Our taste for bread and pasta wouldn’t be the same if not for our ability to break down starch, a talent Peru’s Andean populations have taken to the extreme. A genome-wide study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has revealed that Indigenous Andeans have, on average, up to four times the number of genes for a starch-busting digestive enzyme in their spit than any other population. Closer inspection of the gene’s sequences suggests

Of all the foods I can every year, the most useful is the wide variety of meats. While we aren’t huge meat eaters, these rows and rows of jars of all sizes form the base of many meals throughout the year. And in our hurry-scurry world, it’s so convenient to have this pre-cooked, tender, and oh-so-tasty meat right on the shelves, ready to quickly whip up a meal that tastes like I spent hours preparing it. At any one time, you’ll find jars of venison, moose, and elk meat, chick

Few people are lucky enough to have an actual root cellar any more, but that doesn’t mean you can’t “root cellar” produce at home. My family stores 200 pounds of each apples, onions, and potatoes (600 lbs total) without a root cellar, along with all manner of other produce, homemade cheese, and salt-cured meats. These days, our basement works well for the task, but in the past, we’ve used back closets and other jerry-rigged spaces to get the job done. Where there’s a wi