The Juicy BitsThe Juicy Bits

If you love grapefruit, now is the time to enjoy it. Not only is February peak citrus month: grapefruit prices may soon go up. Thanks to this month's devastating winter storms in Texas, a big citrus state, analysts expect grapefruit prices to rise about 10% over the next month. February is also Black History Month, and Kingsford is celebrating it with a new scholarship program. The charcoal giant's Preserve The Pit program is helping Black Americans start new barbecue businesses. Note: The application deadline is March 1. For existing restaurant owners just trying to stay afloat, another country-wide allocation of money may be imminent: the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill making its way through Congress includes $25 billion earmarked specifically for small and mid-size restaurants. Elsewhere in Congress, lawmakers have been busy investigating the health aspects of baby food. A House Subcommittee recently found that several popular baby food brands contain high levels of arsenic and other toxic metals. Maybe it's time to start making your baby food at home. And if you're concerned about the environmental impact of eating meat, or just want to try something new, get ready for eco-friendly 3D printed ribeye steaks. The world's first cruelty-free cuts of lab-grown beef (can they even be called cuts?) were recently unveiled by Israeli startup Aleph Farms. Even animal fats will soon be produced in labs instead of feedlots: London-based Hoxton Farms just received £2.7 million ($3.7 million USD) in funding to develop lab-grown animal fats for the plant-based meat industry. It's a brave new world of food and drink out there. Distillers are hacking the whiskey aging process, and the environmental benefits of mushrooms are being reconsidered. In the name of sustainability, engineers are using mycelium, the root system of edible mushrooms, to create alternative building materials. Check out the video below to see just how durable and flame retardant mushroom bricks can be. Maybe one day instead of inhabiting apartments and townhouses we'll all be living like woodland gnomes in little mushroom homes.

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