Photo: LOLcatpics.com, in honor of Krispy Kreme’s Fan Fave contest (see below!)

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

And, while you’re at it, our friend at fabulous family food blog FoodieTots.com (subscribe and follow @foodietot on twitter) has extended the deadline on her Farmer’s Market Photo Contest. All you have to do is submit a photo of your tot at the farmer’s market by August 31st for a chance to win a kid-sized reusable market tote filled with foodie goodies. How great is that?!

Food News

• While it’s great that 43 million Americans planned a backyard garden this year (up from 36 mil last year!), there’s more to it than all that–read what Dan Barber has to say in his Op Ed piece inspired by the terrible late blight hitting Northeast tomato and potato crops (via NY Times)
• Is factory farming the only problem with meat? Ezra Klein from the Washington Post weighs in on a piece claiming to debunk the meat/climate change myth in Grist
• Organic food label under fire (Denver Conscious Living Examiner via @janewheelock)
• Michelle Obama’s garden becomes part of a long history of government conspiracy theories (via Baltimore Sun)
• Unless congress acts to ensure that dairy farmers get a fair price, many will go out of business (CS Monitor via @EdibleStories)
• School Food: The Nitty Gritty Details event deets for those of you in the Bay Area. The rest of you, check out the useful links on school lunches (via Civil Eats)
• Interesting article on how diet impacts fertility (Newsweek via Cheap Healthy Good)
• Toxic strawberries? California’s governor will soon decide whether to approve a new—and possibly very dangerous—pesticide for use on this summer fruit(via Gourmet)

Things We Crave

• Don’t all adventurous foodies crave a dinner at El Bulli? This one does. But until she can haul ass to Spain, this marvelous account (complete with videos and pics galore) will have to do. Thank you, Amateur Gourmet!
• I also crave simple, thoughtful packaging like this alternative concept for supermarket produce. (Which do you think will become a reality first—smart food packaging like this or my dinner at El Bulli?!) (via Swiss Miss)
• Calling all donut lovers!! Now’s your chance to tell Krispy Kreme how they’ve made your life better. Why, you ask? Because the contest winner gets a year of free donuts and a chance to DESIGN and NAME your own donut. C’mon—you know you want to! (via Springwise)

Green Your Eats

• Five tips for gardening with kids (Care2 via @SmallBites)
• Use your vacation time to be a farm hand! European organic farms beckon backpackers (Seattle Times via Slashfood)
• 10 cheap and green kitchen tips from Serious Eats
• Be a part of the second edition of Fritz’s Haeg’s book Edible Estates. You know the one—ChowMama Michelle, her family, and her previous front garden were all featured in the original book. In fact, this post in Eating Liberally (with the info you need to apply) features none other than her ChowBaby (when he was so wee!!). Read more about Edible Estates here on ChowMama to learn about how this (front yard) gardening project can have an amazingly positive impact on your family and the way you eat.

Tips Tools, and Techniques

• 10 great sites that will help you eat with more awareness—this is a MUST VISIT list! (via Culinate)
• Have I mentioned that I want a dehydrator? If not… good! Turns out I don’t need one. All the better! Check out how to dry fruit in the oven (via The Kitchn)