Booze it Up! 13 Rad Recycled Bottle Crafts & Projects

Transform your empty beer, wine and liquor bottles into lamps, bird feeders, shelving units, wind chimes - even a solar water heater or a house.
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Crunch Time: The World’s 10 Most Unusual Nuts

[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series & Food & Health & History & Trivia. ]

It’s not unusual to be nuts about nuts, even though many of the crunchy, oily, nutritious botanical bits & bites are not “true nuts” in the scientific sense – and that includes Beer Nuts. This selection of 10 unusual nuts highlights the often sweet yet occasionally distasteful relationship humans have had with these swell shelled feed seeds.

Coco de Mer

(images via: Funmaza, Timeseye and Seychelles Travel)

If you’ve heard of an erotic boutique called Coco de Mer and wondered why they’d name themselves after a coconut, wonder no longer. The Sea Coconut is native to only a few of the Seychelles island archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, and boasts the world’s largest seed. They also boast an astonishing resemblance to a human female lower torso – plant porn doesn’t get much more graphic than this, folks.

(image via: CITES)

Coco de Mer coconuts don’t drop from the trees fully female formed. Once the nuts fall into the ocean, they sink to the bottom where eventually the outer husk sloughs off and decomposition gases cause the inner nut to bob to the surface. Imagine being a shipwrecked sailor, alone and lonely, starved for companionship… and one of these babies washes up on the beach. Talk about rubbing salt into the wound!

Candlenuts

(images via: Hot Smoke BBQ, JUARA Beauty Biz, 123RF and Tatters:))

Candlenuts (or Kemiri nuts) are native to Indonesia but humans have helped expand their range over thousands of years of use. Not only are these nuts used in a wide variety of Southeast Asian and Polynesian recipes, their high oil content has allowed them to be used as candles. Ancient Hawaiians used to string individual candlenuts along a palm frond and burn them one at a time; in this way they functioned as an effective way of keeping time.

(image via: Serious Eats)

Sometimes called “the poor man’s Macadamia nut”, Candlenuts are beginning to make inroads into Western cuisine now that refrigerated transport prevents their copious oils from turning rancid. Candlenut oil is also produced on large plantations, a profitable endeavor as the nuts contain 15-20% oil by weight.

Kola Nuts

(images via: Chiamaka, USAID and Iamplify)

We may be nuts for cola here in the western world but back in West Africa they go right to the source: the bitter, naturally-caffeinated Kola Nut. Invited to a home in the Ibo tribe’s heartland? Expect to be greeted with warm wishes and a serving of Kola nut. It’s the real Real Thing.

(image via: Susan Kaman’s Kenyan Kitchen)

Those whose memories go back to the mid-1970s may recall a popular series of TV commercials for 7-Up, “The Un-Cola”, featuring 6’6″ Trinidad-born dancer, choreographer and actor Geoffrey Holder. The ads featured Holder extolling the great lemon & lime taste of 7-Up and summing things up with the punchline “Try making that out of a cola nut.”

Red Walnuts

(images via: Almond Corner and Summer Tomato)

Next time some irritable snacker demands you “pass the bloody walnuts”, give ‘em these: a new variety of walnuts with a cherry-red outer skin. No genetic engineering was used in the production of Red Walnuts, just good old fashioned agricultural ingenuity: branches from the smaller, bitterer, Persian red-skinned walnut onto standard English walnut tree trunks. See, we CAN all get along!

(image via: The Kitchn)

You’ll typically pay twice as much for Red Walnuts but those who’ve tried them feel the investment is worthwhile, reporting that Red Walnuts are slightly oilier and impart less of a bitter tannin taste compared to their un-blushed cousins. Now if only they didn’t look like tiny BRAAAIIIINS!!

Mongongo Nuts

(images via: Elephants Without Borders, New Agriculturist and Fruitipedia)

Mongongo Nuts are a staple food of the ancient San people of southwestern Africa’s Kalahari Desert and provide a valuable source of nutritional fats and proteins in times of scarcity. It’s been rumored that the best way to harvest Mongongo Nuts is to follow a Kalahari elephant… sooner or later, Jumbo will deliver a load of nuts with pre-softened shells. Expect Bear Grylls to test that theory sometime soon.

(image via: Sunday’s Child)

You can also expect to hear more about Mongongo Nuts through TV ads for women’s cosmetics and personal care products. The San have traditionally used the oils extracted from Mongongo Nuts as a natural sunscreen and skin moisturizer. So long Ylang Ylang, hello Mongongo Nuts!

