#Soup Market Trends

[industryforecastnews]

Soup Market Size, Share, Trends And Industry Outlook Report, 2030

Soup Market Growth & Trends

The global soup market size is expected to reach USD 26.21 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.7% from 2024 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing demand for processed, ready to eat, and packed food and increasing women workforce are expected to increase the market demand in the upcoming years. In addition, increase in disposable income and changing consumer lifestyle in emerging economies including China and India are anticipated to increase the demand for soups.

Consumption of canned and dried soup products is increasing in North America and Europe, on account of continuous product innovation as per customer behavior and preferences. In addition, growing economic independence among women is increasing the consumption of packed and processed food products in the developed countries.

Soup being a healthy source of vitamins, minerals, nutrition, and protein serves as a prominent replacement for home cooked food. Therefore, this evolution in the working population is anticipated to significantly influence the demand for soup in future. Demand for soups in restaurants, food outlets, and food joints is expected to acquire a small market share due to growing consumer preference for ready to eat products and rising inclination towards healthy food habits.

Continuous use of cornstarch and salt in canned and dried soup products is expected to act as a restraining factor in the global market. High consumption of corn starch can lead to several health issues like increased level of blood sugar and blood pressure. However, continuous product development by companies such as Campbell Soup Company, which provides new flavors like roasted red pepper and tomato, butternut squash and sweet potato, and harvest carrot and ginger, is expected to influence the buying behavior of the younger population across the globe. The market leaders are focusing on developing new flavors and products in order to make their style statement in the market.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/soup-market

Soup Market Report Highlights

By product, The UHT (ultra-high temperature) segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of UHT soups is driven by long-shelf-life ingredients that don’t require refrigeration, making them ideal for busy lifestyles and reducing meal waste.

The dried segment accounted for the largest market revenue share of 59.5% in 2023. The Growing demand for convenient and prepared-to-eat food alternatives, specifically in busy city populations, offers a significant opportunity for producers to innovate and expand their product services.

The supermarkets/hypermarkets segment dominated the market in 2023. Supermarkets/hypermarkets offer various soup varieties from different brands and nutritional needs, providing consumers with vast choices and convenient shopping in the same place.

The Europe region dominated the market with a revenue share of 38.9% in 2023. The climate in Europe also plays a role in the growth of the soup market.

Soup Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global soup market on the basis of on product, distribution channel, and region:

Soup Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Canned

Dried

UHT

Others

Soup Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Supermarkets/Hypermarkets

Convenience Stores

Online

Others

Soup Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players in the Soup Market

Associated British Foods plc

Baxters Food Group Limited

Campbell Soup Company

Conagra Brands, Inc.

General Mills, Inc.

Hindustan Unilever Limited

Nestlé S.A

Ottogi Co., Ltd

Premier Foods Group Limited

The Kraft Heinz Company

Browse Full Report: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/soup-market

[dh5ryxhgbctgr]

Global Soup Maker Market Research and Future Opportunities Overview 2024 - 2031

The global soup maker market is experiencing robust growth as consumers increasingly seek convenient, healthy meal solutions. This article delves into the key drivers, market trends, challenges, and future prospects of the soup maker industry.

Overview of the Soup Maker Market

The global soup maker market is poised for continued growth as consumer preferences shift toward healthy, convenient cooking solutions. While challenges exist, the overall outlook remains positiv

What is a Soup Maker?

A soup maker is an electric kitchen appliance designed to streamline the process of making soups. It combines cooking and blending functions, allowing users to prepare fresh soups with minimal effort. Most models feature settings for cooking, blending, and sometimes even pureeing, catering to diverse culinary needs.

Historical Context

The soup maker emerged as a response to the growing demand for quick, homemade meals. With the rise of busy lifestyles and an increasing focus on health, soup makers have gained popularity among consumers looking for nutritious and convenient cooking solutions.

Market Dynamics

Key Drivers

Rising Health Consciousness: As consumers become more health-aware, they are opting for homemade soups that can be customized to their dietary needs, boosting demand for soup makers.

Convenience and Time-Saving: The fast-paced modern lifestyle has created a demand for appliances that simplify cooking. Soup makers offer a quick way to prepare nutritious meals without extensive preparation or cleanup.

Growth of Home Cooking: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in home cooking, as people sought to recreate restaurant-quality meals at home. This trend has continued, further driving soup maker sales.

Challenges

Market Competition: The soup maker market is highly competitive, with numerous brands and models available, which can make it challenging for new entrants to establish a foothold.

Consumer Awareness: While soup makers are gaining popularity, many consumers remain unaware of the full range of features and benefits these appliances offer.

Price Sensitivity: The price of soup makers can vary significantly, and budget-conscious consumers may opt for traditional cooking methods instead.

Market Segmentation

By Product Type

Electric Soup Makers: The most popular segment, these appliances offer automated cooking and blending functions, making them ideal for busy households.

Manual Soup Makers: Although less common, manual options are available for those who prefer traditional cooking methods without electrical reliance.

By Distribution Channel

Online Retail: E-commerce platforms have become the primary sales channel, offering convenience and a wide range of options for consumers.

