What We're Reading IV

Your idolization of Ina Garten may be unhealthy. Dan Barber makes a case for why vegetable peels are good for more than just compost. Here are our favorite news bites from the week to read, bookmark, and discuss at a dinner party. 

Crop Cash. On March 16, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced $100 million dollar in grants available to food programs with $63 million bookmarked for "specialty crop producers." Surprisingly (or not), specialty crops aren't that special at all. The USDA defines these crops in law as "fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture." Here's hoping this new funding is a step in the right direction toward supporting nutrition-based agricultural systems. 

Waste Not, Want Not. Remember Dan Barber's food waste pop-up in the last What We're Reading? Though rendering beef tallow for candles isn't a feat easily replicated at home, Barber's recipe for chips made from vegetable peels is one we can all try our hands at.

Remote Controlled. A recent study published in Appetit exposed a correlation between watching cooking shows and high body mass index. Viewers who watch celebrity chefs prepare indulgent dishes on television are more likely to recreate these high-calorie meals at home as if given permission by a virtual instructor. So next time Paula calls for a pound of butter or Giada grates a little too much parmesan, give the recipe a second thought.