Economy
Discover facts about economy. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Economy
Hops are incredibly vulnerable to powdery mildew
Powdery mildew can turn hop leaves white and ruin the crop. To protect the plants, growers may have to spray pesticides.
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An agave plant gets years to grow and one harvest
Blue agave matures over several years before workers remove the leaves and harvest the core for tequila production. The plant does not simply grow another…
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Stevia leaves require heavy processing for bitterness
The sweetener starts with leaves that taste bitter and strongly of licorice. To get the familiar sweet white powder, producers have to extract and process the…
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Vetiver grass roots are uprooted purely for their oil
The grass does not get clipped for its oil; it gets pulled out by the roots. Those tangled roots are washed and distilled into a woody essential oil used in…
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Cardamom pods are meticulously cut to prevent splits
Each pod is cut without breaking its shell. Split it, and essential oils escape—the valuable part the careful trimming is meant to preserve.
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Nutmeg and mace come from the same fruit
The nutmeg seed comes with its own second spice: a red, web-like covering called mace. One fruit, two separate harvests.
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Shea butter is extracted by brutally crushing nuts
The fats have to be worked out of the nuts by hand: first they are boiled and dried, then ground and kneaded until fat separates from water.
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The tree sap that keeps soda smooth
A tree resin from the Sahel does quiet work in soda: acacia keeps flavor oils from splitting away and sugar from turning into solid lumps.
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Guayusa puts a stimulant into a rainforest leaf brew
The Amazonian plant's leaves contain caffeine and are brewed as a drink. How much reaches a cup depends on the leaf quantity and preparation, just as it does…
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Sea sponges can grow back after being cut
Divers can harvest a sponge without removing its base from the reef. Leave that base attached, and the sponge can grow back—so the next harvest starts from…
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Cacao puts its fruit on the trunk instead of the branch tips
The pods develop directly from the trunk and older branches, a growth pattern called cauliflory. Harvesters remove the large fruit carefully to avoid damaging…
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Caviar extraction severely threatens wild sturgeon
A jar of traditional beluga caviar represents a fish killed for its eggs. Because belugas grow huge and slowly, and harvest is tightly restricted, those eggs…
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Chewing gum once came from bleeding trees
The ingredient in old chewing gum came out of a tree. Harvesters climbed Central American sapodillas, slashed the trunks with machetes, and collected…
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Sugar beet and cane make identical sugar
After refining, sugar from beets and sugar from cane become the same sucrose crystals. The white sugar doesn’t carry a botanical label in its chemistry.
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The fruit that gives Earl Grey its flavor
Bergamot looks like a bumpy lime, but its sour, bitter fruit is not the point. Growers mainly want the aromatic oil in the rind, which gives Earl Grey its…
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How oysters turn beads into pearls
A pearl farmer slips a tiny shell bead into an oyster’s tissue. The oyster treats it like an irritant and coats it in nacre, the smooth substance that builds…
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Rose oil turns a huge harvest into a tiny ingredient
Distilling rose petals yields very little essential oil, so producers need a large mass of fresh flowers for a small amount of extract. Picking, transporting,…
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Cinnamon is tree bark—literally
The spice comes from the inner bark of a particular tree. Strip off the outer layer, scrape away the inner bark, and it curls into the familiar cinnamon…
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Duckweed naturally doubles its biomass in forty hours
That speed matters because duckweed is rich in protein and needs no soil. If it can be grown as livestock feed, its rapid growth could make it a useful…
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That green wasabi paste may be mostly horseradish
Real wasabi is expensive to cultivate, while horseradish can provide a sharp sensation at a lower price. Manufacturers often combine it with ingredients such…
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Spirulina grows efficiently in highly alkaline ponds
Spirulina can grow in salty, highly alkaline ponds where many competing organisms can’t survive. With fewer weeds and pests to fight, farmers have an easier…
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The natural sponge that holds 20 times its weight
Dried sphagnum works in orchid pots because its dead cellular structure absorbs water and holds it near the roots. It can take up about 20 times its own weight.
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Some expensive soup is made from bird spit
To get the nests used in this prized soup, harvesters climb scaffolding inside limestone caves and collect clumps of hardened swiftlet saliva. The ingredient…
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Koji mold is the absolute foundation of soy brewing
The mold is doing the essential chemistry: koji enzymes break down proteins in soybeans and rice. That is what helps turn the ingredients into soy sauce and…
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