Offline Retail: Brick-and-mortar stores, including specialty kitchenware shops and department stores, continue to attract consumers who prefer hands-on product experience.

By Region

North America: The North American market is characterized by high demand for innovative kitchen appliances and a growing trend of home cooking.

Europe: European consumers are increasingly focused on health and wellness, driving the popularity of soup makers.

Asia-Pacific: Rapid urbanization and rising disposable incomes in countries like China and India are expected to fuel significant growth in this region.

Competitive Landscape

Key Players

Philips: A leading brand known for its innovative kitchen appliances, Philips offers a range of soup makers that cater to diverse consumer needs.

Ninja: Recognized for its high-performance blenders, Ninja has expanded its product line to include efficient soup makers.

Tefal: Tefal's soup makers are popular for their user-friendly features and versatility in preparing various types of soups and sauces.

Recent Developments

The soup maker market is witnessing continuous innovation, with manufacturers investing in technology to enhance functionality and user experience. Features such as smart connectivity, app integration, and advanced cooking settings are becoming increasingly common.

Future Outlook

Growth Projections

The global soup maker market is expected to continue its upward trajectory, with projections indicating significant growth over the next five years. Increasing health consciousness and a growing preference for home-cooked meals are likely to drive demand.

Emerging Trends

Smart Technology Integration: The rise of smart kitchen appliances is anticipated to influence the soup maker market, with features like Wi-Fi connectivity and app control gaining popularity.

Sustainable Practices: As consumers become more environmentally conscious, manufacturers are likely to focus on sustainable materials and energy-efficient designs.

Recipe Innovation: The demand for diverse and exotic soup recipes is expected to drive innovation in soup makers, encouraging brands to offer more versatile appliances.

Conclusion

The global soup maker market is poised for continued growth as consumer preferences shift toward healthy, convenient cooking solutions. While challenges exist, the overall outlook remains positive, with technological advancements and innovative features enhancing the appeal of soup makers. As more consumers embrace home cooking, the market is set to thrive in the coming years.

[amlezmar]

[sitp-recs]

Part II: table for two

Following my list featuring the sea (now with a lil banner cause I’m getting in the reccing zone again baby!!!!), I thought I’d make this a series called “fic as a sensory delight” and continue the trend with good old Drarry domesticity walking hand in hand with some food porn appreciation. Who knew that Drarry living their best life while enjoying tasty treats could be so personal? These fics feel like a comfort meal when life gets too crazy and provide a delicious sensory experience. From cottagecore to road trips, found family, case fic, established relationship and even kinky delights - this list has a bit of everything and features food as a main character either bringing Drarry together, healing past traumas, helping them connect with their heritage or simply playing as a love language. I hope these fics bring you as much comfort, joy and healing as they brought me. Happy weekend!

🥘 Breakfast by @moonflower-rose (E, 3k)

Breakfast is Harry's favorite part of the day.

🥘 Market Saturdays by @sorrybutblog (M, 3k)

In which Harry is an accidental part-time cheesemonger, Draco is an organic farmer and they fall in love. Not an AU.

🥘 Salt and Sauce by onbeinganangel (T, 3k)

Sure, of course he knows how you take your tea. But does he know your chippy order?

🥘 Cupboard Love by @shealwaysreads (G, 4k)

Harry’s life, and love, in food.

🥘 Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You by InnerLilith (E, 11k)

In which Harry takes Draco out for Eritrean food, and Draco has a severe obsession with Harry’s hands. Smut ensues.

🥘 Harry Potter and the Showstopper of Doom by @doubleappled (M, 11k)

In which Harry’s an amateur baker, Draco wants him to go on the Great British Bake-Off, Petunia never misses an episode, Sue is a witch, Paul Hollywood is Paul Hollywood, and everyone eats a lot — like a whole lot — of baked goods.

🥘 Poppiholla by @moonflower-rose (M, 13k)

Harry had accepted that he would pine silently for Malfoy forever, but one, humid summer might change that.

🥘 Connecting Lines, Connecting Crimes by @sleepstxtic (M, 15k)

“Hello, Harry,” Draco said. He was wearing a black turtleneck under a long grey overcoat, and he was already flushed with sweat. His hair was tied into a knot; it was longer than I remembered. He was older than I remembered. There were lines around his eyes, and I wondered if they were from laughing or frowning. “Hello,” I managed. “You must be with the British Ministry?’ He nodded. I thought I might faint.

🥘 Bridges by @cavendishbutterfly (E, 16k)

Harry and Draco are on a trip to Budapest to help with Kingsley's re-election, but that's the boring bit. More interesting: Harry Potter is changing his Tinder preferences to include men. Also interesting: Harry's spending more time with Draco Malfoy than he ever has, wandering around the city. And Harry doesn't hate it. The city's pretty gorgeous too.

🥘 Sourdough by @academicdisasterfic (M, 17k)

Draco writes romance novels and doesn't leave his apartment much. Harry bakes bread and sells it to Draco. Draco is quite weird. Harry might like that.

