Iowa Town Uses Garlic Salt To De-Ice The Roads
The roads in a certain Iowa town are deliciously garlic-y. They've been using garlic salt to de-ice the streets.
Yes, Ankeny, Iowa is a suburb of Des Moines. It's like any other town — except for one important distinction. City crews are out spreading garlic salt on the streets.
The garlic salt, which would have ended up in a landfill if it hadn't been donated by Tone Brothers Inc., a local spice producer, apparently works just fine when mixed with regular road salt.
Public Works Administrator Al Olson told the media that the only side-effect is that some public workers say it makes them hungry.
One such employee, who was interviewed by a local news crew, said, "It makes you feel like ordering a steak and a baked potato."
Another worker said his dog started licking the garlic from his pants when he got home.
"We'll take any kind of salt that we can get," said the city's representative.
Iowa town's roads well-seasoned [Chicago Tribune]
Spice company donates garlic salt to road crews [KATU] (Thanks, Abe !)
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Comments:
Must have been contaminated and not fit for food? I can't think of any other reason, but kudos for donating and not wasting it!
Now thats a way to stimulate an economy, pour garlic salt on the roads so all the drivers start getting hungry and go out to restaurants and eat more, brilliant!
Since most small towns are complaining about the cost of road salt and not buying as much this year, this is a great use of what would be garbage.
As an added benefit, they don't have to worry about vampires.
In other news, their vampire problem has really cleared up in recent weeks.
And the shelters prepare for more sick pets. Garlic is dangerous for cats in somewhat large amounts. Beats me for dogs, but I can only guess it's the same.
Ankeny is a terrible city, and should not be associated with Des Moines
Is the road salt that's being mixed with garlic salt toxic or dangerous in any way? I'm just wondering if the garlic smell will tempt kids and/or animals to ingest enough of the mixture to be harmed.
I'm pretty ignorant about road salt. It might be prefectly OK to eat, but those bags you get for your driveway always have "don't eat this stuff" warnings.
It also snows butter there.
Hate to say it, but garlic isn't good for dogs. But if his dog is anything like my dog, he can eat anything.
Tones is doing a good thing. Kudos for them donating instead of dumping. I like thier bulk spices at Sams/Costco. Makes me feel even better about using them.
@B: Yeah most have a shelf life of 2-3 years. You know when you're at your weird Aunt Mildred's place and the stuffing just tastes... off? Thats because her spices are from the 1970s.
@A/S/L-GitEmSteveDave loves->★:
Mine, too. FYI, onions are bad for dogs too. And a handful of raisins can KILL them.
Thankfully, these aren't foods likely to be used on the ice.
@A/S/L-GitEmSteveDave loves->★: so long as they keep their dogs off the highway...and from licking their cars they'll be ok.
I could see this backfiring in a lawsuit though...
>>>>>> .r25084
Subversion?
@A/S/L-GitEmSteveDave loves->★:
I had a dog like this. Damn thing chewed my bike down to the frame (he was working on the frame when I caught him). Ate the mudflaps off my truck. Once devoured a garbage back full of aluminum cans - that one required a forced "reversal of fortune" as prescribed by the vet.
@dollywould:
No you don't. I've been to Ankeny in the snow. It's just one big box store after another and the snow covering everything makes them even less distinguishable than they normally are.
Anything that keeps the Ankeny commuters from bouncing off the highways on I-35 deserves a gold star in my book.
@A/S/L-GitEmSteveDave loves->★: This is of course assuming garlic salt actually has real garlic in it.
@B: Clearly this is a violation of the Americans With Disabilities act. They didn't choose to be vampires!
@A/S/L-SteveDave loves this guy->★, @Farquar: Wow. Worst I've seen is my family's first retriever eat a Brillo pad. She was not happy with the digestive consequences, but she lived through it just fine.
Just hang your bread out the side of your car door and press it against the garlic street. The friction will toast it, and since it's all garlicky: need I say more?
Maybe Chicago can follow Iowa's example. Lord knows there's a surplus of celery salt that now that Hot Dog season is over.
Dang, now I'm hungry for Italian food...
Imagine if they used bacon salt.
@Farquar: I had a dog that was a garbage gut. He ate disposable razors, chicken carcasses and one of those plastic pot scrubbers. Those are the highlights I remember.
The garlic salt on the road is almost too smart. Most companies wouldn't have thought of finding a use for it.
@shepd: I think the garlic salt will be the least of the animals concerns if they are eating off the surface of the streets here in Central Iowa...
I heard they were throwing down Kosher salt in front of the synagogue.
@A/S/L-SteveDave loves this guy->★:
I've actually seen my dog eat small metal screws. She is, possibly, one of the billy goats gruff.
@bagumpity: Rock salt is exactly the thing as table salt. You shouldn't sprinkle it on popcorn though because it's not processed in food-safe facilities so it might have machine oil or metal bits in with it, for instance. It'd probably be pretty harmless to eat a little though all things considered.
I'll help them, they can have the jar I wasted 4 bucks on. That stuff isn't worthy of being eaten by a repulsive anteater.
Honestly, foul stuff .. real bacon FTW!
@admiral_stabbin: @shepd:
Garlic is not always toxic to dogs or cats. It is even used in some pet foods.
Garlic is only toxic to dogs and cats if it is raw or spoiled.
One of the Dr.'s at our local University Veterinary Medical School gave our dog a garlic based supplement as a flea preventative, and recommended a light amount of garlic powder to help restore our dogs' appetite. He seems to be in pretty good health.
@B:
you would think the small town christian community would of taken care of that
but you can never be to carefull when it comes to vampires :P
I want to go to there.