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Wednesday

For The Love Of Beer: How Empty Cans Made A House A Home

The Beer Can House in Houston in 2011. It's estimated that more than 50,000 beer cans were used to cover the entire house. Bill Rand/Flickr hide caption

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Bill Rand/Flickr

The Salt

For The Love Of Beer: How Empty Cans Made A House A Home

John Milkovisch's ambitions started out simple: build a place to enjoy a cold one. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Milkovisch amassed thousands of empty beer cans, which he eventually put to use on his house in Houston.

For The Love Of Beer: How Empty Cans Made A House A Home

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Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

Agricultural work, which is physically demanding, is also a risky business venture. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kirk Siegler/NPR

The Salt

Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

Thousands of seasonal workers come to California's Salinas Valley each year to pick crops, and many of them seem destined for a life in the fields. Now, a training program run by ALBA Organics is giving these workers the skills they need to be their own bosses.

Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

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Tuesday

Despite Legal Blow, New York To Keep Up Sugary Drink Fight

On Tuesday, a state appeals court called New York City's ban on supersized soda unconstitutional. Allison Joyce/Getty Images News hide caption

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Allison Joyce/Getty Images News

The Salt

Despite Legal Blow, New York To Keep Up Sugary Drink Fight

An appeals court ruled Tuesday that the ban on big, sugary drinks was unconstitutional. The decision is a blow for the city's Board of Health, which has argued that regulation is an effective means of changing unhealthful behaviors. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his legal team say they will appeal.

Is The Way To Tech Workers' Loyalty Through Their Stomachs?

Ari Dvorin was hired in May as the first corporate chef at SpareFoot, a startup in Austin, Texas. Here, Dvorin cuts suckling pig for a mockumentary SpareFoot made. Jenny Zhang/Courtesy of SpareFoot hide caption

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Jenny Zhang/Courtesy of SpareFoot

The Salt

Is The Way To Tech Workers' Loyalty Through Their Stomachs?

Google's extensive and delectable food offerings have long been part of the company's perks. Now startups in other cities are hiring chefs who prepare fresh, creative food to attract and keep top talent.

Fast-Food Strikers Demand A 'Living Wage'

People gathered outside a Wendy's restaurant in New York City on Monday as part of a one-day strike calling for higher wages for fast-food workers. Justin Lane/EPA/Landov hide caption

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Justin Lane/EPA/Landov

The Salt

Fast-Food Strikers Demand A 'Living Wage'

Picketers in seven cities say McDonald's, Wendy's and other fast-food chains should pay employees $15 an hour. But the restaurant industry says that would force those companies to cut jobs.

Fast-Food Strikers Demand A 'Living Wage'

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Monday

Two-Day Diets: How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight Loss

People following a 5-2 diet would eat lean protein and non-starchy vegetables two days a week. Heather Rousseau/NPR hide caption

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Heather Rousseau/NPR

The Salt

Two-Day Diets: How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight Loss

The idea of intermittent mini-fasting seems to be gaining traction. The appeal: Dieters have to restrict calories for only two days a week. Research suggests this approach is more effective than trying to cut back on calories 24/7.

Two-Day Diets: How Mini Fasts Can Help Maximize Weight Loss

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Saturday

Tucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food

Food bank client Jamie Senik takes a break near her garden plot sponsored by the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. She grows food for herself and her diabetic mother. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption

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Pam Fessler/NPR

The Salt

Tucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food

As the number of people seeking emergency food aid continues to grow, food banks have started thinking about what more they can do to help their clients become more self-sufficient. Some, like the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, are teaching people to grow food at community farms and helping them set up home gardens.

Tucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food

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Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire

Jill Pasquarella (right) pours powdered sugar on Brandon Connelly, who dressed as a baker from Hubig's Pies, during Mardi Gras in New Orleans in February. Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/Landov hide caption

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Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/Landov

Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire

WWNO

Eating a Hubig's fried fruit pie has been a ritual for decades for the local food-obsessed in New Orleans. But a year ago, a fire destroyed the baking facility and much of its custom machinery from the 1920s. Rebuilding is a long and expensive road, but fans are eagerly awaiting the bakery's comeback.

Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire

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Friday

And The Winning Taste Of Summer Is ...

Some NPR staff members taste recipes from the contest finalists. Matt Martinez/NPR hide caption

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Matt Martinez/NPR

Found Recipes

And The Winning Taste Of Summer Is ...

After careful consideration, gnashing of teeth and cleansing of palates, we have a winner in the Found Recipes Taste of Summer contest. Listeners wrote in, and NPR staff sampled recipes from the three finalists.

And The Winning Taste Of Summer Is ...

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If It Crawls, It's Canned: Eating In The Alaskan Wilderness

Saving The Salmon Season: Prince of Wales Island residents Jenny and Tony Wise pack away plenty of jarred fish each year. Courtesy of Jenny Wise hide caption

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Courtesy of Jenny Wise

The Salt

If It Crawls, It's Canned: Eating In The Alaskan Wilderness

On Alaska's Prince of Wales Island, where a latte costs $6 and a fresh watermelon runs $15, canning is a survival skill. Locals aren't shy about preserving the fat of the land — from salmon to seals to bears and some vegetarian treats, too — in a jar.

Thursday

Palm Oil In The Food Supply: What You Should Know

Much of the palm oil imported into the U.S. ends up in snack foods such as cookies, crackers and microwave popcorn. Heather Rousseau/NPR hide caption

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Heather Rousseau/NPR

The Salt

Palm Oil In The Food Supply: What You Should Know

Health concerns surrounding trans fats led many food manufacturers to abandon partially hydrogenated oils. Palm oil has helped fill the void. But guess what? It's high in saturated fat.

Palm Oil In The Food Supply: What You Should Know

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