🥘 Preserving Lemons by @saintgarbanzo, @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (E, 17k)

Harry is cooking food he couldn't care less about; Draco is making art he couldn't care more about. A story about kebabs, miniskirts and the way preservation can transform a lemon.

🥘 Passion Cake by @icmezzo (T, 19k)

It’s all about desire. (Harry orders a magically enhanced cake from a chic London bakery, and from there it all goes to hell in a cake tin. Also, will someone please tell Harry what Passion Cake is?)

🥘 Knead by laughingd0g (E, 83k)

This is not a story about Harry renovating Grimmauld Place. This is a story about coffee shops and brewpubs, about Ginny and Luna on a farm with creatures, about magical Oregon, coastal road trips, flying, friendship, and Draco Malfoy's lean arms.

🥘 Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SquadOfCats (E, 104k)

Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

🥘 Make This Leap by @oflights (M, 118k)

Harry owns a struggling restaurant which is running out of money, and his Head Chef has just handed in notice. He's at a bit of a loss as to what to do until Narcissa Malfoy presents an obvious solution: bring in Draco Malfoy as Chef and part owner. Harry does.

[openmindcrimecook]

Recipe tutorials

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[dallasgallant]

Time period post: 1960s Thanksgiving

Going to make some time period stuff for holidays as they pop up as it’s fun to look into and I knew a few people are like me time period wise and want to look into it. I also make posts like this on request so if there’s something you want to know about let me know! Anyways,

Homemade-

Now, while people did bake and cook their food largely from scratch back in the day it’d be dishonest not to point out that post ww2 saw a rise in premade. Not entirely but canned soups, box mixes, jello and ingredient stuffs etc. However, for the large part people did cook on their own at least certain recipes. Now Oklahoma is a sort of middle ground to where it’s “located” so …. Cornbread or rolls on the thanksgiving table? Answer me that lol.

I mentioned this in a food post before but a lot of new recipes were coming out during this time with the rise in product availability, surviving the war and well a lot of drugs. Some of it is stunt marketing or to look nice at parties, others become stables! Green bean casserole which is a staple on thanksgiving in a lot of homes would’ve still been a novelty, new and exciting as it’d only been made in 1955!

Tradition-

Thanksgiving is perhaps the most tradition heavy holiday, especially in the 1960s at its peak. Your family started doing it this way X years ago and it will stay that way.

Who carves the turkey (maybe with one of those new electronic serving knives), who does the wishbone, who’s helping mom and grandma in the kitchen?

Kids tables, arts and crafts, playing some pre dinner football, dinner at 3 etc.

Macys thanksgiving day parade! It’s been around since the 1920s but was first nationally televised in 1947.

Football games, if your teams playing.

Everyone’s different but I’m rattling off a few as they’re prevalent ones.

Home for the holidays-

Just figured this one out/was told it but the “holiday season” was more of a defined thing back in the day. Relatives visiting would sometimes go from Thanksgiving-new years — if someone was hosting all the way through anyway. As sometimes it’s split between houses.

A tradition that springs from this is Putting up the Christmas tree! This was surprising to learn about but back in the day (and some families today) you’d put it up after dinner, with the usual fanfare and family help as it’s a hectic time of year so having it up and family around is a good deal.

Formality-

Sort of a hold over from the 1940s where you’d dress up just to eat dinner(usually middle-upper class) you dress up nice for holidays even if you’re staying home with family all day. Not black tie or anything but you dress nice. This has begun to totally dissolve in the last 10 years or so.

Usually you’ll get the nice china and actual silverware, table decor is HUGE.

Dinner is usually both cooked all day but also eaten early usually 3-4 but like traditions it greatly depends on the family.

Going out and class-

I thought about this a bit as the gang are poor so I’d wanted to take that into consideration on how it could affect holidays. Sometimes I think they’d fully cook a meal, not nearly as massive as a soc or fancy placement and china (as Soc’s are rich rich.) but quaint and nice.

Sometimes I think they’d go out to eat such as:

(Seriously I cannot overemphasize how huge Howard Johnson’s were in the 60s and it could probably be a post itself)

Where you can get a nice ‘traditional’ holiday dinner for cheap that also works well when you have to work etc. There was also generally a trend of “resteraunting” (?) among more middle class families for thanksgiving, occasionally and it depends on who you are - most people would go the more traditional route.

Leftovers! Again time of ‘let’s try shit’ while new staples were being added to the thanksgiving meal so were how to deal with leftovers.

Story of thanksgiving-

Slight bit more of a focus on the Thanks giving part of the holiday, being thankful for friends, family, good fortune etc. Maybe you’d tell the myth of it to kids or have some sort of tradition of saying what you’re thankful for or do something symbolic.

Though I think in the 60s (even the decades prior) there was more of a shift towards it being the “food and football” holiday even then! As it’d already far secularized as a holiday and was just a nice warm, comforting time of year and time with family etc. you’d remember snuggling with grandpa on the couch for a nap far more than some old story told before you can eat, you know?

[meret118]

is quite a bit of evidence supporting the premise that, below the surface, the biggest drivers of new employment — online job listings — have become elaborate façades destined to cause more problems than they solve for those seeking work. 

