Hardball Henfruit

Make sure your free-range chickens don’t free-range where they might eat velvet weed (it’s common in cornfields). Velvet-weed seeds deactivate the enzyme that converts the saturated fats in a hen’s eggs to unsaturated fats. As a result, the yolks turn as tough as rubber when they’re refrigerated. No kidding--they bounce.

Don’t Thank Bossie

Almond Cheeze, made from almonds and other ingredients such as casein and carrageen, is a boon for dieters and people who can’t eat dairy products. Unlike tofu “cheese,” it melts, and the Cheddar-flavor cheeze actually tastes a lot like American-style cheese. (The garlic and herb cheeze is nowhere near as convincing.) At health food stores such as Mrs. Gooch’s at around $2.49 for 6 ounces.

Imposter Snapper Shocker

The Florida Department of Agriculture recently surveyed 250 supermarkets and fish markets and found that half the red snapper being sold was not red snapper ( Lutjanus blackfordi ) but various other reddish fish.

It’s a Smell World After All

The Wall Street Journal reports that garlic pill sales have shot up 163% over 1991, and even plain old supermarket garlic keeps gaining 8% every year.

First, Catch Your Entry Form

Watkins Inc., sellers of spices and extracts, will celebrate its 125th anniversary next year, so it’s having a “My Family’s Favorite Recipe” contest (using Watkins products, of course) with prizes such as a Dodge mini-van. To get your entry form, you have to find a Watkins dealer or call the home office in Winona, Minn., (507) 457-2150.