Appetizer Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 17:34:13 PM PST

• San Diego's citrus and avocado industries may be in trouble. The reason? Water. Or, rather, lack of water.

• Interested in studying gastronomy in Italy? You get to gorge yourself on fine wines and cheese in Italy and get a college degree for it. Nice! Last week I met up with the university's David Szanto while he was in L.A. I have to admit, I might not be ready to pack my bags for Italia but I sure am jealous!

• Sustainable Table gives instructions to make your own yogurt. OK, now I am seriously sad I don't know of any local dairies near me. Homemade yogurt looks yummy. Hat tip to Natasha Chart for this.

• Civil Eats celebrates National Eat the Stuff in our Freezers and Pantry Week. I'm not sure I can celebrate. Do cashews and dried beans go stale if they've been sitting on a shelf for 2-4 years?

• Marion Nestle went to see Food, Inc and she gives it two thumbs up. I've only seen clips and heard a talk by the director and stars Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan about the making of the movie. It's going to be a BIG DEAL when this comes out.

• Grist answers the question "Can you compost tainted food?" Their answer, in short, is NO. If you've got food that's been recalled due to salmonella or other toxic microbes, throw that shit away!

• Chef Kurt Michael Friese isn't done yet picking on KFC's cheap chicken ads. He says they hide the true cost of the food. It's a pretty funny take on the ad, especially when he goes into the fine print and translates it from lawyer into English. "The chicken is fresh, except for when it's not." Yum. (Here's his previous commentary on KFC ads.)

• Check out this article about a foodie who gleans the Bay Area's unwanted fruit, herbs, and nuts from residential trees.

• The Ethicurean tells about volunteering at a free lunch program in New England. It's a really well-written and touching story from a first-person point of view. I definitely recommend taking a look, especially if you've ever considered volunteering yourself.