CSA fair means spring

We'd never heard of "food hibernation," but that's how the Seward Co-op refers to a condition "wherein affected persons fall into a winter food rut consisting of only soups, casseroles and other 'let's-warm-the-house-by-using-the-oven' types of foods." Its wake-up call is the annual Community-Supported Agriculture Fair, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13. More than 30 CSA farms will be selling farm subscriptions in exchange for regular deliveries of seasonal produce. New this year is Mhonpaj's Garden, the first certified-organic Hmong-owned CSA. Also noteworthy: Big River Farm CSA, offering ethnic crops such as bok choy and lemongrass, and Humble Pie CSA's offer of a flower bouquet and herb-share add-on. Plus, drawings for fab prizes. It's all rain or shine in the co-op parking lot, 2823 E. Franklin Av., Minneapolis. For details, visit seward.coop.

Creamette turns 100

The pasta aisle has changed, but the Creamette brand has been there for 100 years, lending an almost ancestral foundation for comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese or tuna casserole. Creamette Pasta invites cooks to "share the comfort" in its Comfort Food Recipe and Essay Contest. Entrants may submit their favorite recipe made with Creamette pasta, with an essay about why the dish is comforting. Top prize is $10,000. Deadline is May 30. For details, visit creamette.newworldpasta.com, where there also are recipes, including an apple crisp made with lasagna noodles. Who knew?

Ponder that purchase

If you've ever wondered what you were thinking when you bought that can of chipotle peppers or that bottle of tamarind sauce, there's a perfectly logical explanation: You're suffering from diversification bias. So says Daniel Read, a professor at the Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom. Speaking recently on the BBC Radio Four's "The Human Zoo," he said that people "tend to choose more variety than they actually want to consume. We believe that variety is a pretty good thing. But the reality is that when we are actually consuming things, we tend to like less variety than we think or imagine that we will like." As with other aspects of life, he said, "We have an image of ourselves which is different from the reality we are consuming." Embrace your inner ketchup. It's OK.

Fighting child hunger in South St. Paul

South St. Paul's Youth Task Force is in the midst of collecting 1,500 pounds of food by Sunday as part of the "What Will You Bring to the Table?" initiative to fight child hunger. Students also are creating a huge tablecloth of fabric squares with messages or images about fighting hunger. To get involved, visit bit.ly/16NxXXV. For info about the national effort, visit www.WhatWillYouBringtotheTable.org

Apps for eggs

Dyeing Easter eggs can be as simple as dipping them in colored water. But why stop there? Check out Egg Dyeing 101, an app from Martha Stewart Living with dyeing formulas and how-to techniques via photos or videos. A gallery features 101 eggs decorated with flowers, lace, swirls, speckles and much more, whether your aim is sophisticated or cute. The app costs 99 cents and is available through iTunes. As Martha says, "It's time to get cracking." (And everyone laughs.)

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