’t Listeria......
]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2012 10:39:23 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8064&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Janet Byron http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8064 * - Updated 8/6/2012 As the local food movement scales up and consumers demand information about where their food comes from, more grocers and institutions are seeking wholesale access to local produce. To make the connection between producers and retail sellers, distribution networks are taking on an increasingly important role in the local food system. More and more, farmers are becoming part of values-based supply chains and ‘food hubs’ to pool their product with that of other......
]]> Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:32:54 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8035&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed abwhite@ucdavis.edu(Aubrey White) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8035 An ambitious effort to sequence the genomes of 100,000 infectious microorganisms and speed diagnosis of foodborne illnesses has been launched by the University of California, Davis, Agilent Technologies, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bart Weimer, professor in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, serves as director of the 100K Genome Project and co-director of the recently established BGI@UC Davis facility, where the sequencing will be done. Other collaborators include the......
]]> Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:20:56 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7994&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed afilmer@ucdavis.edu(Ann Filmer) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7994 I have limited cooking skills, so I’m lucky that my wife is a great cook and an even better baker – lemon bars, anyone? But there’s one dish she prefers that I prepare: guacamole. I was thinking about this when I was reviewing our recent photo shoot at UC ANR’s South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, which included images of strawberries, citrus and avocados. UC’s nine research and extension centers support about 350 research projects, including......
]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:22:31 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7987&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed alec.rosenberg@ucop.edu(Alec Rosenberg) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7987 On an unusually cool July morning at the UC Davis Student Farm, students are harvesting tomatoes and other produce for the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership program. The CSA baskets are pre-sold to members of the campus community and are among the ways students participate in the campus food system. “It’s more than a way to sell food. It builds community, and that’s a powerful thing for students to learn,” said Raoul Adamchak, who coordinates......
]]> Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:02:41 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7969&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ehightower@ucdavis.edu(Eve Hightower) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7969 Soy is now everywhere in the American diet. Tofu has become a more mainstream ingredient, soy milk crowds dairy cases, and soy fillers and additives can be found in processed foods from soups to meat and vegi-burgers to flavorings like cheese powders. The ubiquitous bean’s high levels of estrogen-mimicking compounds, called phytoestrogens, have long been a topic of scientific study and the nation’s ongoing conversation about nutrition and health. Does eating soy impact our sexual......
]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:21:07 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7934&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed annguy@berkeley.edu(Ann Guy) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7934 Possibly, people could be divided into the following two groups: those who knowingly eat insects, and those who think they have never eaten them. Since I am still assailed by the odd nightmare in which I am bringing to my lips a well-cooked bug that suddenly springs to life, I decided to tackle my bug-food phobia by visiting entomologist Douglas Yanega of UC Riverside last week. Yanega has eaten insects, even relished them. With no difficulty whatsoever he has ingested honey bees, termites,......
]]> Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:45:30 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7894&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed iqbal@ucr.edu(Iqbal Pittalwala) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7894 One year ago in June, the USDA unveiled the new food icon, MyPlate. Based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, MyPlate was created to remind us to make healthy choices at mealtime and to visit the website to get more information. This new, improved and simplified version of MyPyramid was an exciting development for dietitians like myself. No longer would we have to explain to the public what those abstract yet colorful bands represented on MyPyramid. The plate is simple and and gets......
]]> Tue, 10 Jul 2012 08:03:15 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7872&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bkroche@ucanr.edu(Brenda Roche Wolford) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7872 Have you ever seen young students explore an artichoke for the first time? Their faces look puzzled as they wonder if this green spiny thing they hold before them is even edible. What about a kiwi? Eyebrows furrow in bewilderment when kids encounter this fuzzy fruit for the first time. Our favorite kiwi quote from a fifth-grade student: “This smells like dirt.” All jokes aside, in Fresno County, nutrition education is becoming a priority for teachers. The UC CalFresh Nutrition......
]]> Thu, 05 Jul 2012 08:41:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7825&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucanr.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7825 For as long as I can remember, Independence Day has not been about being alone and independent, the Fourth of July is traditionally spent with family and friends, barbecuing, overeating and watching fireworks. Come to think of it, aren’t all American holidays celebrated with abundant quantities of food? And those mass quantities of food tend to be set out on July 4 and left within easy reach for hours. It’s a wonder July 5th isn’t national foodborne illness day. According to......
