food

 This is the second installment of Getting Fresh with Sheryl, The Conversation’s new segment, where we tell you about fresh and local fruits and veggies. Sheryl Wiser manages the Puget Sound Fresh program at the Cascade Harvest Coalition. Today she talks to David Hyde about the incredible versatility of strawberries. Plus, when are they in season, and where can you get really good ones?  

 Have you ever wandered through a farmers market and found yourself staring at a beautiful vegetable and thought, “Man, I have zero idea what that is.” If so, it’s time to pull out a pad and paper. David Hyde kicks off a brand new segment called "Getting Fresh with Ross and Sheryl" featuring Sheryl Wiser of the Cascade Harvest Coalition and manager of the Puget Sound Fresh program.

Every year, the average American eats 70 pounds of sugar. The amounts of salt and fat are equally staggering. The processed-food industry thrives, raking in $1 trillion a year. Meanwhile, the costs to our health include obesity and diabetes.

Michael Moss talks about how companies use salt, sugar and fat to get us addicted to their products, and what we can do to fight back. He spoke at Seattle’s Town Hall on March 15, 2013. The talk was moderated by Chip Giller, president and founder of Grist.

Your Bike Helmet Isn't As Safe As You Think
You probably think your bicycle helmet keeps you safe getting a concussion. You’re wrong. It doesn’t. Most helmets only prevent skull fractures. As a result, bicycle deaths are down, but concussions and other brain injuries are on the rise as biking becomes more popular. Writer Bruce Barcott explains that some helmet manufactures have ignored the concussion problem because they believed it couldn’t be fixed. Others thought consumers would be unwilling to pay more for a protection they assume they already have.

Who's A Genius?
We often toss around the word “genius,” but what does it really mean? How does the definition of genius change depending on region or expertise? Eleven years ago, the staff at The Stranger weekly newspaper came up with the tongue-in-cheek Genius Awards for artists in the Seattle area. They were joking, but over the past decade, awards have gone to some people who would fit the dictionary description.

Radio Retrospective: From Live To Tape
During the early years of radio, performances were always live  — that is, until tape was invented and accepted by the industry. How did tape change radio?

A Lunch Recommendation
Food writer Sara Dickerman joins us with a lunch recommendation. Prefer to cook for yourself? She also has a pick for a great cookbook!

The Ramifications Of Stricter DUI Laws
According to the state patrol there are 40,000 people arrested for DUIs each year in Washington state. Many are first time offenders.  Some are addicts.  Lawmakers and citizens are calling for stricter DUI laws.  KUOW’s Patricia Murphy explains the impact on the working poor,  the cottage industries built on DUI convictions and how offenders are able to game the system.

Every Day Recipes For Living Gluten-Free
Shauna Ahern, the Gluten-Free Girl, says gluten-free cooking can be fast, delicious and healthy. She has written a new cookbook of everyday gluten-free recipes. While eating gluten-free might seem daunting at first, Shauna and her husband Daniel Ahern have put together a book full of recipes for a diverse palate.

Pianist And Composer Chick Corea
Pianist and composer Chick Corea has touched almost all the musical bases during a career that has spanned almost five decades.  From avant garde to bebop to Latin fusion, Corea has experimented and mastered multiple jazz styles and has won a loyal following of fans and critics.

Seattle Reads: Gregory Martin
What would you do if you found out that your 65-year-old father had attempted suicide? Or that he’d been sexually abused by his own father? Or that he’d been a closeted gay man throughout 39 years of marriage? Gregory Martin learned all this one evening, and it changed his relationship with his parents. Martin chronicles his experiences in the memoir "Stories for Boys," this year’s Seattle Reads book.

Radio Retrospective: Comics On The Radio
We’re familiar with comics being adapted to the big screen. But you might not know that comic strip adaptations aren’t new. Comics were also adapted into radio dramas. There’s Blondie, Archie Andrews, and Superman, and that’s just the beginning.  Listen back to the comics strips of the radio.

A Lunch Recommendation
Food writer Sara Dickerman joins us with a lunch recommendation. Prefer to cook for yourself? She also has a pick for a great cookbook!

The Labor History Of May Day
On International Workers Day, much of the world celebrates the labor movement. In Seattle, thousands are expected for a rally and march for worker and immigrant rights as well as smaller “anti-capitalist” protests. University of Washington professor George Lovell joins us to talk about May Day’s origins.

