One of the best ways for individuals to combat food waste is, first of all, to use the dates as guidelines, not strict rules. Smell your food. Taste your food. Look at your food. Moldy fruits and vegetables probably won't taste great, but bad mold on cheese can be easily cut off to reveal perfectly good cheese underneath. If your milk smells sour, it probably is, but if it's one or two days past the expiration date and still smells fine, it is more than likely safe to drink. If you buy food from farmers' markets, talk to the sellers about their products. Knowing when an apple was picked will help you decide how long you think it should remain on your counter before you eat it. When you cook and eat, use your eyes and nose.
Still, most experts, and restaurant owners, agree that the government should be doing more.
"At Phoenicia, we try to educate our customers as much as we can," explains Tcholakian. "But I think it has to be regulated in the market, and no one's doing that yet."
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Beverages
Mouths on Fire
Top 5 ginger beers/ales to try.
Joanna O'Leary
As a ginger who happens to love ginger, I am always on the lookout for libations that incorporate my favorite spice. And, in eternal pursuit of a higher tolerance for heat, I have also taken to trying spicier ginger ales and ginger beers. Here are five of my favorites:
5.Vernors Ginger Ale. Through some Michigan natives, I became aware of Vernors, which has something of a cult following among Wolverine-State expats. This spirited soda deftly manages to combine a sweet creaminess with subtle spice notes, making it the perfect not-so-hot ginger ale for those with less tolerance for heat.
4.Reed's Extra Ginger Brew. The "extra ginger" in this Reed's varietal takes the mouth-burn up a notch, but an ample amount of sugar prevents this ale from becoming too caustic. If you're suffering from an upset stomach, there's no better drink for settling it and scaring away the bacteria.
3.Old Jamaica Ginger Beer. I have no idea what sort of flavors "Old Jamaica" is supposed to evoke, but I do like what I taste in this style of ginger beer. Its medium spice and heavy carbonation make it an ideal mixer for a Dark and Stormy cocktail and can make up for the disadvantages of using lesser rums (re: not Gosling's).
2.Diet Gosling's Ginger Beer. No, that's not a typo. Having tried both the regular and the diet ginger beer from Gosling's, I can say with full confidence that the latter is actually hotter and more refreshing than the former. Something about the lack of real sweeteners must highlight the ginger elements of this brew and make its "zip" a shade better than the original version.
1. Blenheim #3 Red Cap Ginger Ale. With its ability to create a Class A conflagration in your mouth, Blenheim Red Cap Ginger Ale easily blows other ginger sodas out of the water, as well as disproves the assertion that ginger ales are inherently less spicy than ginger brews. Although I don't have a natural predilection for foods and drinks that make me tear up as I consume them, I must say I found the strong scorch of Blenheim's ginger ale to be remarkably invigorating. It's the perfect aperitif for a "hot" supper of Malaysian or Indian food.
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Market Watch
2013 Houston Fall Produce Guide
What to buy and when to buy it.
Molly Dunn
Say goodbye to summer squash, watermelon, tomatoes and cucumbers, and say hello to pumpkins, winter squash, citrus and dark leafy greens.
Fall is here, and that means it's time to begin using season-appropriate fruits and vegetables. As Houstonians we are fortunate, because there's a lot of great produce being grown on Texas farms. And now is the time to buy the bounty: sweet potatoes for your casserole, pears for your tart and much more. With assistance from Urban Harvest Market managers Tyler Horne and Libby Kennedy and the Kirby Whole Foods Market's Andrew DeYoung and Charles Perez, we have created a guide to show you which produce will be in season this fall and when you can expect to buy it.
In markets now you'll find a variety of apples. This year, Whole Foods Market will sell more than 25 different types of apples. DeYoung says the chain wanted to go big on apples with exotic flavors, like the pink pearl — a small, vibrant specimen that tastes like a pink SweeTart. Other popular ones, such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith and Gala, will be available as well.