Betel Nuts

(images via: Globe Spots, Greeny Crops and Chalky Lives)

Betel Nuts are actually the seeds of the Areca Palm and can be found from Polynesia through southern Asia to East Africa. The nuts are typically wrapped in leaves and chewed – the bright red residue (and saliva) are then spit out into a cup (or wherever is convenient). Users report a variety of effects with the main sensation being that of a mild stimulant. On the other hand, Betel Nut chewers are more likely to suffer a range of deleterious health effects ranging from receding gums and stained teeth to oral and gastric cancers.

(image via: Taiwan 101)

Betel Nuts were the driving force of a unique entrepreneurial phenomenon which had its heyday in mid-1990′s Taiwan. Plexiglass booths began springing up along the country’s highways, “manned” by scantily-clad “Betel Nut Beauties” who sold bags of seasoned Betel Nuts to passing truck drivers. As semi-independent operators, the women exploited a very lucrative market niche that, as a side-effect, saw Betel Nut production soar to second place (after rice) in Taiwan’s annual agricultural production.

Corn Nuts

(images via: Restaurant-Dining Critiques, Bedicomsa and Product Reviews)

Corn Nuts aren’t nuts; in fact they’re barely corn… at least, not corn as we know it. The popular snack food was invented in 1936 but sales really took off in 1964, when the manufacturers switched from sweet corn to Cusco Corn. Originating in Peru, Cusco Corn boasts kernels an inch wide, the “Largest Corn in the World”, and once adapted for commercial growing in California it powered Corn Nuts into the crunchy, dare-I-say “nutty” snack we know and love today.

(image via: Snak Snak)

You can order traditionally prepared, Peruvian-style Corn Nuts at a gourmet restaurant if you like, though sufferers of late night snack attacks are better served by keeping a bag or two of the trademarked variety on hand… assuming that keeping the tempting munchables unopened in the bag for any period time is even possible.

Bat Nuts

(images via: FotoosVanRobin, Okonomiyaki and Joe’s Diary)

Nanananana… Bat Nuts! No, it’s not the latest release from Vivid Video, but a bizarrely shaped nut known by a range of monickers including Water Caltrops, Buffalo Nuts and Devil Pods. Once one gets past the barbed & bull-headed outer shell, the starchy seed within can be eaten raw, boiled or fried, or dried and ground into a powder used in Indian cooking.

(image via: Kathryn Hill)

Travelers who have the opportunity to try Bat Nuts should ensure they don’t enjoy them raw or undercooked, as they have been known to transmit a parasitic illness known as Fasciolopsiasis. The parasites in question are intestinal flukes or flatworms that can grow up to 7.5cm (3 inches) in length. We’ve got a gut feeling you’ll take our advice as staying parasite-free is no fluke.

Tigernuts

(images via: Richard Peters, Will & Dre and Betumi Blog)

Tigernuts are neither nuts nor are they sourced from tigers… which is great news, especially if you happen to be a tiger. Instead, they’re the tubers of a rush-like plant used as a food source by several historic cultures including Ancient Egypt in the dynastic era. Tigernuts are very nutritious and contain a wide range of essential minerals, not to mention their slightly sweet, nutty flavor. They’re popular in Spain where they’re called Chufa Nuts.

(image via: Lodge Fishing)

Tigernuts have found an unexpected modern use as fishing bait for carp, which are attracted to them and seem to enjoy their taste. Anglers should be aware, however, that Tigernuts must be prepared by soaking and boiling or they will poison the fish.

Barking Deer’s Mango Nuts

(images via: Phnomenon: Food In Cambodia and Duda Online)

Besides making a great band name, Barking Deer’s Mango Nuts also make a delicious snack! Visitors to Southeast Asia may find themselves offered bags of prepared “bok” on the beach or may buy them from roadside kiosks. “The white flesh underneath the thin brown skin is so delicate yet delightfully rich,” according to one report, “mildly butter-like, and with a touch of smokiness.” Sounds delectable!

(image via: The Travelling Hungry Boy)

Delectable and execrable, it seems… yes indeed, the noble Barking Deer’s Mango Nut has been tarred with the same queasy origin as that of Mongongo Nuts and Civet Coffee: removing its hard seedcoat has been facilitated via a fantastic voyage through a cow’s digestive tract. Next time you’re offered Barking Deer’s Mango Nut Pie, take a closer look at exactly what type of “pie” it is.

(image via: Fuzzy Blue One)

As dangerous as some kinds of nuts can be, they’ve endured for hundreds of thousands of years as one of humanity’s favorite foods, thus proving the old adage that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… or at least, makes you thirstier.