. . .

While this practice had been expanding for years, its true severity was not well understood until Clarify Capital released a September 2022 survey of 1,045 hiring managers that was the first to focus specifically on the topic of ghost jobs.

. . .

Then there are the scammers. With so much automation available, it’s become easier than ever for identity thieves to flood the employment market with their own versions of ghost jobs — not to make a real company seem like it’s growing or to make real employees feel like they’re under constant threat of being replaced, but to get practically all the personal information a victim could ever provide.

. . .

According to the FTC, there were more than five times as many fake job and “business opportunity” scams in 2023 as there were in 2018, costing victims nearly half a billion dollars in total. Technology is expanding the variety of possible con jobs with every passing year; today, with the rapid advancement and proliferation of AI-fueled deepfakes, not even video calls can provide reliable confirmation of who exactly is on the other end.

. . .

Finding work is becoming much more difficult, a trend that started at least as early as 2023, when the average “time-to-hire” across all sectors reached a record high of 44 days. LinkedIn reported in March that hiring on its platform was down almost 10% over the previous year.

. . .

The quaint rudimentary uses of ChatGPT and competing programs in the early days of public AI quickly gave way to software that was more and more specialized to the task of finding and applying for jobs. Sonara, Jobscan, LazyApply, SimplifyJobs, Massive and so many other types of job-hunting AIs now exist that it’s impossible to keep track of all of them.

. . .

Rather than solving the problems raised by employers’ methods, however, the use of automated job-hunting only served to set off an AI arms race that has no obvious conclusion. ZipRecruiter’s quarterly New Hires Survey reported that in Q1 of this year, more than half of all applicants admitted using AI to assist their efforts. Hiring managers, flooded with more applications than ever before, took the next logical step of seeking out AI that can detect submissions forged by AI. Naturally, prospective employees responded by turning to AI that could defeat AI detectors. Employers moved on to AI that can conduct entire interviews. The applicants can cruise past this hurdle by using specialized AI assistants that provide souped-up answers to an interviewer’s questions in real time. Around and around we go, with no end in sight.

[mariacallous]

For most of Jewish culinary history, anyone seeking to make matzah balls faced one major choice: sinkers or floaters?

In the 20th century, with the advent of home-cooking conveniences, another decision joined the one about density: from scratch or from a box?

Now, in an era of niche food products, home cooks have a new set of matzah ball options: freeze-dried, flash-frozen, and flecked with furikake, the Japanese seasoning mix including seaweed and sesame seeds.

As soup season descends, a growing number of new efforts are underway to remake Jewish culture’s most iconic comfort food for the harried home cook. Both legacy brands and new startups are getting into the matzah ball game, aiming to simplify production so that a bowl of steaming, tasty soup can always be just minutes away.

Nooish, which hit shelves in September, is a just-add-hot-water option that comes in a paper ramen container, emblazoned with iconography and lettering that its designer says subtly reflects American Jewish visual culture.

Shalom Japan, the Brooklyn Jewish-Japanese fusion restaurant, has recently launched a mail-order matzah ball ramen kit that allows home cooks to replicate its signature dish.

And even Manischewitz, the vaunted kosher brand that launched in 1888 as a matzah producer, has innovated on its longstanding line of box mixes. Now, Manischewitz matzah balls can be found in many supermarkets’ freezer sections.

“I don’t know if everyone is ready to make a matzah ball or is able to, especially the younger demographic,” said Shani Seidman, chief marketing officer of Kayco, the owner and distributor of Manischewitz. “But if you have it readily available in the freezer, you can plop it into any soup.”

The trend has prompted debate among Jewish food icons, many of whom have their own recipes and traditions for the soup that is a mainstay of Shabbat and holiday tables from the onset of cozy season until Passover in the spring.

Calling matzah balls “the supreme Jewish comfort food,” Joan Nathan, the matriarch of the Jewish food world, said she believed the readymade options are unnecessary and likely subpar. (Her own recipe calls for fresh ginger and nutmeg and results in balls that are neither overly dense nor especially light.)

“Matzah balls are so easy to make. They don’t take any time at all,” she said. “It  probably takes less time to make them than to buy them.”

But Adeena Sussman, author of the cookbooks “Sababa” and “Shabbat,” said she understands why some cooks would turn to readymade options. Her own family is divided: Her mom, Steffi, was firmly planted in the box-mix camp as she prepared food for 60 people at two Passover seders every year. As an adult, Sussman has taken to making her own family’s matzah balls from scratch, sharing a recipe in her collaborator Chrissy Teigen’s cookbook that calls for seltzer and black pepper.

“Not everyone has a great matzah ball recipe or the wherewithal to make matzah balls,” Sussman said. “It’s a hard time to be a Jew. Even a little Jewish comfort, by adding hot water to a matzah ball mix, I am all for it. I think it’s great.”

Some of the new products offer a spin on the classic dish.

Shalom Japan’s mail-order kit includes two soup packets that come with matzah balls, packets of noodles, scallions, soup mandels and a spicy sauce. Consumers need only to boil water, stick in the packets of soup to heat them, remove the packets and put the noodles into the same boiling water to generate their own version of matzah ball ramen. (Add your own furikake.)