]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:28:06 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7848&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7848 Not long ago, a friend asked several of us to jot down some memories about the kitchen tables in our lives. The operating premise of the exercise was that food is central to our relationships, and that much of life occurs around the places where we eat, and those we choose to eat with. My kitchen table memories are varied. My family moved quite frequently when I was young: our kitchen table was a sort of “movable feast.” In my faith tradition, this term has a very specific meaning......
]]> Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:13:11 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7820&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rmhaydensmith@ucanr.edu(Rose Hayden-Smith) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7820 Nearly half of the 55 unusual winegrape varieties in a plot at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier displayed enough promising characteristics to prompt a cooperating vintner to make 25 small lots of wine. The research at Kearney is designed to expand the wine industry’s options in the San Joaquin Valley, currently California’s top grape growing district in terms of production, but lowest in terms of price. “Most of the popular wine......
]]> Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:38:46 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7807&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7807 Do county fairs make you think of deep-fried Twinkies and Ferris wheels, and maybe some prize-winning pigs? Can you imagine a local food marketplace next to the quilt show, a demonstration farm by the pony rides, fresh fruit for sale in the midway, a community dinner honoring local farmers, and housing available for hundreds of farm-workers the week after the fair closes? These all thrive at some of California's county and district fairs, and may be part of the future at many others soon. The......
]]> Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:44:15 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7775&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed paleff@ucdavis.edu(Penny Leff) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7775 The Center for Public Health Advocacy released a report this month on the obesity rates of children in 250 cities in California. According to the report, 38 percent of children statewide are overweight. America’s rising obesity rates are exacting a high cost on society. In looking for solutions, many people blame federal farm subsidies for the current obesity problems. The Farm Bill is up for reauthorization this year. As Congress considers changes, I think it is important to understand......
]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:25:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7748&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed julian@primal.ucdavis.edu(Julian Alston) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7748 What we know about eating, not eating and overeating has been investigated by research universities and university-trained scientists since the 1920s. The Journal of Nutrition began publishing in 1928. Now 2.5 million inquiries each month probe a massive body of knowledge about the nature of our evolving physical and cultural relationship with food, with at least 30 more food and nutrition journals collecting and dispersing this science globally. The result: Americans spend more time debating......
]]> Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:33:22 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7689&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjklahorst@ucdavis.edu(Suanne Klahorst) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7689 The brief season of apricot harvest is upon us, and many fruit enthusiasts will soon bite into one of these small, delicate, yellowish-orange fruits. I grew up in a San Jose subdivision that was built on an apricot orchard. Each house had 2 or 3 apricot trees left on the lot, and so I have great memories of enjoying them fresh from the tree, still warm from the sun and tartly sweet . But, I have to admit that my favorite form of apricot then and now, are home-dried apricots. They sure were a......
]]> Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:53:46 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7651&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed postharvest@ucdavis.edu(Mary Reed) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7651 Did you catch the buzz? It's still a troubling scene for our nation's honey bees, but it appears that the total losses for the 2011-2012 winter aren't as bad as they could be. In other words, managed honey bee colonies appear to be holding their own. Overall, they didn't take a sharp dive last winter. The annual survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bee Informed Partnership, and the Apiary Inspectors of America shows that the honey bee colony losses averaged 30......
]]> Tue, 05 Jun 2012 08:02:45 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7637&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7637 Aiming to energize the seed industry cluster surrounding UC Davis, Seed Central, an initiative of the Seed Biotechnology Center at UC Davis and SeedQuest, recently highlighted postharvest handling and food safety at their monthly forum. Recordings of invited guest speakers, Marita Cantwell, Trevor Suslow and Roberta Cook, UC Cooperative Extension specialists with expertise in post harvest science, show the passion they feel for their respective subjects and why we're fortunate to have them on......
]]> Thu, 31 May 2012 17:24:38 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7607&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pwdevine@ucdavis.edu(Pam Devine) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7607 What will be the new food frontier? An article in the Wall Street Journal with the headline “Next Stop for Food Fanatics: Africa” predicts adventurous American palates may soon be craving sub-Saharan cuisines. Besides making me hungry, reading this article made me think of some of the African vegetables that I’ve recently started to learn about. Yes, just as there are "Asian vegetables," there is also a wide category of "African leafy vegetables." Have you heard of......