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Blushing Hides: 10 Amazing Pink Animals

August 23, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series & Animals & Habitats & Nature & Ecosystems. ]

Pink pigs (and people) display beauty that’s only skin deep but when pink appears as an animal’s prime pigment the results can be strikingly beautiful… they don’t call it “shocking pink” for nothing! This proud posse of puce poseurs provides proof positive pink can be a perfectly pleasing pigment. Period.

Pink Insects

(images via: Loucigaloun04, Mongabay and Dipity)

Insects can be pink owing to a number of factors but mainly two which would seem to be counteractive. Those that frequent pink flowers seek to blend in so as not to be seen by predators – or prey. Others adopt pink along with another, contrasting color to send a vivid “keep away!” signal to potential predators. Can you imagine hot pink & turquoise bees and wasps?

(image via: About.com/Insects)

Why bother with contrast when you’re a newly discovered Dragon Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea)? This small but serious critter has a gland that produces cyanide as a defense mechanism. You most definitely don’t want to be near this hot pink dude when he’s, er, millipede-off.

(images via: Audubonimages, Rigorous Intuition and Ohio Birds and Biodiversity)

Other insects are pink not by design but by defect, such as the pink katydid and grasshopper above. In cases of Erythrism, these creatures lack a certain pigment that (by virtue of its absence) leaves the insects with an unintended color scheme. Lobsters can suffer a similar fate but due to different pigments involved, there are no pink lobsters. Pity.

Pink Starfish

(images via: SP13001, TripAdvisor and Squidoo)

Starfish are a favorite subject of photographers thanks to their wide variation in coloration and contrast. It’s not certain what purpose vivid colors serve starfish, however. Slow-moving creatures who frequent reef environments and occasionally feast on endangered corals, starfish are often washed up on beaches where their brilliant hues quickly fade.

(image via: Bargain Florida Lots)

You’ve gotta hand it to echinoderms (who don’t actually HAVE hands), they’re definitely “stars” when it comes to showing their true colors. The hot pink starfish above somehow found its way to a southwest Florida beach without getting BP’d.

Pink Frogfish

(images via: Kapalselam, Delargy.com and DownBelow)

The world’s oceans host an abundance of pink fish and frogfish but this pink Frogfish steals the spotlight. Who can resist this finned clump of cotton candy as it scuttles along the seafloor? Don’t be fooled though, some species of frogfish have toxic spines on their heads that can deliver a painful dose of venom to the unwary.

(image via: RedBubble)

Frogfish don’t have scales and can adjust their skin coloration to match their surroundings. We’re not sure what was surrounding the bubblegum-pink frogfish above… perhaps a sunken ship’s cargo of pink bubblegum?

Pink Land Iguana

(images via: Cryptomundo, Zoo Kawaii and Galapagos Conservancy)

Almost 175 years after Charles Darwin roamed their rocky shores, the Galapagos Islands are still springing surprises on biologists who’d thought they’d seen it all. Maybe now they have: a small population of large, pink land iguanas living on the slopes of the Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island.

(image via: National Geographic)

A park ranger first noticed these (actually, quite noticeable) large iguanas in 1986 but it was thought at the time they were merely a variation of the common land iguana – or, that he’d been drinking. The results of blood testing (on the iguanas, not the ranger) confirmed the Pink Iguana is a specific species and not just a great band name.

Pink & Coral Cornsnakes

(images via: Poppycorns)

Snake breeders have long striven to induce their reptilian subjects to express colors not normally found in nature. Take the Pink & Coral Cornsnakes above… not to worry, they’re not poisonous. Buyers now can choose from a wide variety of pinks and patterns to suit their needs, whatever those needs might be.

(image via: Poppycorns)

Of course, it also helps to have a colorful name, like Coral Snow Peaches, Neon Coral Roses, Starburst (as in the candy) Snow Rhapsody or Champagne Pink Minstrel.

(image via: Bite-Dose)

Naturally pink tinted snakes are unusual and most of those reported have been determined to be albinos – their pink tint is owed to their muscle tissue showing through translucent skin. The snake above, however, boasts serrated stripes of brilliant pink that are even more prominent when seen against its black base coloration. Liophidium pattoni, native to the forests of Madagascar, is new to science having only been discovered in 2010.

Pink Flamingos

(images via: MyMixFM and Shutterpoint)

Think pink and pink flamingos are probably what come to mind. Not Pink Flamingos, the 1972 cult classic film from avantgarde director John Waters and starring the notorious Divine, but we digress. Real flamingos are not actually pink, they TURN pink from ingesting water-borne bacteria and from the beta carotene in the food they eat.

