#VeggieDag Thursday. Quick Links for October 2014.

VeggieDag Thursday is an occasional Thursday post
on an animal-free diet and ecological issues.

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Quick links for October 2014

• 3 November 2014
  Arguments, observations, and science supporting and questioning gluten-intolerance. And, how to make "airy and light" whole wheat bread without adding additional gluten.
  —Via The New Yorker.


• 1 November 2014
  The Earth is locked on an “irreversible” course of climatic disruption from the buildup of greenhouse gases. According to a report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), some impacts of climate change will “continue for centuries,” even if all emissions from fossil-fuel burning were to stop. The question facing governments is whether they can act to slow warming to a pace at which humans and natural ecosystems can adapt, or risk “abrupt and irreversible changes” as the atmosphere and oceans absorb ever-greater amounts of thermal energy within a blanket of heat-trapping gases.
  —Via Washington Post.


• 15 October 2014
  High sugar, high fat diets have long-term impacts on health through heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Recent research is uncovering neurological impacts from junk food (and childhood obesity): rewiring young brains to deteriorate memory functions and impulse control, and contributing to long-term adult illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer's.
  —Via Kojo Nnamdi Show.


• 14 October 2014
  “We shun the word ‘vegan’ because it comes with preconceived notions." Vegetable-focused restaurants on the rise in U.S., including those fronted by meat-centric chefs.
  —Via Washington Post.


• 13 October 2014
  The month of September 2014 was the warmest September on record (since records began being kept in 1880). The average temperature during September was about 1.4°F above the 1951-1980 average temperature for the month, data from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) showed. The warm month makes it even more likely that 2014 will become the warmest year on record.
  —Via Climate Central.






• 8 October 2014
  Scientists with the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say oceans are, on average, 8 inches higher than a century ago. "Sea level rise is expected to accelerate during the next century as the oceans continue to warm and expand, and the ice shelves lose mass as the water melts and enters into the ocean." As a result, coastal flooding will substantially increase in frequency. High tide flooding in some areas has already increased by a factor of 9 over the past 50 years.
  —Via NPR.


• 6 October 2014
  The science of why tomato juice tastes better on an airplane. Lufthansa Airlines funded research by the Fraunhofer Society, a German research institute.
  
  "When you're cruising at altitude, cabin pressure is low -- similar to the atmosphere one mile above sea level. That low pressure does several things. Your blood gets less oxygen, which makes your odor and taste receptors less sensitive. Mucus in your nasal cavities also expands in the low pressure environment, which makes it even harder to taste. On top of that, most airlines keep the cabin at about 10 to 15 percent humidity. This dries out your nose and mouth, cutting down your sense of taste even more. Congestion, dehydration -- it feels kind of like having a bad cold. Sweets are less sweet, salty food is less salty, and it's harder to taste certain herbs and spices (curry retains its flavor at altitude, but that's another story). As a result, most airplane food tastes bland, but tomato juice actually tastes better up in the air. It shows more acidity, it has some mineralic taste with it, and it's very refreshing." Also, crowd-influence. Folk observe others drinking tomato juice, and follow suit.
  —Via NBC.


• 1 October 2014
  Lack of "water is a major reason craft beer behemoths such as Sierra Nevada and New Belgium opened plants in Asheville, on the western edge of North Carolina. It's no coincidence that big brewers are congregating around the Smoky Mountains' substantial water supply," according to Harry Schuhmacher, publisher of trade journal Beer Business Daily.
  —Via LA Times. [Story originally published 29 July 2014.]


• 29 September 2014
  The world’s population of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish has declined 53% since 1970, according to the Living Planet Report 2014, released by World Wildlife Fund. Principal causes have been habitat loss and degradation, hunting (and fishing), and climate change. During the same time, the world's human population has doubled. The report's “One Planet Perspective” has recommendations for world-wide "footprint that doesn't outpace Earth's ability to renew."
  —Via World Wildlife Fund.






• 19 September 2014
  Preserving heirloom apples is "sort of like a chain letter, and I like that connection," says Ezekiel Goodband, orchard manager at Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont, where he grows over one-hundred heirloom varieties. To keep the exact DNA of these apples alive, Goodband collects cuttings, and grafts them to root stock.
  —Via NPR.

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RECIPES

• Four tips for preparing winter squash, via Washington Post's Food Editor, Joe Yonan.
  
  


• Ribollita
  In Tuscany region of Italy, the way to transform leftover bean and vegetable soup into the ultimate comfort food is to reheat the soup with dry or toasted bread, then blend it into a thick, comforting pap. This is called ribollita, which means “reboiled.”
  —Via New York Times.


• Fried Green Tomatoes ... not southern?
  "The first published recipe I've been able to find for fried green tomatoes appears in the The Daily Inter Ocean, a Chicago newspaper, in 1877. The instructions are simple: 'Cut a thin slice from top and bottom and throw them away, then cut the remainder in slices, roll in flour, sprinkle with pepper and salt, and fry brown in butter.' I'm not claiming that before 1992 [the date of the nationwide release of Fried Green Tomatoes, the Universal Pictures film version of Fannie Flagg's novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café] no one in the South was eating fried green tomatoes—some people undoubtedly were. But, there was nothing particularly Southern about the dish."
  —Via Serious Eats.
  —Recipe for vegan Fried Green Tomatoes, via The Southern Vegan.



What ... is 'vegan flavor?


• Rosemary-herbed roasted blue potatoes.
  —Via The Well Seasoned Cook.


• Fluffy vegan mashed potatoes. Don't boil; simmer.
  —Via Post Punk Kitchen.


• Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with parsnip and and potato mash topping.
  —Via Food 52.

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• Suggestions and submissions from chefs, writers, and home-cooks welcomed! Contact me here.