Stop the Presses! New Hershey Bar!

In case you haven’t heard, Hershey has just introduced its first new chocolate bar since the turn of the century. Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Mint is made with (strongly) mint-flavored chocolate and crunchy round bits of chocolate wafer, giving the striking effect of a cross between a Hershey bar, a Girl Scout Cookie and a peppermint pattie. Available wherever candy is sold in 1.55-ounce standard bars (45 cents) and 7-ounce giant bars ($1.69).

For Wine-Bibbing Bibliophiles

Wine lovers are usually wine-book lovers. For them a specialty book service sells books on wine and related subjects (beer, spirits, food and travel books that bear on wine, even wine humor). Kellgren’s Wine Book Catalog lists and characterizes 400 books, and it’s free. Phone (914) 271-5121 (FAX 271-5125) or write Specialty Books Co., P.O. Box 616, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. 10520-0616.

Flapsticks, Flapsticks Everywhere

Having tried it out in a third of the country, Jimmy Dean is going nationwide with a breakfast-on-a-stick called the Flapstick: a pork sausage link wrapped in a sweetened pancake (regular or blueberry), corn-dog fashion. Attractions: They heat in the microwave in 40 seconds and don’t leave any dirty dishes. A package of four (1 3/4 ounces each) is $1.99 at supermarkets.

Vitamin C for Plants

The Wall Street Journal reports that many broad-leaved plants grow faster and stronger, use less water and make sweeter fruit--tomatoes are 10%-12% sweeter--if you spray the leaves with wood alcohol (methanol) in the middle of the day. It’s a carbon jolt: The plants absorb concentrated carbon directly from the alcohol instead of from the air.

Have a Soaper Birthday

This year is the 75th anniversary of S.O.S soap pads, still going strong. Erwin W. Cox, who invented them in his basement, may have meant the name to stand for Save Our Saucepans.

What the World Needs Now Is Loaf, Meat Loaf

“Est. Very Recently,” says the very first issue of World Meatloaf News, a monthly newsletter specializing in meat (and poultry and vegetable) loaves, featuring recipes from restaurant as well as home chefs and other meatloaf news, such as which TV shows mention meatloaf. For a sample copy, send $2 to P.O. 370276-WM, W. Hartford, Conn. 06137-0276; a year’s subscription (12 issues) is $16. And if you want to enter the Great American Meatloaf Contest, send $2 to the same address to obtain rules, entry form, prize information and last years’ three winning recipes. But hurry--the deadline is Dec. 14.