The Bad Buzz On the Bees

They're busily buzzing off....

A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since last year.

Last year's survey commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America found losses of about 32 percent.

This is the second year the association has measured colony deaths across the country. This means there aren't enough numbers to show a trend, but clearly bees are dying at unsustainable levels and the situation is not improving, said vanEngelsdorp, also a bee expert with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.- AP via SFGate

It also seems they, like humans, need clean air to thrive.

Air pollution impedes bees' ability to find flowers. Air pollution interferes with the ability of bees and other insects to follow the scent of flowers to their source, a new study suggests. Their findings may help explain the current pollination crisis. - WaPo

Haagen daz "hearts" honeybees. They think we all should, too.

More Ice Cream Shop News....

On Wednesday, April 30, 2008 from 5:00-10:00 PM, ice cream lovers across America will have an opportunity to enjoy their favorite Baskin-Robbins flavor for only 31 cents* while paying tribute to local Firefighters.Your support of 31-Cent Scoop Night will help Baskin-Robbins fulfill their generous pledge of $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

For more information about 31 Cent Scoop Night or to find a Baskin-Robbins near you, please visit:
www.baskinrobbins.com

Happy 30th!

Ben & Jerry's!
I can "Imagine Whirled Peace"....and a free scoop o' the good stuff today, too!

You Are Phish Food Ice Cream

You've been described as gooey and fudgey. Sorry.

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

Spoon Gelato is now open

The Gelateria next to the Granada Theatre is now open and serving up some terrific tasting gelato from Gelato Bar in Studio City.

The artisanal product is custom made by Allessandro Fontana, an expert gelato maker from Venice, who taught Gail and Joel the nuances of the best Italian gelato. Gelato Bar’s frozen confections are made daily in small batches; each flavor contains 65-70% pure product (i.e. pistachio, chocolate, fruits) as compared to most other varieties, which often contain only 30% product. Gelato deceivingly has a much lower fat content than conventional American ice creams and due to its lower temperature, richer flavors can be achieved.

The Fig Marscapone gelato is delish. There's nothing "plain" about their Vanilla, it is really "beany" and terrific tasting. The Arancia Rossa (Blood Orange) and Tutto Bosco (Mixed Berry) sorbettos are really refreshing especially on these hot days.

The only downside to my experience to Spoon, was the young girl who rang up my order. The stench of cigarette smoke on her clothes and the fresh taste of gelato really didn't go together.

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day - April 29

30 years of deliciousness.

Free Cone Day is an annual event held in late April or early May, in which Ben & Jerry's scoop shops give out free ice cream cones all day. This year's event, taking place on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, marks the company's 30th annual Free Cone Day.

Stop on by your local shop. Order up your favorite flavor...or clamour for them to bring back your favorite from the flavor graveyard.
Ahhh...I can taste the PhishFood now!

Disappearing Bees....disappearing crops

We LOVE the little fuzzybuzzy ones. Haagen Dazs loves the little bumbly ones. Almond growers love them even more.

The almond industry, which has emerged over the last decade as one of the biggest and most profitable in California agriculture, depends on bees for pollination. And so every spring, fully 60% of the commercially kept honeybees in the United States -- more than 1 million hives -- are trucked to California's Central Valley to do their thing.

But what happens when one of the state's fastest-growing businesses depends on workers who are disappearing almost as quickly? That's what California's almond farmers are waiting to find out.

California produces almost 80% of the world's almonds, grossing more than $2 billion in 2007. The state's almond exports are more than twice the value of its wine exports.

While almonds have been growing into an agricultural powerhouse, bee populations have been dwindling. Most recently, plagued by a mysterious condition called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, honeybee colonies across the country have been vanishing, abandoning perfectly good hives. Even after two years, no one yet knows why. Theories are many, but definite answers are few.

And though the source of the disease is a mystery, its potential effects are not -- at least when it comes to almonds. Because it's this simple: Without bees, there are no nuts. - Latte Times

Not only are the bees disapearing...but their hives are too. Beehive heists are now big business for the "bad guys."

In the long, flat valley where the nation's almonds grow, bee thieves are striking hard this winter, nabbing increasingly valuable hives from farmers' fields where bees are used to pollinate blossoming nut trees.

A few weeks ago, 180 of Hall's hives were lifted over a period of days, a bit of banditry he estimates cost him nearly $70,000 in lost bees, pollination fees and honey production. - Forbes

One delicious way to help out, is to eat Ice Cream. No, really.

This month ice-cream makers go on the offensive. Häagen-Dazs is launching two new honey-themed flavors and labeling bee-dependent pints to help save the honeybee. A portion of the proceeds, up to $250,000, will go to geneticists, entomologists, and educators at the University of California at Davis and Pennsylvania State University who will research the causes of the bees’ decline, create stronger bees in the laboratory, and teach the public how to make their surroundings more bee friendly.

The two new flavors—Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream and Vanilla Honey & Granola frozen yogurt—are both delicious. The honey flavor is sharp without overwhelming the vanilla, and samples left in DISCOVER’s freezer vanished in record time. So next time you’re looking for a virtuous indulgence, think of the honeybees. - Discover

Häagen-Dazs' Help Save the Honey Bee!

It's hot. It's Ice Cream time.

You don't need to let your Ice Cream go "nekkid"

The San Francisco Chronicle has some suggestions.

Blackberry Ginger:

Mix 2 1/2 cups blackberries with 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger in a saucepan. Warm over low heat, mashing some of the blackberries and leaving others whole. Add sugar to taste as the fruit begins to release its juices, and boil for a few minutes to thicken.

Cherry Basil:

Mix 1 pound pitted cherries with a handful of basil stems, the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/4-1/2 cup sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until the cherries soften and release some of their juices. Remove from heat, remove stems, and stir in 1 tablespoon minced basil.

Strawberry-Orange Lavender:

Hull and slice 2 pints of strawberries. Place in a saucepan with 2 teaspoons unsprayed fresh lavender or 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender, 1/4 cup sugar and the juice and zest of 1 orange. Cook over low heat until strawberry juices are released then boil for a few minutes to thicken slightly.

Raspberry-Lime Tarragon:

Combine 4 cups of raspberries with the juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon of lime zest and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture cooks down and thickens slightly, and remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of minced tarragon.

Vanilla Bean Peach:

Pit, peel and cut four peaches into slices or small chunks. Scrape one vanilla bean into the pot, and add the pod as well. Squeeze in juice of half an orange, and simmer over low heat until juices are released and mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. If the peaches are not sweet enough, add sugar to your liking and cook until it dissolves. Remove the pod before serving. If you plan on serving this with vanilla ice cream, leave out the vanilla bean.

and, who's stopping you from using these on waffles, either!

"the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth"

Is how Ben and Jerry's is describing their new flavor, "Americone Dream", named after Stephen Colbert.

It's vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel.

...."I'm not afraid to say it. dessert has a well-known liberal agenda," Colbert said in a statement. "what I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case."

Forget "truthiness"....it's "dessertiness" or "flavorishy", now.... Let's just hope it doesn't end up in the "flavor graveyard" anytime soon.

Oh, and Unilever, the big global company that now owns Ben and Jerry's, want to help "lick global warming.", too.