Bumper crops!

Many US farmers have one of their best years ever. More at Huffington Post.

And in the UK, sprouts also have an exceptionally good year! More at The Telegraph.

Food & Champagne

On the worldwide scale, food prices dropped again for the fifth month in a row and may be bottoming out. Read the report at Bloomberg Businessweek.

In the world of champagne on the other hand? Price hike alert! Read more at Forbes.

10 Top Food Trends of 2011

All-American Imports, The New Vegetarians, & Foraging all make the list. Check out the
10 Top Food Trends of 2011, according to TIME.

Creative Christmas Decorations

From the AP comes a story of Christmas creativity... Forget poinsettia and holly, it's time to "Deck the halls with... tomatoes"!

Read more here.

Our Gift Boxes, Featured!

Lifestyle+Charity Magazine loves our tea gift boxes, and so will you!

Check out their glowing review here
then go and gift this box for that special someone in your life here!

Cookies!

Love cookies?

Check out a new cookie baking book, The Cookiepedia. Then check out epicurious for some ideas for hosting a cookie party.

Or, just fill up with our Gourmet Cookie Towers!

Two buck Cold Cuts!

Hungry but low on cash?

Stop by Subway and get their 6-inch Meatball Marinara and Cold Cut Combo sandwiches for 2 bucks for the rest of December!

Read more at National Restaurant News.

Tired of Traditional Thanksgiving Turkeys?

Kick out the turkey and get creative with ham, duck, chicken, fish and lamb. Check out 8 mouth-watering recipes at Bon Appetit.

Thanksgiving not just for vegetarians, but Vegans as well! For 12 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes including Stuffed Winter Squash and Sourdough Stuffing, head over to Huffington Post.

Or if you don't want to be up to your elbows in gravy this Thanksgiving, let someone else do the work. Countdown to Thanksgiving guide at ClawsonPatch.

IHOP with speed

IHOP not fast enough for you? Now there's an IHOP Express. This smaller concept version of IHOP is meant for those on the go or who want a more casual pancake experience. Pancakes, for example, can be taken to-go as a Cup O' Pancakes topped with your choice of strawberry-banana, double blueberry or caramel apple.

More interactivity is encouraged with an "interactive syrup bar" and a view straight into the cook's workspace with the "flip kitchen."

Other up-and-coming variants of IHOP include IHOP U (Like IHOP Express on campuses) and a coffee and beverage-focused IHOP café.

Read more at Nation's Restaurant News.

Invasive Species for Sustainable Sushi

Asian shore crabs threaten the food native fish and shellfish need to survive.

Lionfish take over Florida's coral reefs, killing native species.

What do you do with invasive species?

Turn them into sushi and beat them by eating them!

Read more at Good's When Life Gives You Invasive Species, Make Sushi

The Pumpkin Cure

Coffee and Cancer?

Every so often new articles on the benefits and harmful effects of coffee and tea come out. And in each time one is the bad guy and one is the better guy. This time around it's coffee again. Although this is definitely no cure for cancer the article does mention some interesting findings. Either way, go ahead and enjoy another cup of coffee...
And read on...

What a relief to be back online! I feel like I've been in a time warp by not having my blog linked to my phone... I know, I know... Hold the jokes please!

There is a prospect of a thrilling time ahead for you.

Here's to the enjoyment and appreciation of food!

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Happy Watermelon Day!

Did you know that Last month was National Watermelon Month? In case you missed the celebration, jump in today to celebrate National Watermelon Day with a mouthful of refreshing watermelon!


Here's how to pick your watermelon... it should be firm all over (no soft spots!), heavy for its size (in other words, juicy!), and symmetrical in shape.

A ripe watermelon should have a spot on the bottom (where it rested on the ground while growing) that is pale yellow in color rather than light green. Scratching the surface with your fingernail should reveal a greenish-white color below the topmost rind.

Eat and enjoy!

Feel Good Food Stories

Have you ever heard of a pay-what-you-can restaurant? How about an unmanned pay-for-what-you-take drink stand?

Panera Bread, inspired by a cafe in Denver, decided to open Panera Cares, a restaurant with the full Panera menu where a donation box is set up in lieu of a cash register.