“That dish is the dish people think of the most when they think of our restaurant,” said Aaron Israel, Shalom Japan’s co-founder with his wife Sawako Okochi. “It helps define us.”

Sarah Nathan, the creator of Nooish, meanwhile, touts the “clean” ingredients in her product — no MSG, less salt than other instant soups on the market, and high-end flavorings from Burlap and Barrel, the Jewish spice startup.

As a busy executive at food brands such as Chobani and Just Date, Nathan, 37, often found herself turning to instant soup when she didn’t have time to cook from scratch. But after helping plan a virtual Jewish food festival during the pandemic, she realized that none of her go-to brands reflected her own culture.

“Why can’t I get matzah ball soup instantly? Why does it have to take over an hour?” Nathan recalls thinking. “It’s so hard to make, hard to get and it’s expensive. But it is also a love language.”

This fall, after years of testing and product development, she brought Nooish to the market. The vegetarian, certified kosher soups come in packages of four for $40 or 18 for $125. Its name is a mashup of “new,” “Jewish” and a dose of advice from a successful entrepreneur.

“Gwyneth Paltrow said brands with two o’s — like Goop — sell better,” said Nathan, who worked at American Jewish University early in her career and now lives in Chicago.

Sussman sampled the soup and said she was initially skeptical because of its appearance — until she added hot water.

“They are like space food, freeze dried. When you look at it, it is dry and powdery with flecks of dried herbs. Until it is rehydrated you have no idea what is going to happen,” she said. “I was pleasantly surprised with the matzah ball. It was better than I thought it would be.”

In the first week after Nooish launched, Nathan said she sold mostly to friends and family. In the second, she said, orders poured in from around the world, including from places where cooking is impractical or impossible — including on a naval ship. Now, she’s touting its utility for organizations that want to send soup to their constituents but want to avoid ordering pricey restaurant delivery or setting up temporary distribution centers from their own kitchens.

The company’s social media is highlighting a comment from a Hillel employee who wrote, “Our Hillel sends soup to students who are not feeling well. Nooish has revolutionized how we do it — no more freezers, no more defrosting, no more complicated requests from campus dining.”

For Sussman, that type of experience is perhaps the greatest appeal of at-home matzah innovations such as Nooish.

“A convenience food that ties into super great comfort food memories and associations can fill a hole for people,” Sussman said. “Can’t you see every mom sending it to their kid in their college dorms? I would want to.”

[dvpendable]

› growing together with @recklessromance . . . 🌱

there's nothing more exciting than frequenting the farmers market during the autumnal season - each stall is bursting with an abundance of different vegetables, all shapes and sizes and ripe for the taking. there's warm desserts waiting to be devoured, juices and ciders bottled up, and cozy trinkets that entice each patron who passes. danbi would consider herself to be a more frugal person, but she couldn't resist purchasing some hand-knitted plant cozies a few stalls down. she had even bought her companion one, along with a miniature desk plant, thinking it would be a nice decoration while the other spent her hours studying. it wasn't anything extravagant, but a small token of gratitude for tagging along with her today.

"is there anything in particular you're craving today?" danbi finds herself standing in front of a table full of fresh herbs and spices, chocolate orbs shifting over them before she turns to glance up at the younger female. it's become a little bit of a ritual that they'll attend the market and then head back to danbi's to have something to eat. she always wants to make sure yijung doesn't go hungry, especially since she seems to constantly be engrossed in so many responsibilities. from school to part-time jobs, danbi worries the other might forget to eat here and there. the least she can do is make sure she gets a home-cooked meal once a week.

"we could maybe make a nice soup," she mentions after a few seconds, eyes turning back to the bundles of plants lined up on the table. the seller offers up a suggestion that there are some delicious pumpkins being sold a few stalls down, so they could always try and make some pumpkin stew - certainly on trend for the season. danbi acknowledges the table owner with a small nod before she smiles up towards yijung, soft and gentle and letting her know that she's fine with anything the younger might want to eat. "what do you think?"

[thepoliticalvulcan]

As a Floridian, let me just say something about water.

It is not an ornament. It is not a playground. It is a soup of fish poop and lawn fertilizer runoff and sometimes reptilian carnivores that preceded and outlived the dinosaurs. It wants you to gawk at it and forget about inconvenient details like "flood plains" "storm surge" and "evacuation zones." But water is patient and given half a chance or 140 mile an hour winds blowing out from the sea against the coastline, it will take back that mangrove swamp that developers half a century ago drained off and sold to unsuspecting dupes as "paradise."

I personally didn't lose anything in Helene or Ian or Charley, but I've known people who did, and I have had the experience of trying to estimate how screwed I was based on the water level against the mailbox.

What is happening in Florida ironically fits a model that has been discussed in many places but especially Robert Evans et al's "It Could Happen Here" with is term "the crumbles." Less of a sudden, sharp societal collapse and more of a slow but steady erosion. There are people along the Florida coastline, especially in Big Bend (that's the curve between the peninsula and the Panhandle for those not in the know) and the Fort Myers metro area that have experienced devastating flooding two or three times in two years now. The insurance market is a mess because not only is a bad for profit business model to insure coastal Florida areas, its turning into something that's simply not feasible. The money just isn't there.