]]> Tue, 29 May 2012 08:41:29 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7567&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bldawson@ucdavis.edu(Brenda Dawson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7567 California consumers have grown accustomed to enjoying locally grown blueberries in the last decade. Much of the credit goes to UC Cooperative Extension advisor Manuel Jimenez of Tulare County, who has been studying blueberry production and varieties at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center since 1998. California’s abundant sunshine enables growers to produce high-quality, very sweet Southern Highbush variety blueberries. But, blueberry plants are difficult and......
]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 08:15:52 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7553&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7553 Backyard chickens are pets with perks. Laying hens provide a steady supply of fresh, organic eggs; unusual breeds can satisfy birdwatchers' desire to observe an animal exploring its surroundings; and poultry manure is an excellent soil amendment. Surprisingly, chickens are pretty good companion animals as well. My family keeps two chickens in a 10-foot-square pen in the side yard of our tract home. The birds are as thrilled to see us at the end of the day as our dog and cats. They provide......
]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 07:40:33 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7480&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7480 You know how it works: You stand in the grocery aisle, surreptitiously sniffing the cantaloupes, hoping your nose will lead you to a nice, ripe selection. But when you slice it open in your kitchen, it’s just not as ripe as you had hoped. Lucky for you (and me), UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences Assistant Professor Florence Negre-Zakharov and her team may have found a way to make imperfectly ripe fruit a thing of the past. "We are involved in a project geared towards developing rapid......
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 11:51:17 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7490&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7490 UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers and educators continue to fight increases in childhood obesity rates. Childhood obesity is linked to many lifelong health problems. If left unchecked these problems have the potential to reverse life expectancy gains. Our youth deserve a future filled with promise and possibilities. A strong body and good health is the foundation on which a successful future can be built. UC ANR’s new after-school curriculum is designed to help 9- to......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 08:34:25 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7440&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7440 Nutrition, food security and sufficient family incomes are challenges in many parts of the world. Half the world’s people live in rural areas in developing countries. Because hunger and malnutrition are often linked to poverty, providing economic opportunities through horticultural production not only helps family incomes, but also addresses food security and nutrition. Training women to produce and market horticultural crops in the developing world also helps provide a much-needed income......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 09:02:33 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7393&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed afilmer@ucdavis.edu(Ann Filmer) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7393 Only in California could arid land be converted into the nation’s salad bowl. In the late 1800s, University of California researchers discovered how to remove salts from the soils of the Central Valley, turning it into one of the most productive agricultural regions. UC researchers continue to play a key role in agriculture today, keeping California the nation’s leading agricultural state, from dairies in Tulare to nut farms in Newberry Springs. A new brochure highlights the breadth of UC......
]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 08:14:51 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7382&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed alec.rosenberg@ucop.edu(Alec Rosenberg) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7382 To the tune of Mary Hopkin's iconic 60s hit, Those Were the Days, a team of UC animal scientists ask whether those bygone times people remember nostalgically would be up to the challenge of feeding the world today. "People have a romantic image of farming in the past," said Alison Van Eenennaam, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. "It may be remembered as bucolic, but there wasn't enough food being produced to cope with world population......
]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:49:39 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7367&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7367 Even though U.S. consumers routinely buy and eat genetically engineered corn and soy in processed foods — most are unaware of the fact because the GE ingredients are not labeled. When consumers are asked in surveys whether they would buy genetically engineered (GE) produce such as fruit, most say they would not buy GE produce unless there were a direct benefit to them, such as greater nutritional value. Consumer reluctance to buy GE fruits and nuts is a major obstacle to commercialization of......
]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:01:48 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7343&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jlwhite@ucanr.edu(Janet White) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7343 The United States farm bill is up for renewal this year, and what goes into the $400 billion, 5,000-plus page piece of legislation will affect what tens of millions of Americans eat — and don’t eat — in the coming years. On April 5, UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources fired off an enlightening salvo in the public discourse, with a panel of heavy hitters calling on the public to let their voices be heard in the quest to, as panelist Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of......
]]> Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:13:05 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7293&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed annguy@berkeley.edu(Ann Guy) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7293 Agriculture has always been a precarious enterprise, vulnerable to weather, pests, disease and fickle markets. But for the farmers and ranchers in developing nations, such inherent uncertainty becomes a matter not just of success or failure but also of life or death. Aiming to diminish that risk and alleviate global poverty and hunger, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has established a $25 million grant program, directed by a UC Davis agricultural economist. The program......
