Food FYI: President Obama, give up the beer recipe

GIVE US YOUR BEER

Beer geeks have started a petition on the White House website asking that the secret recipe for the home-brewed White House Honey Ale (brewed with honey from the White House beehive) be released to the public. More than 3,000 people have signed so far, still short of the 25,000 signatures required by Sept. 17 to receive an official response. President Obama is the first president to brew beer in the White House. [New York Times]

EGGPLANT JAM?

Eggplant is a fruit, so there’s no reason not to turn it into a jam. It’s a recipe from Joanne Weir’s “From Tapas to Meze” and has a little kick from the chile condiment harissa and gets a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Put it on a lamb burger. [David Lebovitz]

MARS ROVER, PLEASE FIND CHEESE

“What do you hope Nasa’s Curiosity rover finds on Mars?” is the question of the week. Celebrities’ answers include foie gras and cheese, of course. [The New York Observer]

THE CAN VAN

A mobile beer canning service in San Francisco aims to provide small brewers with an opportunity to take advantage of the canned beer trend, avoiding upfront costs and large space requirements. Here’s a Q&A; with the company’s marketing guru Kate Drane. [Epicurious]

DROUGHT TOLL

See photos of the Mississippi River taken from space. One shows the swollen river after last year’s floods, caused by storms and melting snow. Another shows the effects of this year’s drought, which is taking its toll on the barge industry and surrounding ecosystems. [The Atlantic]