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| 01/09/10 |
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| 12/08/09 |
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| 11/21/08 |
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Heirloom Turkeys Make a Comeback |
A single breed, Broad Breasted Whites, account for 99.9% of all turkeys raised in the U.S.! However, there are some older varieties still around. These "heirloom" varieties are valued by those who favor them for their flavor and biological diversity.
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| 10/25/08 |
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Potatoes Deserve More Respect |
Potatoes have an illustrious 7,000 year history, and yet in the U.S. most are consumed in the form of potato chips and french fries. This is unfortunate, for as food writer MFK Fisher observed: "They could be good, if they were cooked respectfully."
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| 09/25/08 |
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Eggplant: A Beautiful Vegetable |
Eggplant is a beautiful vegetable that pairs especially well with flavorful vegetables and herbs like tomato and basil, absorbing flavors like a sponge.
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| 09/10/08 |
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September is Organic Harvest Month |
September is peak season for many fruits and vegetables. That makes it an auspicious time to celebrate organic foods and the bounty of the natural world.
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| 06/14/08 |
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| 06/14/08 |
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The Best Soy Sauce is Naturally Brewed |
Like fine wine, the best soy sauce is a product of fermentation and aging. When produced this way, it not only adds flavor to food, but harmonizes the flavors already present.
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| 05/13/08 |
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Ghee is Both Food & Medicine |
Ghee, the preferred fat in most Indian cooking is valued both for its buttery flavor and for its healing properties.
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| 05/13/08 |
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Add Life to Soups, Sauces and Dips with Miso |
Miso is a fermented soybean paste widely used in Japanese cooking. It is a "living" food containing friendly bacteria that help your digestive system work better. Salty, flavorful, and high in protein, a little bit goes a long way.
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| 03/08/08 |
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Coconut Oil: A Healthy Saturated Fat |
Saturated fats are getting a second look as evidence mounts that they have been wrongly vilified. One saturated fat which has mounted a strong comeback is coconut oil.
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| 03/01/08 |
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Ginger is Both Food and Medicine |
Ginger is a food which is valued in many different culinary traditions. In the East Indian "science of life" known as Ayurveda, it is considered not only as an important spice, but also as a "universal medicine."
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| 02/11/08 |
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Lentils: Heart Healthy and Quick Cooking |
Looking for the benefits of beans, but don't have the time to soak them? Consider lentils. High in fiber and magnesium, they don't need to be soaked and can be ready to eat in less than an hour.
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| 01/31/08 |
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Beans Really are Good for Your Heart! |
Beans are super nutritious but many people avoid them because they cause gas. Proper soaking and adequate cooking make beans more digestible, as does eating them more frequently.
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| 01/19/08 |
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Xylitol: Natural Sweetener Fights Tooth Decay |
Xylitol is an alcohol sugar which is finding increasing favor as an alternative to artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Not only does it not contribute to insulin resistance, but it actually helps fight tooth decay.
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| 01/09/08 |
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| 12/08/07 |
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Know Thy Cheese |
In a time when much food is "anonymous", it is hard to really know what you are eating. One exception are "name denominated" cheeses. The authenticity of many of the best known European specialty cheeses is protected by strict regulations. Name protection is your assurance that these specialty cheeses are made in the traditional manner.
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| 11/13/07 |
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Wild Rice is Holiday Favorite |
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Wild rice is a food we associate with the holiday season, but to Native Americans of the upper Midwest, it is a sacred food which is eaten year-round.
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| 09/17/07 |
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Nutritional Pioneer Championed Traditional Diets |
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During the 1930's, a Cleveland dentist named Weston Price embarked on a journey to find out, among other things, whether traditional diets prevented tooth decay. One place his journey took him was Juneau, Alaska.
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| 09/17/07 |
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Price's Findings Still Resonate Today |
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What is the ideal diet? According to the groundbreaking research of Dr. Weston Price, DDS the healthy diets of indigenous peoples give important clues to what foods we should eat, and which we should avoid.
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| 08/19/07 |
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Nasturtiums Taste as Good as They Look |
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These cheerful blossoms are a gardener's staple here in Southeast Alaska. They can be used to flavor vinegars, pickled, or eaten as they are in salads or right off the plant.