]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:06:54 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7287&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pjbailey@ucdavis.edu(Pat Bailey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7287 Last Friday I had the opportunity to speak to a group of residents at the LA Family Housing, Valley Shelter in North Hollywood. We met outdoors amidst sprouting tomato plants, low-hanging loquats and variety of fruits and vegetables being grown in a beautiful garden setting. It was not my first time visiting this tranquil North Hollywood shelter garden. I have come several times before to talk to the residents about nutrition, health and the importance of making smart food choices on a limited......
]]> Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:15:01 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7242&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bkroche@ucanr.edu(Brenda Roche Wolford) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7242 The world population is more than seven billion, and by 2050 that number is set to rise to nine billion — an increase of 50 percent since 2000.  Can we possibly feed so many people? Yes, according to Prabhu Pingali, who was invited to UC Riverside last week by the One Health Center to give a talk.  Pingali, the deputy director of the Agriculture Development Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has more than three decades of experience in the field of agriculture.  His hour-long......
]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:48:13 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7225&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed iqbal@ucr.edu(Iqbal Pittalwala) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7225 Breakfast has to be the greatest meal of the day by far!  I might be biased because it includes coffee – in my opinion the greatest beverage in the world - but that’s a subject for another day. There are so many benefits to breakfast. The options of what to eat are endless - plus breakfast wakes you up and gets you energized for your day! It makes me sad that most people won’t take the time to fall in love with breakfast. The usual excuses are always present: “I’m on a diet, so I’m......
]]> Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:04:53 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7176&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucanr.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7176 On Saturday, March 31, Angelenos celebrated the Mayor's "Good Food Day of Service."  Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, and numerous community partners organized this city-wide event to highlight the importance of healthy food and celebrate the legacy of César Chávez. There were 100 participating sites around the city, all featuring community service focused on healthy food access.  I participated at the Glassell Park Community Garden in Northeast Los Angeles......
]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:10:59 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7171&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucanr.edu(Rachel Surls) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7171 I was recently given a copy of the Prince of Wales’ speech “On the Future of Food,” offered at a conference of the same name, held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in May 2011. Rodale has reproduced the speech in a small pamphlet with a foreword written by Wendell Berry, and an afterword provided by Will Allen and Eric Schlosser (all super writers and superstars in the sustainable food system movement).  GRACE Communications, which helped sponsor last year’s conference, has created......
]]> Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:50:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7101&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rmhaydensmith@ucanr.edu(Rose Hayden-Smith) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7101 Children can eat a healthier diet by making some easy substitutions in their food choices, avoiding "sometimes food," like candy, soda and chips, and instead eating "anytime food," like fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk. UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators in Fresno County staged a skit at the Fresno County Food & Nutrition Day March 23 to reinforce these healthy eating messages. The event drew nearly 2,000 third-graders to the fairgrounds. "Scarlet Strong," played by UCCE......
]]> Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:28:53 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7099&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7099 Tomatoes grow fine in my Sacramento backyard. I can usually count on plenty of basil, more zucchini than the neighbors will take, some snow peas, chard and kale, a few small peppers and eggplants and whatever salad greens survive the slugs (in other words, lots of arugula). We have oranges and grapefruit, but I wouldn't even try to grow peaches or apricots. It takes a farmer to grow peaches. It takes a good farmer to grow good peaches. It takes a good farmer and good weather to grow Blenheim......
]]> Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:11:10 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7083&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed paleff@ucdavis.edu(Penny Leff) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7083 I attended the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January and I was delighted with the offerings from local companies near UC Davis. Since I attended this vast international exhibit, I have purchased several local products that I discovered at the show. The exhibit was so large, I was only able to see half of it in a day. I met Matthieu Kohlmeyer, the French CEO and General Manager of La Tourangelle, whose walnut oils are processed 15 minutes away in Woodland. I was also impressed with......
]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:10:55 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7033&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjklahorst@ucdavis.edu(Suanne Klahorst) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7033 Tomatoes are the No. 1 garden crop in America. Everyone who has a summer garden grow tomatoes. There are more blogs, forums, tweets, and garden club and café talks about tomatoes than any other garden vegetable. Tomatoes are used in so many recipes, and can be preserved so easily into so many products it just makes sense to grow them in your garden. The garden lore about growing tomatoes successfully abounds. And the really good new . . . the failure rate for tomatoes is pretty darn low. You......
