Explorers of all ages are eating better.

Byline: FOOD DUDE By Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Everywhere Food Dude looks, people are eating better than they used to. Even in outer space, astronauts are chowing down on beef brisket and Spanish paella, according to a recent Associated Press article on what's for dinner at the International Space Station.

It isn't just space explorers, either.

Much has been made about childhood obesity and all the junk food our non-active, video-game-playing teens are eating, but some kids are actually eating good stuff. According to The Washington Post, there's a growing demand for gourmet cooking camps for teenagers. I can believe it. At a recent family wedding, my 19-year-old cousin was recommending fancy cheeses and telling me why I really should eat more salmon and, as I learned this week, kids are growing their own fruits and vegetables at school.

When Food Dude was in school, the only thing I grew was mold on tomato soup for my non-prize-winning fifth-grade science project.

It's good to see people eating well. Especially if it means our astronauts never again have to eat another bowl of space ice cream or drink another cup of Tang.

If you've got a question about food, healthful or otherwise, or if you just want to know why astronauts can't drink carbonated beverages, go to the Food Dude virtual answer kiosk at www.registerguard.com/blogs/index.php/fooddude.

Dear Food Dude: We did the rounds of wineries recently and enjoyed sampling and chatting up the help about pinots - both gris and noir. Naturally we came home with some tasty selections. But we wondered if there's any economic advantage to buying at the source. It seems like the prices were about the same or perhaps a tad more than what we see in the grocery stores.

- SP

Dear SP: Good question, says Steve Baker, manager and wine buyer at Sundance Wine Cellars. In general, prices tend to be about the same or slightly higher at the winery, and although it seems counterintuitive that it may cost more to buy at the very place the wine is being produced, there's a good reason for the price difference.

`(Wineries) want to protect their retailers," Baker says. "Their retail distribution is important for them. If people were able to buy their wine for less at the source, that would cut us out."

Dear Food Dude: What is the etiquette for taking the bounty from school gardens during the summer months when classes aren't in session? There is a nice school garden near us. My mom pilfered some beautiful lettuce recently, claiming that it was better that we eat it than letting it go to seed. I thought it was fine. My husband was horrified. Who takes care of these gardens and who gets the harvest?

- I Like Vegetables

Dear I Like Vegetables: This sounds like a question for National Public Radio's The Ethicist, but Food Dude finds that guy highly irritating, so let's stick with a local expert.

Sharon Blick, executive director of the School Garden Project, a nonprofit group that supports gardens in dozens of local schools to teach kids about food production, nutrition, sharing and all sorts of other wholesome stuff, says there are about 50 school gardens in Eugene-Springfield. Many schools try to make their plots as low-maintenance as possible during summer months. They use automatic watering systems and grow fruits and veggies such as late corn and winter squash that can be harvested in the spring and fall when students are around.

But, Blick says, there are exceptions, and even the most low-maintenance garden still requires tending. During the school year and throughout the summer, gardens are staffed by small armies of volunteers. Students, parents, faculty and community members all help to maintain and harvest the gardens. Some of the summer harvests go to homeless shelters. If the plot near your house is not being harvested, it could mean there's a shortage of volunteers and the staff might be able to use your help. Blick says the people who care for your local lettuce patch would probably give you the go-ahead to pick all the greens you can eat in exchange for a few hours a month of weeding in the garden.

Although the School Garden Project doesn't oversee every local garden on school property, Blick says they can probably tell you who maintains the plants near your house. Call 284-9984 and leave a message, and do it fast before your mom comes back to visit.

Send questions to [e-mail], or to Food Dude, The Register-Guard, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440.