For a slightly different angle, Honest Tea set up unmanned stands selling tea for $1 a bottle. No one was there to enforce this however... it was all on the honor system. The result? 94% of all customers paid!

In conclusion? "Trust people; they'll often surprise you."

Your food: A different angle

Does the sight of a luscious slice of chocolate cake immediately make your mouth water?

Then take a gander at this!


Yes, it is a slice of chocolate cake... but a very very tiny view of that slice.

It's artist Caren Alpert's series of food, photographed with microscopes usually reserved for scientific research... now used to make art. Food is an art form, from many different angles and viewpoints!

See the rest of her images (including shrimp tails and oreos) at Caren Alpert's gallery.

via Bon Appétit

This is an Eggplant

We're all familiar with the delicious long deep purple vegetable (actually, fruit!) we know simply as Eggplant.

But did you know that there are many other varieties of eggplant? Many varieties don the familiar long form and variations of a dark purple color. But other eggplants wear white, green, or red-violet, while taking forms more similar to bulbs, globes, or skinny sticks.


The next time you start craving eggplants, give these Turkish orange eggplant beauties a try!

Harry Potter Inspired Drinks

Where do you get inspiration for your food and drink creations?

Food and drink all have personalities of their own, so why not take the personality of some of the most famous fictional characters today and turn them into matching drinks?

The Backyard Bartender did just that, turning not only Hermione, Ron and Harry into their own cocktails, but Luna, Draco, Neville, and Snape as well! She even created Butterbeer from a 423-year-old recipe.

Cheers to imagination, creativity, and inspired food and drink!

(via SquidInk)

Iced Tea Journeys

"My iced tea tastes have traveled so far, in fact, that now I take mine without any sugar at all. Unlike coffee, which can be so intensely bitter it practically begs for milk or sugar, most tea--hot or iced--is just bitter enough. And tea comes in so many shapes and sizes, with such a wide a variety of floral and fruity notes, you really do miss a lot when you add sugar to it."

-Adam Roberts reflects on his Iced Tea journey at Epi Log

Get some tea inspiration for your journey from Lucia's exclusive selection of delicious teas!

Laugh and Cry

What's the relationship between food and emotions? Here are a few ideas!

An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.

- Will Rogers

No laughter? What about smiles?

You know how I feel about tacos. It's the only food shaped like a smile. A beef smile.

- the character Earl Hickey in My Name is Earl

And finally, wisdom from the ages:

Laughter is brightest in the place where food is.

– Irish Proverb

What will you eat on the 4th of July?

Menu #1: What John and Abigail Adams ate to celebrate the 4th of July

• Turtle Soup
• New England Poached Salmon with Egg Sauce
• Green Peas
• Boiled New Potatoes in Jackets
• Indian Pudding
• Apple Pandowdy
• Coffee and tea

Menu #2: What Faith, North Carolina prepares for their community-wide celebration

• 4500 pounds of barbecued shoulders
• 5000 hot dogs
• 7000 hamburgers
• 1800 pound of country ham
• 5000 ice cream cones
• 20,000 drinks
• 2500 pounds of cabbage for making slaw

Menu #3: What you could be eating, courtesy of Lucia & Co's 4th of July Catering!

• Grilled Sirloin Sliders
• Marinated & Tender BBQ Chicken
• Dad’s Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Signature Confetti Potato Salad
• Grilled Seasonal Veggie Skewers with Haloumi Cheese

We'll take care of the food, you take care of the fun. Email us today and have your 4th of July food delivered to your door. Sorry, Menu #3 only!

National Month of...

Did you know June is National Iced Tea Month?

Now for a quiz: June is not the National Month for which of the following?

• Candy
• Papaya
• Dairy
• Grilled Cheese
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
• Seafood
• Turkey Lovers

Check the bottom of the post for the answer.

If you still haven't had enough food celebrations, you can celebrate National Almond Buttercrunch Day today and National Ice Cream Soda Day tomorrow. Delicious!

If you guessed Grilled Cheese, you're correct! National Grilled Cheese month belongs to April. And yes, believe it or not, June is indeed National Turkey Lovers' Month!