Moonshine still

The Caves in Which Moonshine Was Made

White County, TN, averaged more than a million and a half gallons of moonshine a year at late as the 1950s.
Bog butter barrels

Bog Butter Barrels and Ireland’s 3000-Year-Old Refrigerators

Wooden Bog Butter Barrels are possibly the most beautiful things you can find in a bog.  But why did people throw their butter into bogs?
Duncan Hines cake

Duncan Hines, Cake Mix Maker Extraordinaire

Duncan Hines was not created by a marketing department. Born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1880, he became an amateur restaurant critic.
Piper Cub plane farmers

An Airplane in Every Barn?

Why airborne farming hasn’t been cleared for take-off.
Natchitoches meat pies

How Delicious Meat Pies Put Natchitoches on the Map

The Natchitoches meat pie, a crimped half moon hiding a pocket of spiced meat, exemplifies “culinary place making."
Margarine ad

When Margarine Was Contraband

Protectionist laws favoring producers of butter meant that getting margarine in Wisconsin was no easy feat.
Young woman drinking a green smoothie after training

Why Clean Eating Can’t Save Your Soul

If hunger is moral purity, self-care a purchasable commodity, and wellness a stand-in for thinness, what does health really mean?
wildfires are getting worse

West Coast Infernos, Midday Mudslides, and the Little Cool Beans that Might Save the World

Wildfires and public health, predicting floods, and substituting beans for beef were top stories in environmental news this week.
Steak in bed

When You Eat Matters As Much As What You Eat

Trying to lose weight? A new study suggests that our bodies may react just as much to when we eat, as to what food we are consuming.
Alemany farmer's market, San Francisco, CA (2012)

The Wartime Origins of Farmers Markets

In 1943, the idea of a farmers market at which produce was sold directly to the customer was nearly unheard of, a relic of the distant past.