Solo Performer And Storyteller, Mike Daisey
Mike Daisey is known for his edgy and thought-provoking solo performances. His monologue "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" was downloaded over 100,000 times in the first week of its release. It also caused a rift between Daisey and This American Life host Ira Glass when it was discovered that the script blurred the line between fact and fiction.

Deborah Madison Improves Your Vegetable Literacy
You recognize a carrot, no doubt, but do you know what vegetable family it belongs to? The carrot is related to dill, parsley, anise and cumin. That’s why their flavors go together so well. Vegetarian cooking expert Deborah Madison is the chef and author behind “Vegetable Literacy.”

The New Affordable Housing Requirements In South Lake Union
The Seattle City Council will require developers to put in some affordable housing in new South Lake Union residential towers, or pay for the city to build it. Developers are still deciding whether the requirement will make taller buildings in the neighborhood economically feasible.

Politics Is A Fighting Word
In Olympia, stronger laws regarding gun control couldn’t get past the opposition from state Senate leadership. What will citizens who support gun control do now? Eric Liu lobbied in Olympia for stronger gun control rules in Washington state.

Radio Retrospective: Gloria McMillan From Our Miss Brooks
Our Miss Brooks starring Eve Arden was a popular comedy show during radio’s golden age. Gloria McMillan was a teenager when she played Harriet on the show. She shares her insider take on the cast, Hollywood and what it was like to work in radio.

A Lunch Recommendation
Food writer Sara Dickerman recommends Pestle Rock Isan Thai Cuisine this week. It's a Thai restaurant in Ballard with bright and spicy, salads and delicious young coconut juice. You can read her recommendation for the the best hotels for food lovers in Bon Appetite.

Bellevue’s SWAT Team Comes To A Seattle Neighborhood
Columbia City residents heard Monday night from Seattle and Bellevue officials about a shooting involving Bellevue police that happened in Seattle late last month. According to KUOW’s Patricia Murphy, the Seattle Police Department is investigating the incident.

Japanese Farm Food
Nancy Singleton Hachisu moved from California to Japan intending to stay a year. Instead she fell in love with the culture, the food and a local farmer. Now — many years and three kids later — she lives on an organic farm in an 80-year-old traditional Japanese farmhouse. She writes about life, love and food in her cookbook "Japanese Farm Food."

Greendays Gardening Panel
Gardening is not just growing vegetables, pruning ornamentals or planting natives. Modern organic gardeners are trying to incorporate practices and aestheticism that works in any kind of garden. Our gardening panel is just the group to bring the ideas together this week and every week on KUOW. They answer your gardening questions live at 10:40 a.m. Call 206.543.5869 or email weekday@kuow.org.

We decided to catch up with Tulalip Tribe Chairman Mel Sheldon Jr. and The Bug Chef, David George Gordon, in the KUOW Green Room while they were awaiting their interviews on The Conversation.

Feeling hungry? Bring on the bugs! High in protein and easy to farm, bugs are nutritious and sustainable, and according to some, even delicious.

Ross Reynolds talked to The Bug Chef David George Gordon, the author of "Eat-A-Bug Cookbook." The cookbook covers how to properly find, prepare, and eat everything from scorpions to waxworms. And he brought along some delicacies -- mealworms, caterpillars and crickets -- for brave producers Hannah Burn and Arwen Nicks to enjoy.

What is there to eat in Antarctica? Not much, though you could try penguin. In 1897, stranded Captain Georges Lecointe said penguin tasted like “beef, odiferous cod fish and a canvas-backed duck, roasted together in a pot with blood and cod-liver oil for sauce.” Desperate and trapped Antarctic explorers have eaten all kinds of awful things. Author Jason Anthony explains the culinary lengths people will go to in order to survive.

Over 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Most of us can agree that’s high. But we don’t agree how to fix it, nor can we agree on who is responsible for the problem. Is it time for the government to step in and step up food regulation in the United States? Ross Reynolds and Dr. William Hallman discuss the challenges facing out food system when it comes to advertising, warning labels and regulation.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of food allergies in the US has more than doubled over the past decade. The New York Times recently estimated that there are now about 5.9 million children in the United States with food allergies, not to mention another 2.3 million adults. So what’s new in food allergy research? Ross Reynolds talks with Dr. Dave Naimi, board certified in pediatrics and allergies and immunology. Dr. Naimi treats patients in the Everett branch of the Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center.