Colony Collapse Disorder: Great Brief Explanation!

If you've had a hard time wrapping your head around the concerns bees are facing, we highly recommend this interview with Dr. Marla Spivak, MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight Professor in Entomology at the University of Minnesota.

Here, Dr. Spivak is interviewed by Lynne Rossetto Kasper on Kasper's weekly radio, The Splendid Table, which airs in Pittsburgh on Sundays from 1pm to 2pm  (Essential Public Radio, 90.5 FM).  I look forward to the Splendid Table each week for great discussions about food, eating and issues that affect our food supply.

Here's a recipe for Honey Ginger Lemonade, also from The Splendid Table:

Honey Ginger Lemonade
2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled, cut into thin disks (⅓ cup)
¼ cup honey, or more to taste
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 large lemons)

• Put the ginger in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring 2 cups cold water to a boil, then pour it into the bowl and stir to agitate the ginger. Slowly pour in the honey, stirring until it's dissolved in the concentrate. Add the salt, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.
• Strain the concentrate into a large pitcher (it will keep for 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator), reserving the ginger slices. Add 3 cups cold water and the lemon juice to the pitcher, and sweeten to taste with honey. Set the pitcher in the refrigerator to cool further; store the ginger slices in the refrigerator as well. (The lemonade and ginger slices will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.)
• Fill each highball or pint glass two-thirds of the way to the rim with ice, and pour the ginger lemonade over it. Garnish with a slice of the steeped ginger.

Reprinted from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor by Matt and Ted Lee. Copyright © 2009 Published by Clarkson Potter.