edible denver | keeping the bees

“135 million years ago, the only way plants could procreate was to scatter their pollen in the wind—a wildly inefficient method that required massive quantities of pollen. Over the following five million years, insects (and particularly, bees) began to eat this abundant, nutrient-rich pollen, kick-starting a symbiotic evolutionary relationship that has spanned from the age of dinosaurs to the present day.

Photo by Lauren DeFilippo

An offshoot of the wasp family, these gentle insects developed increasingly hairy legs and bodies, accelerating the pollination of nectar-rich plants. Today, scientists have verified the existence of at least 20,000 individual bee species, with researchers citing 946 native species in Colorado alone. Yet despite their rich and resilient history, bees are now facing unprecedented threats to their survival in the form of pests, disease, pesticides, modern agriculture practices and sheer misinformation about their role in our ecosystem.”

Read more in Edible Denver’s Summer Issue

life & thyme | going with the grain

“For both food professionals and avid home cooks, knowing where our food comes from has become the new gold standard. Yet for all our free-range eggs, grass-fed beef and greenmarket vegetables, this shift in consumer demand has all but ignored one of the most significant food groups in our diet: grains.

Photos by Lauren DeFilippo

In communities across the United States, groups like the Colorado Grain Chain and the Noble Grain Alliance are lobbying to promote heirloom grains, a class of pre-industrial plants that promise greater nutritional benefits—and bolder flavor—than modern monocropped wheat or corn. Yet to understand the value of these heirloom grains, you have to look back at the past century of American agriculture. ”

Read more at Life & Thyme

la marzocco | the fittest home barista on earth

“If you’ve explored the world of Instagram fitness—or plugged into sports in any way—chances are you’ve come across Mat Fraser. At just 29 years old, Fraser is the reigning ‘Fittest Man on Earth,’ taking the title at the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 CrossFit Games. But somewhere in-between training six hours a day and traveling for public appearances, Fraser has also become an accomplished home barista. The proud owner of a custom Stainless & Walnut La Marzocco GS3 MP, he now brings the same precision and focus that made him a champion to every morning’s espresso.”

Read the full interview on the La Marzocco Home Blog.