]]> Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:23:56 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7018&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pgeisel@ucanr.edu(Pamela Geisel) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7018 Early spring can be an invigorating time of year, with lengthening days, blooming daffodils and fruit trees (and ski season still in full force). One of the best perks of the season is the availability of luscious strawberries, and tasty artichokes and asparagus picked from nearby farms, with flavor quality and price that reflects both in-season and local transportation benefits.  Depending on your location, farmers markets and pick-your-own farms will begin offering their wares within the......
]]> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:54:23 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6988&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed postharvest@ucdavis.edu(Mary Reed) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6988 There’s an old saying that “4-H isn’t just about cows and chickens.” Well, sometimes (tongue in cheek), it’s also about chili! As in chili cookoffs. Every year since 2005, the Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program has sponsored a Chili Cookoff Contest as part of its Project Skills Day, where the youths share what they’ve learned in their projects. The scores of projects generally fall under the wide umbrellas of animal sciences, biological sciences, civic engagement, communication and......
]]> Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:40:02 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6960&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6960 The 2008 Farm Bill provided more support for local and regional agriculture. In 2009, under the leadership of deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan, the USDA launched its Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, with an eye towards doing just that. The list of initiative goals is lengthy, but include promoting, locally and regionally produced and processed foods; expanding access to affordable and fresh food; and demonstrating the explicit connections between food, agriculture, communities and......
]]> Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:20:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6936&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rmhaydensmith@ucanr.edu(Rose Hayden-Smith) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6936 We all know that eating dark leafy greens is good for us, right? So that’s why for lunch lately I’ve been on a health kick to eat a big bowl of dark leafy greens topped with a lean protein source. I have, however, been subject to some good-natured ribbing around my office regarding my lunch selections. So I decided to research my lunch ingredients, and why I, as well as my inquisitive co-workers, already know it’s something of a power lunch, in the most nutritious of ways.  First, the base of......
]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:07:29 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6921&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pwdevine@ucdavis.edu(Pam Devine) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6921 Ever tasted a cherimoya? Upon first taste, many Californians often argue whether cherimoya tastes like a combination of pear, banana, lemon or other familiar fruits. But Isabel Barkman, UC Master Gardener who grew up eating the subtropical fruit in her native Chile, says that’s not quite right. “I say it tastes like heaven. The cherimoya tastes like cherimoya. It’s creamy. It’s incredible. Nothing tastes like it,” she said. On Saturday, she helped organize a tasting of 15 varieties of......
]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:29:37 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6904&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bldawson@ucdavis.edu(Brenda Dawson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6904 Nopales, which can add interest to any landscape and, when harvested, a green-bean flavor to many dishes, are easy to propagate and grow in most parts of California, says UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Richard Molinar. Molinar has produced a sampling of spineless and spined varieties of the cactus plant at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center specialty crops demonstration field. Late winter, he said, is an ideal time to plan for planting nopales when the soil warms......
]]> Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:09:45 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6858&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6858 While working in Tanzania on community development projects several years ago, Iago Lowe came to a life-changing conclusion: Food security is central to projects that make a lasting difference in people's well-being. It ensures that communities have the seeds, soil, water and environment to produce enough to eat. However, his bachelor's degree in physics and religion from Dartmouth College did not adequately prepare him to spearhead those kinds of projects. To address that gap in his ability......
]]> Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:21:15 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6815&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6815 A new federal voucher that gives low-income women access to a range of fruits and vegetables could provide unique new marketing opportunities for California growers. In 2009, the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) began distributing monthly cash vouchers to low-income women with children to buy fruits and vegetables. The program reaches almost half of the infants and one-quarter of children under 5 years old in the United States. A team of UC......
]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:02:30 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6791&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Janet Byron http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6791 Agricultural innovation and technological advances have been harvested from UC Davis over the last century. As advances are achieved, our growing global population applies pressure for researchers to achieve more. California is a top world-wide producer of agricultural products, and California researchers work hard to find new and better ways to produce food. The UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) does much to contribute towards this effort. The recent......
]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:44:59 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6747&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6747 A Food Blog post last week highlighted the great work of UC CalFresh, the UC Cooperative Extension nutrition education program that reaches more than 220,000 people a year, helping low-income families make healthy food choices, stretch food dollars and increase consumption of California’s agricultural products. The University of California has an array of healthy living outreach efforts. In addition to CalFresh, one program that you might not expect involves the UC Davis School of Medicine.......