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| 08/12/07 |
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You Say Tomato |
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Tomatoes are at their peak right now, and there are a lot more tomatoes to choose from with the growing availability of heirloom varieties lovingly passed down for generations.
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| 07/09/07 |
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| 06/25/07 |
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| 06/25/07 |
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Brown Rice: a Grain of Truth |
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Brown rice, like most whole grains, is nutritionally superior to white rice. Indeed, white rice has had so much of its original nutrition removed, there is little left but starch.
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| 06/25/07 |
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No More Plastic Grocery Bags at Rainbow |
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Because of serious concerns about how long plastic remains in the environment and its toxicity to marine life, Rainbow will no longer offer plastic grocery bags effective July 4, 2007.
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| 06/06/07 |
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Choosing the Perfect Melon |
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Cantaloupes and other members of the muskmelon family are most abundant in the summer. Here are some practicial tips for taking the mystery out of choosing a good melon.
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| 05/26/07 |
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Fava Beans are Worth the Effort |
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Preparing fava beans take some work, but by approaching it as an opportunity for conviviality, your efforts will be richly rewarded.
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| 05/16/07 |
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| 05/16/07 |
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| 05/16/07 |
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| 03/04/07 |
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| 03/01/07 |
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Quinoa: Ancient Grain Makes Comeback |
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Quinoa was one of the staple foods of the Inca civilization. Nearly wiped out by the conquistadors, it has been rediscovered and is now gaining great favor because of its nutritional value, nutty taste, and ease of preparation.
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| 03/01/07 |
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You Say Banana |
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A constant in the produce aisle because they are never out of season, bananas are in many ways a "perfect food."
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| 01/25/07 |
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Kumquats: Little Fruit with Big Flavor |
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In the dead of winter, Citrus fruits are the brightest part of the produce section. Kumquats are a citrus relative that are easy to prepare because they can be eaten skin and all.
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| 01/17/07 |
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Substitute Stevia for Nutrasweet |
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Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, aka Nutrasweet, are often used tby dieters to reduce calorie consumption. Recent research suggests aspartame may be hazardous to your health. One alternative is stevia, a non-caloric naturally sweet herb with a long history of use abroad.
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| 12/20/06 |
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Cara Cara Oranges: Sweet Winter Treat |
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Winter is the season for many citrus fruits, including navel oranges. Cara Cara oranges, also known as red navel oranges are prized for their sweetness and deep flavor.
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| 12/09/06 |
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Which Butter is Better? |
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Chefs have always preferred French or "European style" butter. Now there are American butters made from organic cream which are comparable to the best butter Europe has to offer.
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| 12/09/06 |
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Pomegranates: The Next New Thing |
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This ancient fruit has been rediscovered and now is popping up in juice, sauces and even ice cream. It is loaded with anti-oxidants and bursting with flavor.
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| 12/09/06 |
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Persimmons Need a Warning Label |
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Persimmons are an attractive fruit, but you must be careful only to eat the Hachiya persimmon when it is so ripe that it is mushy.
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| 12/01/06 |
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Butter is Good |
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We've all heard about how bad margarine is, yet there has not been a corresponding rush to embrace the food it replaced: butter. Find out why butter is good for you.
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| 11/02/06 |
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Pears: The Forgotten Fruit |
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Pears are an autumn fruit which are sometimes overlooked in all the excitement over the many apples available at this time of year. Yet they have their own special charm.
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| 10/28/06 |
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Cauliflower: White Power Food |
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Most white foods are low in nutrition, but cauliflower is an exception. This elegant vegetable is most abundant in the autumn and is delicious raw or cooked.
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| 10/15/06 |
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Winter Squash: a Healthy |
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Substituting delicious and nutritious winter squash for less healthy "comfort" foods will brighten both your plate and your mood during the dark days of autumn and winter.
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| 10/02/06 |
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Autumn is Apple Season |
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Fall is the time of year when the new crop apples arrive, including some varieties new to the commercial market like the incomparable Honeycrisp.
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| 10/02/06 |
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Salt of the Sea |
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Not all salt is the same. Unrefined, naturally gathered sea salt is loaded with trace minerals and doesn't have the additives refined commercial salt has.
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| 09/05/06 |
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| 09/05/06 |
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The Sweetest Onion in the West |
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Onions are often taken for granted. There's one onion worth looking out for. Sweet Walla Walla onions are a taste treat which are available for only a few weeks each summer.
