Northeastern states are facing a jack-o'-lantern shortage this Halloween after Hurricane Irene destroyed hundreds of pumpkin patches across the region, farmers say. Wholesale prices have doubled in some places as farmers nurse their surviving pumpkin plants toward a late harvest. Some farmers are trying to buy pumpkins from other regions to cover orders. "I think there's going to be an extreme shortage of p ...

Calorie by calorie, first lady Michelle Obama is chipping away at big portions and unhealthy food in an effort to help America slim down. In the year and a half since she announced her campaign to curb childhood obesity, Mrs. Obama has stood alongside Wal-Mart, Olive Garden and many other food companies as they have announced improvements to their recipes – fewer calories, less sodium, better children's men ...

We live in New York, a place where just about any craving can be met by picking up the phone and calling for take-out. Authentic ethnic food abounds, and we've been known to ride the subway for an hour to reach those hubs of the best Thai, Greek, and Indian food. Yet, there's a satisfaction in recreating them within the bounds of our kitchens. Here are our at-home renditions of some of our favorite ethnic r ...

The federal Food and Drug Administration and a leading doctor are disputing suggestions by television show host Dr. Mehmet Oz that trace amounts of arsenic in many apple juice products pose a health concern. Oz said on his show Wednesday that testing by a New Jersey lab has found what he implied are troubling levels of arsenic in many juices. However, the FDA says the lab methods were not appropriate and th ...

Carbon dioxide piped through gas lines to a soda fountain leaked in a McDonald's in Georgia and sickened 10 people, including a woman who later died after being found unconscious in a restroom, police said Wednesday. Investigators determined a leaky gas line between the walls caused the gas, used to pump carbonation into sodas, to build up a week ago to the point where people inside were unable to breathe. ...

1. Kind Chocolate Many people are starting to pay attention to where their food is sourced and how it is produced. Some chocolate purveyors have been accused of child labor practices, while others use non-organic cacao which can contain pesticide residue. Luckily, more and more companies have jumped on the fair trade bandwagon and it is now easy to find guilt-free chocolate at your local grocery store. Tip: ...

When it's hot outside, everyone obsesses over ice cream sandwiches. Not me. Instead, I want to talk about savory, greasy fried grilled cheese sandwiches. Luckily for me, a lot of people are on my wavelength and they're making terrific—or at least thought-provoking—versions. The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, San Francisco. AGCK takes their grilled cheese seriously enough to have a breakfast menu: The Brea ...

Every little kid wants to be an astronaut, but July's termination of the Space Shuttle Program made that dream a few ounces more unattainable. But at the same time, that termination left NASA with a bunch of stuff that had been into outer space and suddenly looked unlikely to return there. And yesterday, the agency announced its plans to make up for millions of squashed childhood dreams by donating excess s ...

Among other goods such as cologne and bird feeders, the U.S. Marines have an official hot sauce, aptly titled Marines Hot Sauce. It is "made from a special recipe that gives full-bodied flavor" and will "make you stand at attention." The heat comes from santaka chili, habaneros and pure capsaicin. Marines Hot Sauce is thus not to be confused with Semper Fi Habenero Hot Sauce, which is a non-official militar ...

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder convictions and life prison sentences given to an Atlanta vegan couple who were charged with allowing their baby to starve to death. Prosecutors said Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas, who lived a vegan lifestyle and ate no animal products, were living in the city's Buckhead neighborhood when Jade gave birth to their son, Crown Shakur. In April 2004, authorities ...