]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:10:45 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6708&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed alec.rosenberg@ucop.edu(Alec Rosenberg) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6708 The USDA is gearing up for the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the complete count it makes every five years of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The agricultural census provides a fascinating look at farming demographics: How old are they? Where do they live? What do they grow? Most experts believe the census will show a trend towards the green – not just green as in sustainable, local and small-scale - but also green as in greenhorn. It seems more people from non-farming......
]]> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:30:29 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6665&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6665 To meet the needs of today’s time-pressed consumers, UC Cooperative Extension nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisors collected the most pertinent food budgeting and healthy eating concepts together in a new curriculum that can be presented in four one-hour sessions. The curriculum is taught by UC CalFresh, a nutrition education program that helps recipients of federal food assistance (formerly called Food Stamps) make the most of their benefits. Typically, participants are offered an......
]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:06:58 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6659&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6659 Adapted from an article by Eileen Ecklund in Breakthroughs magazine.Scaling up — that’s always the sticking point with organic farming when it faces the question of whether it can feed the world’s hungry millions. But a group of UC Berkeley scientists say that continuing on our current path of industrial agriculture is simply not sustainable, given its enormous water, energy and chemical inputs, together with the new challenges posed by climate change, such as temperature and precipitation......
]]> Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:07:55 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6629&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed annguy@berkeley.edu(Ann Guy) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6629 Chocolate lovers take note: Tickets are available for the Feb. 4 “Chocolate” extravaganza at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis. The day will begin with an exclusive gourmet class, designed for foodies, epicureans and aficionados of ultra-premium chocolates. The morning class is currently filled, but names are being added to a waiting list, and a larger venue is being sought to accommodate the strong interest in the class. Leading the gourmet class will be......
]]> Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:37:02 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6621&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pjbailey@ucdavis.edu(Pat Bailey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6621 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – a way of buying fresh produce and other foods directly from farmers – is growing rapidly in California’s Central Valley, according to a newly published study in the California Agriculture journal. Membership in the CSAs surveyed for the study increased from an estimated 672 in 1990 to 32,938 in 2010. The growth in Central Valley CSAs is one part of a bigger movement toward stronger direct relationships between farmers and consumers, said Ryan Galt, UC......
]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:36:22 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6609&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ehightower@ucdavis.edu(Eve Hightower) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6609 Nowadays, there are apps on our mobile devices that will do virtually anything. They help us get organized, give us the news, entertain us, help us plan trips and allow us to connect with friends. One thing that has become apparent as I peruse the online app store for my latest download is that there are many, many apps devoted to food, nutrition, health and most importantly - weight loss. The apps count calories, suggest healthier foods, encourage exercise, plan meals and provide useful......
]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:54:46 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6571&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bkroche@ucanr.edu(Brenda Roche Wolford) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6571 One morning more than a decade ago I tried an “eating meditation” in Silverlake, about an hour’s drive from UC Riverside. We were about ten people – more Buddhish than Buddhist – in a dark and quiet room, seated on stiff chairs around a menacing-looking table. Each of us was handed a strawberry and told to await instructions. I had never participated in an eating meditation before. I wasn’t even sure what was involved. Did one eat and eat, and meditate at the same time with eyes closed? I had......
]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:07:26 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6529&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed iqbal@ucr.edu(Iqbal Pittalwala) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6529 Oh January 1st, how I hate you.  If you’re like me you’re still recovering from the month long holiday food hangover.  With three months until spring and swimsuit season on the horizon, you’re feeling the pressure to lose the winter coat!  As always, you make that infamous New Year’s resolution: TO LOSE WEIGHT!  How many people do you know, including yourself, who swear that this is the year… “Gym membership here I come!” “I will not touch another carb for the rest of the year!” “No sweets......
]]> Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:26:31 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6455&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucanr.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6455 On this Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, it’s nice to sit with a cup of tea and a seed catalog, dreaming about a spring and summer garden. For 2012, I’ve decided to focus on heirloom varieties for my home garden. Spoiler alert for my family: there are packets of heirloom seeds tucked in your Christmas stockings, with extras for Memere and Pepere (who are grandparents and also grand gardeners). “Heirloom” is an interesting term, and like the word “sustainability,” it means......