(images via: TravelBlog, Luxurious Mexico and Beecy.net)

Flamingos kept in zoos are fed beta carotene supplements and shrimp in order to help them maintain their rosy plumage. Not only do zoo visitors appreciate the results, the flamingos may as well: a pale, drab flamingo has a lesser chance of hooking up with their opposite number. Is that where the cliché “in the pink” comes from?

(image via: Wikipedia)

The garish bird above isn’t a flamingo but is shown here because of its various shades of pink ranging from salmon to neon. Take away the color and it’d be pug-ugly… like most vultures. Yep, it’s a California Condor chick!

Pink-Faced Bald Uakari

(images via: National Geographic, YouSayToo and Retrieverman)

Uakaris are monkeys… monkeys from Hell!! OK, not really, they come from isolated areas of the northwest Amazon basin and just look like Skeletor’s pet. There are 4 known species of Uakari but our focus here is on the Bald Uakari. This odd-looking New World monkey has copious hair all over its body with the exception of its head – much like your average middle-aged human male.

(image via: Greg Neise)

Uakaris have no fat beneath the skin of their faces; basically they’re just skin & bones above the neck, giving their countenances a bizarre, some say “demonic” aspect.

(images via: Fun Gallery, GEO and Wikipedia)

Since the Uakari’s home ranges are located deep in the Amazon rainforest, not a whole lot is known about their lives and lifestyles. Reports have stated they live in the treetops and (thankfully) have a herbivorous diet. Uakaris sometimes travel in groups of up to 100… forget chimps, they should’ve made Rise of the Planet of the Apes with THESE guys!

Pink Dolphins

(images via: Dani.gomes61, Creepy Animals and Condé Nast Traveler)

The pink Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is actually a mottled pink with gray, though it’s pinker by far than any other dolphin. They’re also thought to be intelligent and have a brain capacity 40% larger than that of humans. You didn’t see any Amazon River Dolphins at the Kardashian wedding, did you? Case closed.

(images via: Scholastic, ECDAfrica and Daily Mail UK)

The Amazon pink dolphins come by their hue naturally, which is not to be confused with a number of albino Bottlenose Dolphins that have been featured in the news recently.

Pink Hippos

(images via: ScienceRay and Have-Fun-In-The-USA.com)

Pink Hippos are rarely sighted outside of Hanna-Barbara cartoons but they do exist, and for several reasons. Most hippos are a brownish-gray color with pink undertones. They can appear even pinker on hot, sunny days when they tend to sweat: hippo sweat is pink!

(images via: AnimalFWD, OK! Magazine and National Geographic)

For a few hippos, even sweating pink isn’t enough: so-called Leucistic hippos lack the normal amount of gray pigment in their skin and, by default, tend towards a more pinkish aspect. Hippos can tolerate leucism more than other creatures as they spend a lot of time in the water and, as a bonus, secrete an oily substance that acts as a sunscreen.

Pink Elephants

(images via: Tremendous News and BBC)

Pink Elephants, no longer just a drunkard’s hallucination! Though this post has focused on naturally pink animals, albino elephants just had to be included because there’s just no ignoring the 800-lb pink elephant in the room – or in the wild. Curiously, albinism is much more common (though still rare) in Asian Elephants and the sighting of the pink baby above in Botswana’s Okavango Delta region sparked a flood of interest from zoologists and conservationists.

(images via: IOL)

“I have only come across three references to albino calves,” stated Dr Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders, “which have occurred in Kruger National Park in South Africa.”

(images via: Geof Wilson)

Dyeing to be pink? We’ll ignore the antics of pink poodle fanciers or that wacky Brit who tinted her cat pink with food coloring to match her hair. The flock of sheep above was “dyed in the wool” to deter rustlers. Don’t tell that English chick about this, OK?

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Well Red: 10 Amazing Red Animals

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Filed Under: Green Things
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Homeless Students Find Home at School

June 20, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

Inside Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegas, nearly 85 percent of the children are homeless. That’s 518 kids out of 610.

Learn more about the Whitney Elementary School

Principal Sherrie Gahn says, “I thought that I saw the ultimate poverty when I got here eight years ago and every year it has gotten worse and the recession made it ten times worse.”

Gahn knew she had a problem that a traditional public school could not fix. “When I saw the children eating ketchup for lunch, and wanting to take it home,” she says, “it just crushed me.”

So Gahn came up with a plan involving the kids, their parents and the community.

