#food-supply

#food-supply

For over a thousand years, Constantinople stood among the medieval world's richest and most sophisticated cities. As the capital of the Byzantine Empire, it was more than a political centre: it was a living city shaped by imperial ceremony and Christian devotion, by merchants and craftsmen, and by the everyday routines that kept a vast urban population fed, housed, and working.

For those of us who aren't scientists or daring expeditioners, it's hard to imagine what the polar desert of Antarctica is really like. We chalk it up to temperatures well below freezing, endless icy terrains, and life only in the form of penguins, seals, and humpback whales. Across the vast majority of the continent's 5.5 million square miles, this is the reality.

Watermelon season spans from May through September, but its peak occurs in July and August when top U.S. growing states produce the best fruit.