Latest news with #Michigan-area
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Costco's New Food Court Item Has Customers Divided: 'It's Offensive'
The Costco food court is the stuff of dreams. A hot dog for $1.50? An entire pizza for under $10? These steals are worth a membership alone. And now, a brand new menu item gracing the Costco food court has people in a tizzy: The Combo Calzone. The new Combo Calzone, a baked turnover or folded pizza, is filled with all the fixings, including cheese, tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, onions, peppers, olives, and mushrooms. Quite a mouthful! As the Instagram account @mnmtwinz reports, it features the same exact ingredients as the discontinued Combo Pizza that customers have been begging for a comeback. But, judging by the comments, for some, this news doesn't quite fill the void that the beloved pizza left. "They do combo calzone but not combo pizza ok," wrote one disappointed customer. "Looks like a messy diaper," commented another. While the Combo Calzone has so far only been spotted in Michigan-area Costcos, the new menu item will be rolling out to locations across the country throughout the summer. Although some customers seem underwhelmed with the announcement, others who've gotten their hands on it are already singing its praises. "It was perfection and a steal for $6.99," one customer noted in a Reddit thread. "Had one today, it was delicious!" exclaimed another. "Can't wait for it to get to Ohio!" commented one person. "I liked it, big enough for my spouse and I to share, and a nice spice level on the sausage. Quality ingredients, cheese and sauce wrapped in a beautiful golden dough! What could be better! Reasonably priced as well, will buy again," reviewed one happy customer. Since the rollout, customers have been wondering why Costco turned the beloved Combo Pizza into a Combo Calzone. As it turns out, a food court employee explained in the Reddit thread that the pizzas were assembled on-site, which reportedly introduced contamination risks and wastage issues. The calzones, on the other hand, are shipped frozen from a manufacturing site, circumventing those problems altogether, they claim. So for now, you'll have to enjoy your Combo in calzone form! You Might Also Like Insanely Easy Weeknight Dinners To Try This Week 29 Insanely Delicious Vodka Cocktails
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
US fruit farmers issue warning over emerging threat to this year's harvests: 'It could be very devastating'
Michigan-area fruit farmers are worried that recent unseasonable weather could impact this year's harvests. Of most concern are the region's many apple trees, which are at risk of budding too early to survive, reported WLNS 6. Michigan farmers say recent warm weather could trick fruit crops into starting to bud too early. This is especially troubling for apple orchards, which cover approximately 38,000 acres in the region. "It could be very devastating if they've started to begin blooming," apple farmer Jim Flore told WLNS 6. "As soon as the bud starts to come out, it doesn't have that protective shield of the covering around the bud, so then it becomes very vulnerable." According to the Michigan Ag Council, apples are "one of the largest and most valuable fruit crops in Michigan." Normally, apple trees bud in late April or early May. But when unseasonably warm weather hits, these trees may bud early. If that warm weather is followed by a late frost, those buds can become severely damaged and die. Experts say this type of weather pattern is becoming more common due to climate instability. "What's happened over time is that we do see these earlier and earlier warming ups, yet the last frost date really hasn't moved that much," William Baird, chairperson of the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, told WLNS 6. Several consecutive days of early warm weather are of particular concern, as it only takes a short stretch of mild temperatures to encourage trees to bud. Flore told WLNS 6 that while his crops are mostly safe for now, a few more weeks of above-average temperatures could change that. Michigan's current struggle with unseasonably warm weather highlights a growing conflict between climate instability and nature's timing. Fruit trees have adapted to bloom at specific times when the risk of frost is low. But fluctuating global temperatures can confuse these instincts, leading crops to die off due to weather changes. This can severely impact crop yield, produce availability and price, and farmers' livelihoods. Apples are core to Michigan's agriculture, with the state ranking second in the nation for apple production. The Michigan Ag Council said the "economic impact of apples is substantial" to the state. And that makes any threat to the region's apple orchards especially concerning. But this isn't an issue isolated to Michigan's apple orchards. Rising global temperatures are increasing weather unpredictability for farmers around the world. While farmers can implement various prevention methods to help mitigate risks associated with extreme temperature fluctuations, these methods increase agricultural costs and don't have guaranteed results. What is stopping you from upgrading to a heat pump system? The cost of installation I live in a cold area I don't know enough about it I already have one Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Farmers have adopted a range of strategies to cope with planetary warming, including planting cover crops, using irrigation sprinklers for frost protection, and maintaining soil temperature with mulch. Orchards are a little trickier to protect, but the University of California reported wind machines and orchard heaters have helped protect avocado crops from frost. Apple farmers and other orchard growers have employed these protective tactics, too. According to Energy Innovation, many farmers are investing in crop insurance to mitigate the financial risk associated with increasingly unpredictable weather. At the same time, more resilient crop varieties are being developed and introduced into farming to better withstand the effects of a warming climate. Farmers are also adjusting their planting schedules to account for earlier warm weather. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