]]> Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:34:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6464&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rmhaydensmith@ucanr.edu(Rose Hayden-Smith) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6464 Over the years, I’ve heard quite a few people, including my parents, talk about getting an orange in their Christmas stocking when they were children. Apparently, this custom dates back many years. It was a special treat, in a time when oranges were expensive. An interesting book called “Orange Empire: California and the Fruits of Eden” by Douglas Cazaux Sackman tells the story of how oranges went from being an occasional treat to a mainstream part of the American diet. In fact, Los Angeles......
]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:08:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6435&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucanr.edu(Rachel Surls) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6435 Davis Wednesday afternoon farmers' market can be quiet in December, so what better time to learn a little about what's going on back at the farms? Every farmer I talked with today had delicious treats to sell and a story to tell. Here are a few: Did you know that Gridley is the kiwi capital of America? There used to be a kiwi festival and a kiwi queen, but that all got too expensive for Gridley's kiwi farmers quite a few years ago, Frank Stenzel reports. He's getting ready to start pruning his......
]]> Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:12:09 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6400&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed paleff@ucdavis.edu(Penny Leff) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6400 Walking through a field lined with row upon row of different vegetables — many ready for the picking — can be an exercise in abundance. When you're faced with the prospects of a huge, just-picked Japanese cabbage or spicy green lo bok pulled fresh from the ground, suddenly vegetables might seem like less of a chore and more of an adventure. I had a chance recently to visit Tchieng Farms with Richard Molinar and Michael Yang, both of UC Cooperative Extension Fresno County and the Small Farm......
]]> Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:17:02 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6362&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bldawson@ucdavis.edu(Brenda Dawson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6362 Adding to a growing list of campus-produced products, Russell Ranch has introduced a new UC Davis product -- Russell Ranch Dried Tomatoes. Russell Ranch Dried Tomatoes are grown at UC Davis' Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility, a 300-acre farm west of campus. The organically grown tomatoes are part of a century-long study of agricultural sustainability at the ranch that compares the long-term effects of different ways of farming. Research at Russell Ranch focuses on soil and water......
]]> Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:58:14 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6265&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ehightower@ucdavis.edu(Eve Hightower) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6265 UC’s Food Stamp Nutrition and Education Program, or FSNEP, has officially changed its name to University of California CalFresh Nutrition Education Program, or UC CalFresh for short. In 2008 the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service changed the name of the food stamp program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Last year, the California Department of Social Services updated to CalFresh, the name of the state program that issues monthly electronic......
]]> Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:34:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6333&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6333 I have this huge grapefruit tree in my garden. It is at least 30 feet high and just as wide.  It must be at least 70 years old and yields hundreds of pounds of grapefruit annually. The variety is an old standard variety called "Marsh." Marsh grapefruit were introduced in Florida in 1860 and it has been in the industry ever since. It is relatively cold hardy variety and has survived many hard freezes here in northern California. Even though our grapefruit tree gives us a lot of fruit and it has......
]]> Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:19:49 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6318&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pgeisel@ucanr.edu(Pamela Geisel) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6318 On a recent Sunday night I went to see Charles Bamforth, the University of California's only professor of brewing, speak at Sudwerk Riverside in Folsom, hosted by the Sacramento Chapter of the UC Davis Alumni Association. The standing-room-only banquet room had an empty seat next to a winemaker and a food scientist; a married couple who came back early from a weekend in Santa Cruz for some edutainment and local brew. Bamforth can pack ‘em in on most of his speaking venues. Bamforth teaches in......
]]> Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:43:33 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6308&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjklahorst@ucdavis.edu(Suanne Klahorst) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6308 Each fall I am delighted by the vibrant color of the pomegranates on display in the produce section of the market. I succumbed to their ancient beauty a few days ago, and purchased two. They added their glistening jewel tones to the fall leaves and dried corn cobs that graced our Thanksgiving table. “Help yourself,” I told our guests. “Please enjoy eating them, that’s what they’re for.” But no one took advantage of the offer, and the lovely pomegranates languished in our post-holiday fruit......
]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:23:41 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6274&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed postharvest@ucdavis.edu(Mary Reed) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6274 It's almost Thanksgiving, and time to contemplate the turkey and all the trimmings. But wait, shouldn't we be thinking about homemade rolls? Not just any rolls. Yeast rolls!On the UC Davis research front, Kyria Boundy-Mills serves as the curator of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, one of the world's largest collections of wild yeast. She maintains the collection, distributes strains to academic and industrial researchers around the world, conducts contract screening research for companies......
]]> Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:58:08 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6242&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6242