Curb Your Food Tech Enthusiasm
There are two problems with this approach. First, the promises of technologies meant to reduce emissions from agriculture often far exceed what they can actually deliver. For instance, as Matthew…
This Thanksgiving, Turn Your Oven Into a Smoker
Photo: Brent Hofacker (Shutterstock) Smoked turkey is one of the most delicious forms a turkey can take, but not everyone has a smoker (or even a grill). Thankfully, you don’t…
Why You Shouldn’t Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
Photo: Africa Studio (Shutterstock) Plunking a scraped and spent vanilla bean into an aliquot of alcohol is a good idea. (Those beans are expensive, and you might as well eek…
‘Bluewashing’ Seafood Won’t Make the World More Green
Marine wildlife is in a state of global emergency. Ninety percent of fish populations are at or below half their historical levels, and more fish species appear on the International…
How to Brew Your First Batch of Kombucha
If you’re reading this, you probably already know what kombucha is, but you might not know what kombucha is, if you know what I mean. Maybe you were feeling experimental…
The Cicadas Are Coming. Let’s Eat Them!
High-end, and with an appealingly low carbon footprint. Farming insects is much more efficient than raising conventional livestock, and the environmental case for eating insects is gaining momentum. “It takes…
Want Carbon-Neutral Cows? Algae Isn’t the Answer
Recent technological breakthroughs have us feeling hopeful about a green future: We have affordable electric cars, relatively cheap and efficient solar power, and even robots that might be able to…
How to Ferment Your Own Pickles Without Freaking Out
If you’re like me—and I know I am—then you have spent a non-zero amount of time during this pandemic feeling like your productivity is swirling down the proverbial toilet. Early…
How to Capitalize on Your Oven’s Residual Heat
Photo: Zephyr_p (Shutterstock) Heating up an entire oven takes a fair amount of energy, and it can feel a little wasteful to use all of it to heat a single…
How to Get More Plant-Based Meat Onto Plates in 2021
Faux burgers and chicken nuggets are having a moment. In 2018, Impossible Foods, the Silicon Valley–based alternative meat company known for its plant-based burger that “bleeds” like the real thing,…