So what does that mean longterm? Well for the near term, probably an acceleration of existing trends. People who already were being priced out by property taxes and the uninsurability of their homes and business calling a quits and leaving for other areas. If you leave in a rapidly overheating housing market in the Sunbelt, you may very well already be familiar with refugees from Florida's insane politics and crazier housing costs turning up.

The properties they sold off or abandoned will likely be acquired by deep pocketed interests who will redevelop them into some mix of more resilient or something more disposable: expensive timeshares and vacation rentals for instance. Itinerant residents tend to have no loyalty to the community, resent paying into schools and infrastructure, and care little if the area is ecologically ruined and denuded of native wildlife and plant life because for them the carefully manicured and managed illusion of nature will be assumed to be reality.

As a Floridian is my deep seated conviction that having your economic driver be tourism and planned communities breeds reactionary politics. Hospitality doesn't really care if its workers are well educated as long as it has workers. If it has to import those workers and have them live dormitory style, then that's what it will do. Hospitality has no vested interest in infrastructure beyond the walls of its carefully curated experiences, although too much crime and poverty in the news might be a problem.

This is much the same for planned communities that market heavily to remote workers and retirees out of state. Thus there's money for law enforcement but not public infrastructure, public green spaces, education, healthcare etc. because there are amenities to be provided at a premium and on a for profit basis by the owner, not entitlements for people outside the walls of the planned community.

And it almost assuredly breeds contempt. The maintenance department, the check in clerk, the ride share driver: these are not your neighbors. They're from another country, if not literally, then proverbially. They're from the outside. The outside where it is dirty and people are presumed uneducated, coarse, and unruly.

And of course, savvy politicians lean into this. Watch the political ads. The real Floridians are identified as retired or upper middle class suburbanites. No one is for the farm hands picking the ever declining citrus monocultures, the crops falling prey to disease and the land itself becoming more valuable for housing than it is commercial use. If you have a lawn care or pool cleaning business, you can imagine they're talking to you when they talk about small business owners, but there again its not as your employees or perhaps even you get to live in the same neighborhoods as your clients and increasing its not clear you get to live anywhere.

There is some small, dark satisfaction to be gained from the knowledge that, much like the next wave of construction that will happen along the coasts, the pastures, wilderness, and farmland being paved over has been left green for good reasons and the bill for fraudulent impact assessments and security theater flood mitigation will come due. But the developers will have long ago fled town with suitcases full of cash, leaving their tenants waist deep in sewage and hungry reptiles after substandard seawalls and pumps failed.

It would be easy to hate the ignorant who didn't look beyond the walls of their gated communities. In the end they will be suckers and I pity them because many of them will lose family photos and home equity, only to have their insurance company declare insolvency and fight their claims tooth and nail. Many of them will not be the uber rich, many will be the petite bourgeois whose extravagant (by our standards) lifestyle was always far more perilous than they or we could have possibly imagined.

Because water is patient and it will have its swamp back.

[rockislandadultreads]

January is... National Soup Month!

Every Season is Soup Season by Shelly Westerhausen

From broths and gazpachos to chowders and chilis, this flexible cookbook is overflowing with scrumptious soups for every season. Tips for batching and freezing soups and instructions for using an Instant Pot or a slow cooker ensure stress-free meals, with less time in the kitchen and more time at the table. With gorgeous photography and a bonus section on soup accompaniments, everyday soups have never been so simple - or delicious.

Seriously Good Chili by Brian Baumgartner

No one takes chili more seriously than Brian Baumgartner, whose character as Kevin Malone became a household name in the Emmy-winning TV series, The Office. In real life, Brian is a true chili master and aficionado who is just as serious as his fictional counterpart about making the most perfect pot of chili. Featuring 177 chili recipes stamped with Brian's "seriously good" approval rating, this volumecontains new ways to spice up chili for all occasions, all year long.

Healing Herbal Soups by Rose Cheung & Genevieve Wong

Combining the trends of culinary medicine and seasonal eating and adding a dash of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this cookbook is the first of its kind to focus on boosting immunity and weathering the seasons, by a mother-daughter, Chinese-American duo. This volume provides a complete herbal encyclopedia and more than fifty tasty recipes - with full-color photographs - that mix herbs with meat and vegetables to create healing broths.

Zuppe by Mona Talbott

Much more than a collection of remarkable soups, this volume by Mona Talbott is also a wise and gentle tutorial on how the humblest foods can be the most profoundly satisfying. In addition to 50 recipes, Talbott shares approaches and techniques that can change the way a cook thinks about economy, improvisation, and using all the flavors and nutrients inherent in each ingredient. Organized seasonally, this cookbook also serves as a practical guide to using the bounty of farmers markets throughout the year. 

[robyn-runestone]

I came across the ‘Get to know my Tav’ trend, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to flesh out Carlyle a little more.