“I told the parents that I would give them whatever they need,” Gahn says. “All I need them to do is give me their children and let me teach them. In turn I will give you food and clothes and we will take them to the eye doctor. I will pay your rent, pay your utilities, but keep your child here.”

The children get free clothes, free bread to bring home and even free haircuts. Almost all of it given by 500 donors and local businesses who drop off donations daily. Gahn creates a wish list, and her army of volunteers makes it happen.

The contributions are large and small. One woman in Philadelphia sends $20 per month. A gambler gives $2,000 monthly - a portion of his earnings. This is Vegas.

Las Vegas has long been the city of bright lights and broken dreams. But especially now - with 12.1 percent unemployment, and the highest foreclosure rate in the country. One in every nine households receives a foreclosure notice.

Like most of her classmates, Charlee lives in one of the many rundown crime-ridden motels in the shadow of the Vegas strip.

Her family lost its home to foreclosure three years ago. Her father Chad is a construction worker. He hasn’t had a fulltime job in two years.

“There is not a lot of people moving dirt right now in the Vegas valley,” Chad says. “That’s what I do. That’s what I love to do.

As for Charlee, she dreams of being an actress. Principal Gahn has a bold dream of her own.

“I tell every 5th grade class if you make it through junior high you make it through high school and you can’t afford to go to college come see me and I will make sure that you go to college,” Gahn says. “We have a small trust fund that we started.”

Gahn says the children are worth the big promise. She defines success as “The look in their face that I made their life better. That’s my success rate when they hug me and thank me for the food, the clothes. Then I know it’s a good day.”

Today is especially emotional for Gahn - it’s the last day of class. Many of these kids and their families will be on their own until September. So next fall, she hopes to open an after-school program. So Charlee and her classmates can have a safe haven when the school day’s done.

Homeless children of the recession one year later

60 Minutes: Homeless kids: the hard times generation

60 Minutes: Hard times generation: How you can help

Beth

Filed Under: Positive News
Tagged: child, children, city, classmates, clothes, country, food, life, make-it-through, parents, philadelphia, recession, school, vegas

This Weekend…

June 17, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

1. Take a slow bike ride.

2. Get a good deal at a yard sale.

3. Make healthful but tasty cookies.

4. Watch a classic black and white flick you’ve never seen.

5. Leave a hand-written note on a friend’s windshield or door.

6. Fake laughter for one minute. Notice the difference.

7. Kiss a friend on the lips. Or at least the cheeks!

8. Turn the TV off.

9. Don’t check your email for one day.

10. Listen to the different bird calls and imagine what they’re saying.

I’m hungry. Where’s my food. You can’t have it. It’s sunny. I’m warm. I’m happy. Where’s my girlfriend? I miss her.

Beth

Filed Under: Positive News
Tagged: cheeks, classic-black, difference, food, girlfriend, positive, the-different

Greens on Wheels: Rolling Greenhouse Will Feed + Educate

May 15, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Food & Health & Home & Garden & Transit & Auto. ]

Thanks to space and time constraints, most of us buy all of our food from supermarkets rather than growing it at home. But two New York entrepreneurs want to teach urban dwellers how rewarding and positive it feels to grow fresh produce and eat it right from the garden. Nick Runkle and Justin Cutter have founded Compass Green, a mobile greenhouse and education center that will bring fresh food and educational experiences to schoolchildren all around New York.

(all images via: Inhabitat)

As part of the Compass Green initiative, the two men are transforming an 18-foot diesel box truck into a greenhouse on wheels. The greenhouse will feature Plexiglass walls to let in sunshine for the plants that grow in the truck’s cargo area.

The fully-functioning greenhouse will travel around to schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan, delivering fresh produce to kids who otherwise might not have access to it. The team will also deliver an educational message about the considerable health benefits to be gained from making fresh, whole foods a regular part of one’s diet. Eventually, they will take their truck all around the country.

But beyond simply teaching children about the benefits of fresh spinach and carrots, the duo aim to spread their message of sustainability. Their roving greenhouse will host educational workshops teaching practical skills that visitors can easily incorporate into their own daily lives. Lessons will be tailored to the age level, region and socioeconomic conditions of every stop on the team’s educational journey.

Runkle and Cutter are working on converting their old diesel truck into a vegetable oil-fueled, solar power-equipped green machine. They are currently accepting contributions to the project via their Kickstarter page.

