Puppy chow down

Kristen asks:

My puppy eats his food way too fast.  How can I make him eat slower without having to give him little bits at a time?

There is quite a market out there for dog food dispensing.  The cheapest and most effective method I have found is the Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball.  It is a rubber ball with a hole in it where you pour the food.  Due to the construction of the ball, the food only comes out when the ball is rolled around.  This serves to help your pooch exercise their brain and get their food in small bits at a time.  Here's a video of the Tricky Treat Ball (or as we call it in my house, the bumble ball) in action:

They come in three sizes according to the size of their bits of food and can be found many pet stores (including Amazon).

Bonus:  my (blurry) dog Oscar in anticipation of his bumble ball:

One fruit, two fruit, old fruit, new fruit

KJ asks:

It's summer and I need some new food in my life.  What should I try?

Fresh fruit is one of my favorite summer treats.  If you are in the market for something new and exciting, here's some wilder things to try:

"Dragonfruit or Pitahaya" by Luke Lawreszuk is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Dragonfruit has the consistency of a kiwi but a milder, sweeter taste.  The outside is bright pink and green (looks like dragon skin) and the insides can be white or pink with black seeds.

"kumquats" by Howard Walfish is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Kumquats are about the size of grapes and look like small oranges.  Incredibly sour, you actually eat them whole, rind and all.  Rolling the rind in your hands before eating is supposed to release extra sweetness to balance out the tart, but personally I haven't had any luck with that.  Let me know if you do!

"rambutan" by benchristen is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Rambutans, if you've never seen them before, may be one of the most alien-looking fruits out there.  Pink on the outside with a seemingly furry appearance, the pitted fruit inside is very sweet and refreshing.  Something to know about rambutans are not like bananas in that they do not continue to ripen after being picked.  When picking them, choose rambutans with a bright pink outside and the closer to green you can find the 'hairs', the better.

Pop question, hot shot!

Orville asks:

Hey Beth, I always burn my microwave popcorn even though I cook it to the EXACT time it says on the bag.  Help!

"popcorn!!" by superiphi is licensed under CC BY 2.0

For starters, if you are serious about your popcorn, you have to at least try another method that doesn't involve the microwave:  stove top (cheaper and healthier since it only has the ingredients you choose), air pop (if you are feeling fancy and want to buy another large kitchen gadget for your home), or the ever-magical Jiffy Pop (I think everyone should try this at least once, preferably over a camp fire).

But if you are taking the microwave route, the secret to popcorn perfection is counting between the pops.  Once you've heard the majority of the kernels fulfill their destiny, start counting the seconds between the residual pops.  Once it gets to about 2 or 3 seconds between, your popcorn is ready for snacking.

If those seconds are far too much to deal with, you can always download the app from PopSecret that uses the microphone in your device to time those pops for you.

E-I-E-I-Ooh!

James asks:

Hey Beth, I really like using my juicer but the fresh veggies are so expensive.  Farmer's markets seem great, but they seem to only be open while I'm at work.  How can I keep up the juicing without going broke?

From a local orchard, the largest apples I have ever seen.

If you know you'll be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, it may be worth it to look into a CSA:  Community Supported Agriculture.  It is like a subscription service for produce.  You choose the amount of food you want (usually measured in 'shares' which can vary in size from farm to farm), pay up front for what you'll be getting and then go and pick up your produce on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (depending on the farm).

Unlike farmer's markets, you won't decide exactly what you will be getting but it is a great opportunity to try new foods!

To find local places near you, check out Local Harvest.

Ooh! What flavor is this one? Eeeew...lemon

Hey Beth, wouldn't it be awesome if they made a mixed chocolates box that you could pick the flavors?

See's Candies will do it for you.  Just go to their site, select what pieces you want and then get those sweet lemon-curd-free chocolates delivered to your door.

See's Candies

Eggplant?

Hey Beth, how did a big, purple vegetable end up being called an eggplant?

Actually a fruit, the eggplant (or aubergine) that was grown in Europe was white or yellow in color and resembled goose eggs.