Carlyle | Seldarine Drow | Bard | He/Him

favorite weapon: Rapier

style of combat: He prefers toying with his opponent by darting in and out and making quick strikes

most prized possession: His violin. He cares for that thing like it’s his own child.

deepest desire: He just wants to feel like he belongs with something or someone, though he’d rather die than let anyone know that.

guilty pleasure: Crappy mystery novels. He eats that stuff up.

best-kept secret: The reason why he acts like such a jerk to everyone he meets is because he hopes it’d stop them from getting attached to him. After failing to prevent his apprentice from being killed, he decided that he was unworthy of people’s kindness, and even less deserving of their grief. He decided that if everyone hates him, then it would be easier for them to move on when he dies. This backfired when his party noticed how kind he is to children, and soon they began to see even more evidence of the soft heart under his prickly exterior.

greatest strength: He’s really good at grabbing people’s attention. He’s always the one who acts as a distraction when needed.

fatal flaw: Because of the shame that came from his apprentice’s death, he always snaps at/makes fun of people in hopes that they would give up on him.

favorite smell: This one specific perfume he got at a market that smells woodsy and a tad floral. He never uses it because he doesn’t want the smell to run out.

favorite spell or cantrip: Cloud of daggers. He likes using it to trap his opponents in enclosed spaces.

pet peeve: People who don’t care for their weapons properly. 

bad habit: Even after deciding to stop being a jerk, his first instinct when interacting with people is to act snappy with them. It’s hard for him to grow out of the habit, but he is trying.

hidden talent: Because he lived alone for so long, he had to learn how to cook for himself, and became really good at it. He once made a kick-ass beef stroganoff, and Karlach and Wyll often beg him to make it again.

leisure activity: Curling up in a little hidden nook to write songs or read.

favorite drink: Chamomile tea, but like the really fancy ones with the spices and berries and stuff.

comfort food: Literally any kind of soup, especially if he has some bread to go with it.

favorite person: 20 years before the game, he had an apprentice named Yarrow. They were really close, and he almost saw her as a daughter. Every year after her death, he would play the first song he ever taught her in remembrance of the girl.

Later, he fell in love with Astarion. After knowing how it feels to be loved back after being deprived of it for so long, he decided he couldn’t go back to pushing people away again.

favored display of affection (platonic and/or romantic): Carlyle is a huge fan of physical touch, though he has a hard time asking for it. Him and Astarion sometimes read together so that they could have an excuse to cuddle.

After Karlach had her engine modified to allow her to touch others, they both got a lot of hugs from each other too.

fondest childhood memory: His mother and father singing to him at bedtime, and him trying to drowsily sing along before sleep overtook him.

[greatwyrmgold]

I've been thinking about fan music.

Specifically, I've been thinking about "AD INFINITUM," a Deltarune song that wormed its way into my ear by being pretty good, then into my brain by having some flaws that are both obvious and interesting.

If I wanted to sell someone on "AD INFINITUM," I'd describe it as three parts "Rock Island," two parts other songs Robert Preston talk-sang (affectionate) in that musical, two parts the start of "Welcome to the Internet" (the wiki-walk through things you can do online), one part high-budget-Lin-Manuel-Miranda-imitation lyricism, flavored with the most iconic/annoying online advertising trends and a dash of overstimulated meltdown.

And if you know anything about Deltarune's second chapter, then it should be pretty clear why this fits Spamton. And it does! It sounds like it should be absolute chaos, but it's directed chaos. It comes together.

Except for the references.

See, if I described "AD INFINITUM" that way, I'd be lying by omission. It's also, conservatively, five parts overt reference to Deltarune. These references range from "Maybe someone unfamiliar with Deltarune would assume this was just marketing exaggeration or lolrandom humor" to "[HYPERLINK BLOCKED]". (By which I mean, even as someone who knows everything there is to know about Deltarune, the [HYPERLINK BLOCKED]s were distracting and irritating. Not enough to make me throw out what the song does well, but still.)

Contrast this with something like Gavin Dunne's "To Be Better."

On one hand, the musical style doesn't feel as tailored to Kratos as "AD INFINITUM" was to Spamton. It still fits, but it doesn't fit smoothy. On the other hand, it doesn't [HYPERLINK BLOCKED]. Despite the lack of [HYPERLINK BLOCKED], it evokes Kratos's post-2018 character and arc; learning to accept the past without binding the future.

It's a Kratos song as much as "AD INFINITUM" is a Spamton song, just not in ways that are fun to describe. But if you don't know GoW, you might not know if it wasn't for the game footage. There aren't any references that stand out as something unnatural to non-fans.

...

But this isn't exactly a fair comparison, is it? Miracle of Sound has been uploading songs for literally twice as long as the Stupendium. By the time Stupendium's first song was uploaded, Gavin had released an album of 100% original metal songs (not counting the ones based on Irish folklore/pirates) and wrote a song for a notable RPG (Wasteland 2, for the record). And it looks like Stupendium's first year was all covers (plus one Christmas rap)

Let's not forget, Gavin's breakout hit was goddamn "Commander Shepherd". If you haven't heard it before...well, it's called "Commander Shepherd." You can block a hyperlink, you can Mike '97, but you'll never be blunter than "Commander Shepherd". (..."leopard" is literally the only common word that rhymes with "Shepherd," I'm working with what I've got.)

