Photo: Veer

Food News, Things We Crave, Resources, Green Your Eats, and Tips, Tools & Techniques. Check out this week’s picks.

Food News

• The Mid America Croplife Association “shudders” at the thought of the Obamas modeling the benefits of an organic White House garden (via The Examiner)
• What the heck is biochar? And can it save the planet? (via CNN)
• Love Organic Valley Farms! Love their social responsibility! And love that they are sharing their food safety protocols with the public! (via CSR Wire)
• Oh, great, screaming lobsters may actually BE screaming (via Treehugger)
• No, boxed water isn’t better than bottled (via Treehugger)
• I like the trend of edible gardens on government land—go Maria Shriver (via the LATimes)
• Bad news: most food manufacturer’s can’t trace the source of their ingredients (via the NYTimes)
• The school lunch system just makes me so sad (via Teacher Revised)
• April Fool’s joke that I sooooo fell for: Alice Waters is launching her own FANCY frozen food line (via Civil Eats)

Things We Crave

• I don’t really crave much (other than a vacation), but I LOVE this reclaimed walnut coffee cuff by Veer (via Treehugger)
• These Tiny Revolutionary sweat-shop-free, a portion-of-proceeds-go-to-charity, organic kids Ts are super adorable—I like the Recycle Love one best! (via Treehugger)
• I’m still LMAO! Meat meets money—a pork chop piggy bank (via SwissMiss)

Resources

• Yes, I’m going to build an indoor compost with my son over Spring break! Wanna know how? See this funny DIY video (via DoDoFilms)
• And, yes, I have to pre-order my red wiggler worms in NYC (via the Lower East Side Ecology Center)

Green Your Eats

• Want to know what’s in season in your growing region? Use this map (via LifeHacker)
• Another what’s-in-season tool to find out what’s in season (via the Natural Resouces Defense Council)
• Traceability rocks! And more companies should do it! This flour company lets you find the farm that grew your flour (via the NYTimes)

Tips, Tools, & Techniques

• I think I’m going to try dying a few raw eggs this Easter—Atticus will love making a scramble from pink and blue eggs (via Parent Hacks)
• Since I’ve been using a lot of beans lately, it seems only fitting that I post this tip about cooking them—add acid at the end (via Passionate About Food)

Bonus! Feeding Hack: “Instant” Slow Cook Oatmeal

Stacie’s Wheat Germ Oatmeal post reminded me of the oatmeal trick I share with every oatmeal lover I know. It’s seems so obvious but always surprises everyone, so I thought it was worth re-posting my comment here:

Put whole regular slow cook oatmeal in a bowl, cover with milk, and stick it in the fridge overnight. (I even add the raisins the night before to make “puffy raisins,” as my ChowBaby calls them). When you wake up in the morning, the oats have soaked up all the liquid, and your oatmeal is ready to eat (or garnish and eat, as the case may be). It’s a great way to avoid the more processed quick oats and still enjoy the convenience. It’s also a cool way to enjoy oatmeal in the summer. Talk about instant gratification.