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| 09/05/06 |
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Concord Grapes Offer Classic Grape Flavor |
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A cultivar from Thoreau's home town of Concord, Massachusetts exhibits the classic flavor we associate with grapes. The Concord grape is available briefly each fall and permits us to taste the "wild" grape flavor which is absent from most table grapes.
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| 07/24/06 |
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Hemp Makes a Comeback |
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Used for food and fiber for thousands of years, hemp is gaining recognition as a high protein "superfood."
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| 07/12/06 |
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| 07/12/06 |
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Fresh Figs Worth Waiting For |
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Figs have been cultivated for over 10,000 years and for good reason. Dried figs are available year around but fresh figs are only seen for a few months in the summer.
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| 06/15/06 |
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Spelt Spells Relief for Wheat Sensitive |
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Unlike hybridized wheat, spelt resembles its ancient ancestors. Spelt can be easily substituted for wheat in most recipes, and seems to be well tolerated by most people who are sensitive to wheat.
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| 05/29/06 |
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Olive Oil: the Great Therapeutic |
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A "friendly" fat that helps you maintain a healthy weight, lowers cholesterol, prevents cancer, and modulates immune response. Too good to be true? Extra virgin olive oil does it all and tastes great too!
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| 05/12/06 |
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Buffalo: the Other Red Meat |
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It was the staple food of the Plains Indians. Lower in fat than skinless chicken and higher in protein and iron than beef, buffalo is a nutritional powerhouse with rich, satisfying flavor.
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| 04/28/06 |
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Mango: the King of Fruits |
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Mangos are at their best from early spring to late summer. Here's how to pick the perfect mango, and a recipe for a killer mango-black bean salsa.
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| 04/14/06 |
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Organic Diet Lowers Kids' Pesticide Exposure |
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Kids eat lots of produce relative to their size. Now researchers confirm that those who eat mostly organic produce have a much lower level of pesticide byproducts in their urine.
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| 03/31/06 |
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Fluoride in the News |
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Two recent reports raise new questions about fluoridation as a local task force grapples with whether to continue fluoridating Juneau's water.
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| 03/27/06 |
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How Organic is that Milk? |
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Some organic dairy producers may be "gaming the system" to get an organic label. A non-profit group committed to family farms has published a hard hitting report which "pulls back the veil" and rates 68 organic dairy brands.
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| 03/24/06 |
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Eggs Wrongly Convicted |
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Eggs, one of nature's most perfect foods, have gotten a bad rap. Not only do fresh eggs not elevate blood cholesterol, but they contain Vitamin B6 and Choline, which actually help protect the arteries.
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| 03/17/06 |
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Artichokes: the Slow Food |
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Is life getting too hectic? Maybe it's time to get in the "slow food" lane. Artichokes are the quintessential slow food.
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| 03/17/06 |
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Dr. Em's Spring Cleanse Info |
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Spring is here! Naturopathic doctor Emily Kane provides all the information you need for a do-it- yourself Spring Cleanse based on the book The Fasting Diet by Dr. Steven Bailey.
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| 03/16/06 |
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Mad Cows are Still Out There |
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On March 13, USDA reported another case of mad cow disease in the US. Two days later, they announced that they are scaling back mad-cow testing. Go figure.
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| 03/10/06 |
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Asparagus: Prehistoric Vegetable |
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Dating from before the dinosaurs, this harbinger of spring is a tasty and elegant vegetable which pairs well with many cheeses.
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| 02/10/06 |
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Low Fat Diet Questioned |
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A recent large scale study cast doubt on the benefit of low fat diets for cancer and heart disease. Does this mean that it doesn't matter what you eat?
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| 02/01/06 |
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| 01/03/06 |
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Why We Don't Sell Diet Soda |
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January is diet season, as folks try to shed weight gained during the holidays. For some, this means using artificially sweetened products to replace sugar. If you or someone you care about uses diet sodas or other artifically sweetened foods, here is important information you should know.
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| 12/01/05 |
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Specialty Cheeses Add Holiday Flair |
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Descriptions of current favorites from the specialty cheese section at Rainbow Foods, including three cheeses from the West Coast of the U.S.
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