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Food of the Golds: 10 Amazing Ways to Enjoy Eating Gold

April 26, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steve in Art & Design & Food & Health & History & Trivia. ]

Taking a shine to your meals lately? Perhaps it’s the other way around: the extravagant gourmand whose gastronomic delights display an aura of Aurum may know something more plebeian diners don’t… putting carats on one’s carrots is as good as gold.

Golden Gourmets

(images via: Foodmall and Emerald Bay Photo)

From ancient times, the world’s rich and powerful have sought to extend and expand their wealth and power by eating foods far too rare, too beautiful or too mystical for the common man (and woman) to afford. Gold fits the bill… but to eat or drink it, one must have the means to PAY the bill.

(images via: Picture Message, Parents and iOffer)

Why gold, you might ask, when gourmet delicacies like truffles, sweetbreads and, er, lark’s tongues in aspic are just as rare and probably a whole lot more flavorful. It’s all for show, of course – gold is useful for jewelry and not much else, so why not “gild the lily” when making friends and influencing people? This was exactly what the ancient Egyptians had in mind when they introduced the world to the art of edible gold. These days, the cult of celebrity has supplanted the worship of more heavenly bodies and edible gold is all the rage among the privileged classes. Here are 10 ways one can imbibe edible gold, some so affordable even a modern-day plebeian can enjoy them!

Shake Yer Beauty

(images via: Gold Leaf Company and Fancy Flours)

First off, my apologies for that truly awful title – now let’s move on to some real beauty you can shake onto just about anything. We’re talkin’ gold… silver and gold, actually, individually packaged in powdered form at a surprisingly reasonable price. The gold goes for around $100 per gram which may seem like a lot but look on the bright side: a little gold (or silver) powder will go a long way.

Food Bling

(images via: Food Network UK and Daily Mail UK)

Powder too fine for your chowder? Fancy a sprinkle on your, er, can’t think of a rhyme for “sprinkle.” Regardless, when only gold can fit the mold, do your thing with some Food Bling. British food celeb Laura Santtini has hooked up with Selfridges department store to market a range of gold and silver sprinkles under the trendy moniker. Sez Santtini, it’s “an inexpensive and easy way of making a meal more glamorous.”

Graffiti You Can Eat-y

(images via: ArtNectar)

Polishing an apple to give to a favorite teacher? Make an indelible impression with Esslack edible gold food spray from German food cooperative The Deli Garage. As seen in the image above, you can spray-paint your tomatoes a glittering golden hue. It matters not that tomatoes look perfectly appetizing “as is”; Esslack is all about making an impression.

I Can’t Be-Leaf It’s Gold!

(images via: Yahoo Lifestyle, Margot Austin and Pretty Tasty Cakes)

One of gold’s most fascinating properties is its extreme malleability. A tiny nugget of gold can be hammered out into a surprisingly wide sheet that may be only a few dozen atoms thick: Gold Leaf. Food grade labeled gold leaf allows chefs and cooks to add the appearance of great value to their culinary creations while in actuality using very tiny amounts of gold.

Golden Gulps

(images via: Gggirlanachronism, Gdansk Life and Supercook)

Those who have enjoyed Goldschläger cinnamon schnapps may feel richer than they really are: a 750ml bottle only contains about a tenth of a gram (0.1 g) of gold flakes worth around us$5 on the metals market. Even so, it’s not the quantity of gold that counts here, it’s the quality of the company, the occasion and the atmosphere. Goldschläger is one of several liqueurs infused with tiny amounts of gold leaf with the original being Danziger Goldwasser, first brewed and sold back in 1598.

Buy The Bar

(images via: Zimbio and Luxuo)

The power of social media has brought back Cadbury’s much-loved Wispa Gold chocolate bar, though at a cost. Like, £961.48 (about $1,630). Fret not, British chocoholics, the heavy sticker price is for one very special Wispa Gold bar, covered in gold leaf and packaged in a custom gold leaf wrapper. Over 22,000 Wispa Gold fans joined the Facebook group “Bring back Cadbury’s Wispa Gold”, leading to the presentation of the one & only gold Wispa Gold bar. The choice confection was presented by Tony Hadley of the 1980′s New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, whose 2nd best-charting single was… “Gold”.

California Gold Rush Rolls

(image via: Foodiggity)

When it comes to gourmet sushi, Filipino chef Angelito Araneta Jr. has got the Midas touch. He’ll need it – it’s tough to top some types of sushi when it comes to both price and presentation. Araneta judiciously applies 23K gold leaf to his custom creations and at times even THAT isn’t enough: the gold-wrapped rolls above are garnished with 12 local Palawan pearls and 4 (.20ct) African diamonds of VVS clarity. We’re gonna need more Alka Seltzer, stat!