And it's not even the bluntest song in Gavin's first album; that's probably either "The Ballad of Clay Carmine," "Mind of the Bat," or "Necromorph Soup". (Or "I Suck at Call of Duty," if we call that a CoD song and not a song about playing CoD.)

By the same token, the Stupendium's early songs are a lot...I don't want to say worse, but I don't like them as much, and they're definitely closer to "Commander Shepherd" than "AD INFINITUM" was.

This isn't a matter of Stupendium being worse than Miracle of Sound. It's a matter of original fandom songs being a weird thing. It's a friggin' oxymoron, it would be weirder if it wasn't a weird thing! And I've never participated in it, so maybe I shouldn't speculate about why this particular weird thing is weird...

...but I can't help myself.

I feel like it's got something to do with confidence. You make something like "Commander Shepherd" when you're writing for an audience that wants a Mass Effect song. Over time, you accumulate a fanbase that you can start writing for an audience that wants a Miracle of Sound song. Only then can you write something like "To Be Better".

Gavin Dunne clearly knows there are people who want Miracle of Sound songs. Basically every album he's released since Metal Up includes at least one song not inspired by a video game/movie/etc. This gives him confidence that he can write a God of War song that isn't the first thing you imagine when you hear "a song about God of War".

The Stupendium doesn't have that—doesn't have a dozen years of experience, an album of non-IP-based rap, songwriting credits in a medium-name game. "AD INFINITUM" is the best version of the first thing you imagine when you hear "a song about Spamton G. Spamton," but it is still a version of that thing, in ways that make it weaker.

If "AD INFINITUM" played its Spamton closer to the chest, I have to imagine it would be better—better as a sensory overload, as a Music Man homage, as music someone would play in the background, as a rap. But instead, it wears its heart-shaped object on its sleeve.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

Dry Bean Harvest

I am bedazzled by the Tiger’s Eye dry bean, though, admittedly, I’ve not cooked them yet. Here’s the description from Vermont Bean and Seed Company. 80-90 Day. Bush. Originally from Southern South America. This dry bean has a wonderful rich flavor and smooth texture. The skins are very tender and disappear when cooked making them great for refried beans or chili. Can be used as a fresh shell bean. Very productive on 24 inch plants.

Tiger’s Eye is just one of six dry beans I grew this summer. For the past four years I’ve had difficulty growing tomatoes in my garden with our trend to cool and foggy summers. But I can grow beans. Emerite pole green beans thrive as do a variety of bush beans. In 2022 I decided to try dry beans.

My dry bean harvests are small because my city vegetable garden consists primarily of four raised beds totaling 120 square feet. With half an acre, I’d be planting rows of dry beans!

I’ve written about cranberry beans after my first encounter with them in a Farmers Market Box from Specialty Produce. I wonder if it was their color or their history as a beloved heirloom in New England since the eighteenth century. I grew them for the first time in 2022 and saved seed for this year.

My cranberry bean harvest was abundant a year ago so I planted a 24 x 24 inch block this year with 2 ounces of saved seed. This year’s harvest, pictured above was 7 ounces. You might call these hobby beans—maybe a couple of dinners but I’ll savor them.

Cannellini beans are favorites and useful in our plant-based, Mediterranean diet. They did poorly last summer but I gave them another opportunity to prove themselves. The results were dismal—perhaps location related. One ounce of seed produced 3 ounces. I have other beans that were very productive to take their place next year.

Renee’s Garden offers Heirloom Dry Beans, Soup Mix Blend. The seed packet lists equal parts of Painted Pony, Hidatsa Red Indian, Yellow Indian Woman and Jacob’s Cattle beans. To give them a fair chance, I planted 10 seeds of each in a 1 x 4 foot area. Two beans did very well and two harvests were quite meager.

The Jacob’s Cattle Gold beans will not make the cut for next year but should be nice in a winter bean soup. Ditto Hidatsa Red Indian beans.

Yellow Indian Woman beans, (also known as Buckeye by Rancho Gordo) on the dinner plate above is 3 ounces from just 10 seeds. These were the most productive of the soup mix beans. If they cook up well and we like them, I’ll definitely plant a large area next year.

Considering the yields from 12 square feet, I plan to at least double the area devoted to dry beans next year.

My Dry Bean Sources Cranberry Beans—Territorial Seed Co. (These were all dark red. Some seed companies only offer the predominately white cranberry beans splashed with red). Cannellini Beans—Territorial Seed Co. Heirloom Dry Beans, Soup Mix Blend—Renee’s Garden Source for Tiger’s Eye Beans—Vermont Bean and Seed Co. and Seed Savers Exchange.

Check out other dry bean seed sources such as Seed Savers Exchange, Vermont Bean and Seed Co. and Fedco Seeds,

Sample beans you might like to grow by ordering from Rancho Gordo. I found their method for cooking dry beans humorous and helpful.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds for the cool season garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

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