Frrrozen Haute Chocolate Sundae

(images via: Reuters and Wicked Stage)

When the Guinness World Record people recognize you for preparing the world’s most expensive dessert, you can be pretty sure there’s gold involved. When the dish costs $25,000 it’s pretty much a given. The delectable “Frrozen Haute Chocolate” is a dreamy dessert devised by Stephen Bruce, owner of the New York restaurant Serendipity 3. Bruce blended 28 exotic cocoas with 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of edible 23-karat gold and as a bonus, slipped an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds into the bottom of the sundae. Don’t eat the bracelet, just lick it clean and slip it on.

Cupcake Wars

(images via: A Spoonful of Sugar, Baa Baa Cupcake and Caroline’s Creations)

Cupcakes offer chefs a small but rich palette upon which to work their wonders, and gold dragees seem to be one of the more popular weapons in their arsenal. “Weapons” indeed… anyone chomping down on a dragee unawares might think their snack was full of buckshot. These gold-glazed sugar spheres may commonly appear as decorations for desserts but be advised that the FDA lists them as being inedible. Visit the UK and Europe, on the other hand, and you’re free to crunch these tiny golden jawbreakers to your heart’s content.

Shiny Luxury Novelty

(image via: DeLafée International)

Looking for the special gift for the princess who has everything? DeLafée International suggests this gold lollipop gift, described as “a decadent indulgence and a suggestive accessory.” The 45 gram (1.6 oz) strawberry flavored and heart-shaped lollypop might be considered childish if not for the flecks of edible gold clinging to its sweet surface. A little too sexist for you? No worries, DeLafée also sells hand-rolled Dominican luxury cigars wrapped in gold leaf. Smokin hot!

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Built w/Food: 10 Works of (Incr)Edible Architecture

An entirely edible world is just a dream, but these 10 examples of architecture made from food will have you salivating at the idea.
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: architecture, custom, food, image, lifestyle, luxury, network, princess

Sweet Structures: Art & Architecture Made of Sugar

April 18, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Steph in Art & Design & Food & Health. ]

Dating back hundreds of years to elaborate sugar-paste sculptures that graced the dining tables of the ultra-rich, sugar art can be as simple as a tower made from sugar cubes or as complex as glass-like, gravity-defying edible sculptures. These 12 sugar sculptures, including sugar architecture, murals, landscapes, complicated chef art and even busts of Greek gods with ice cream cone hats, show just what’s possible with this sticky sweet substance.

16-Foot Sugar Cube Tower by Brendan Jamison

(images via: brendanjamison.com)

It took sculptor Brendan Jamison an astonishing three years and over 250,000 sugar cubes to create the 16-foot TOWER, an installation jointly funded by the Towner Museum and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The TOWER will be on display at the Towner Museum in Eastbourne, England from Friday, July 1st through Saturday, September 10th 2011.

18th Century Pavilions by Ivan Day

(images via: the magazine antiques)

Elaborate sugar work was often found on the tabletops of the wealthy during the 18th century. “Master of antiquated cookery” Ivan Day recreated a table from 1740 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, building a pair of sugar-paste pavilions using sugar molds and sculpting tools from that era. “Sugar paste, a mixture of confectioner’s, or powdered, sugar and gum tragacanth, and porcelain paste are remarkably similar,” says Day, who explains that these pieces were often placed alongside real porcelain on the table.

White Landscape: Spires by Lionel Scoccimaro

(images via:  if it’s hip it’s here)

French sculptor and photographer Lionel Scoccimaro used 400 kilograms (about 882 pounds) of sugar to create a display of architectural spires for his 2008 series, White Landscape.

Helen’s Tower by Brendan Jamison

(images via: brendanjamison.com)

Jamison, whose work is collected and displayed around the world, created the incredible Helen’s Tower in 2011, a replica of a real tower on an estate in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Carving some of the sugar cubes to create spheres, columns and other shapes, Jamison achieved extraordinary detail, particularly in the banister at the top of the tower.

Sweet Street Art Mural

(images via: vancouver sun)

Delicate and transient, ‘Stained’ by Shelley Miller is a work of art that is meant to deteriorate quickly; good thing, because sugar doesn’t last long when exposed to the rain. Miller created the lovely blue-and-white public mural in Waddington Alley, Victoria entirely out of sugar and other food ingredients like meringue icing. Based on the look of traditional Portuguese tiles, the mural depicts the history of sugar as a commodity. Just hours after it was completed, it already had tongue marks from tempted passersby.

Water Towers by Lionel Scoccimaro

(images via: if it’s hip it’s here)

Lionel Scoccimaro photographed his 2007 series, Water Towers, showing structures that seem to be precariously balanced on delicate legs.

Edible Busts by Osamu Watanabe

(images via: who killed bambi)

Though not solely made from sugar, these sculptures by Osamu Watanabe are entirely edible, made from carved sugar, berries, cakes, ice cream cones and a fondant-like creamy sugar mixture that can be molded into sharp detail. Nobody actually eats them, however; they’re made for art exhibits.

Tate Modern & NEO Bankside by Brendan Jamison

(images via: brendanjamison.com)

Jamison sculpted the Tate Modern Art Museum and the surrounding NEO Bankside for the 2010 London Festival of Architecture at the new NEO Bankside Pavilion in London. At a scale of 1:100, the tallest structure tops out at just over three feet in height.

Edible Art Book Made of Sugar Paste

(images via: fastcodesign)

With pages resembling stone tablets that you can actually eat, the book ‘Design Criminals’ was made by Andreas Pohancenik for an art exhibit at the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts. Handed out to visitors as a guide to the exhibit’s works, the 15 sheets of the book were enclosed in a pure-sugar slipcase and printed with edible ink.

Sugar Walk by Brendan Jamison

(images via: brendanjamison.com)

This architectural commission, created by Brendan Jamison on a 1:100 scale, is a model of a proposed structure at Great Patrick Street in Belfast. Toy cars and tiny little human figures give an idea as to the actual scale. It’s certainly a creative way to present an architectural model, to stand out from the crowd.

Cooked Sugar as Arctic Landscape

(images via: matthew albanese)

Artist Matthew Albanese, who creates stunning miniature worlds of the most unexpected materials, explains that he created the above landscape out of 25 pounds of sugar, blue food coloring, flour and a handful of other food ingredients. It took three days of cooking and two weeks of building to complete.

Sugar Leopards in Sydney

(images via: roving I)

Chefs take food presentation to a whole new level when they incorporate incredibly complex sugar sculptures into buffet displays, table centerpieces or cake toppers. This example of chef sugar art, of two leopards lounging on tree trunks, was in competition at Fine Food in Sydney in 2005. By heating sugar to very high temperatures and molding it while it’s still hot, chefs can achieve a translucent glass-like effect and gravity-defying delicacy.

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Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebEcoist:

Built w/Food: 10 Works of (Incr)Edible Architecture

An entirely edible world is just a dream, but these 10 examples of architecture made from food will have you salivating at the idea.
11 Comments - Click Here to Read More

Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: architecture, brendan-jamison, council, design, facebook, food, food art, health, history, metal-recycling, sugar, unusual art

Power Juicing: 2 Ads Using Oranges to Light the Way

April 17, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Energy & Fuel & Food & Health & Technology & Gadgets. ]

Most of us can agree that fruit is an excellent source of natural energy. Have you ever considered that it might be useful for fueling more than just the human body? Two separate ad agencies have developed, more than a year apart, ad campaigns using the natural power of fruit to produce electricity. The ads take the time-honored “lemon battery” science fair project and turn it into a fun study of the power of nature.

Imperial Leisure developed this ad in 2010 for Jaffa oranges. The film shows a large array of Jaffa orange slices powering an iPhone, giving a unique perspective to the amount of energy needed to run not only our electronic devices, but our bodies as well. Metal spikes (usually zinc and copper) pierce the oranges and a chemical change takes place in the metal. This reaction produces a small amount of power; when lots of the tiny batteries are linked together they can actually produce a significant amount of electricity.

Much more recently, French agency DDB developed this short film for Tropicana. A similar fruit battery concept is used to power a neon billboard reading “Natural Energy.” Imperial Leisure, the British agency that developed the Jaffa campaign, argue that the Tropicana billboard can’t actually be powering the lights because when the oranges are pushed onto the spikes more than two electrodes (one positive, one negative) are piercing each one, meaning the battery would short out rather than produce any power. Whether the billboard is actually powered by oranges or not, both ad campaigns are a fantastic reminder of the energy our bodies can gain from eating natural foods.

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Green Light! Algae-Powered Lamp Needs TLC to Provide Light

This conceptual lamp provides light to an owner’s home through the awesome natural power of photosynthesis…but it requires some care before it illuminates.
Click Here to Read More

Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: energy, energy & fuel, facebook, food, food & health, food and health, french, gadgets, green advertising, green energy, green-light, health, leisure, light, technology & gadgets

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