Pawnee County Extension Office
715 Broadway, Room 6
Larned, KS 67550
UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Tuesday, January 26, 1:30 p.m. - Your Feelings, My Decision,
Our Actions: Promoting Social Emotional Health Among
School-Age Youth & Their Families
 Tuesday, February 23, 9:30 a.m. - Improving Relationships &
Communication Through Understanding One Another
Please be sure to contact the Extension Office if you are planning to
attend these trainings.
DAIRY EXPIRATION DATES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
TO KEEP YOUR MILK & CHEESE FRESH
Quick Quiz: Your milk has a date printed on it, but what does that mean
for you?
In some cases, that date may be a “sell by” date meant for the
grocery store. In other cases, it may be a “best by” date for you. States
have different laws and regulations that govern what the terminology
and dates mean, so there’s no one universal answer nationwide.
Fortunately, there are some best practices that can help you
make sure that your cheese and milk are safe and of the highest quality
they can be. For example:
For milk:
 When you’re at the grocery store, pick up milk and other dairy
products last so they stay cool as possible until you get home.
 Once you get home, place the milk immediately in the fridge,
and store it at 40° F or below.
 Wait as long as possible to open your milk after you’ve bought
it. As long as it’s sealed, it’ll stay fresher.
 While it’s a bit inconvenient, store your milk in the back of your
fridge where it’s the coldest
For cheese:
 Store cheese by wrapping it tightly in clinging plastic wrap to
keep all air and moisture away from the surface.
 Aromatic cheeses, such as Limburger, should be stored in tightly
sealed containers.
 If you see mold has formed on your natural, hard, block cheese,
don’t worry. It’s not harmful and can be easily removed by
cutting off at least an inch around the mold spot.
The bottom line: Your nose knows. If your milk smells funny, don’t drink
it. And when in doubt, throw it out.
HEALTH EXPERTS TOUT GERM-KILLING POWER OF
BLEACH
Bleach is one of the most effective tools for killing antibioticresistant superbugs in hospitals, and many value it for areas that may
have Clostridium difficile. However, just 22% of hospitals use bleach as
part of their daily cleaning regimen for regular rooms. Betsy
McCaughey, founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths,
advises hospital visitors to “forget flowers and candy; bring bleach
wipes instead. It could save their life.”
Source: The Wall Street Journal
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/hepWCcrFlnCThbrwCidytHCicNAOIV?form
at=standard
LATE SEASON TOMATOES
As the garden season comes to an end, some tomato vines may
still have tasty tomatoes for you to harvest. If the vines have been
through a frost or freeze, do not use those tomatoes
for any time of canning. The acidity of those
tomatoes has changed too much to, making them
unsafe for canning. The tomatoes can still be eaten
fresh, cooked, or frozen for later use. Leave
tomatoes on the vine until they reach maturity or until a frost is
forecast.
Source: www.hfrr.ksu.edu/doc4395.ashx
SCALE DOWN YOUR PORTIONS!
How can you deal with oversized servings? It can be hard to
stop eating when there is still tons of delicious food to enjoy. A
common answer to this problem is to ignore the rest of the food and
only eat proper portions of each item. Sadly, that is easier said than
done.
Studies indicate that when people are offered larger portions of
food, they tend to eat more of it. In one study, participants ate 30%
more calories when offered the largest portion of an entrée, compared
to what they ate when they were offered the smallest portion (Am J Clin
Nutr 2002; 76(6): 1207-1213). When there is lots of food on your plate,
it can skew your perception of what you’ve eaten and make it hard to
stop eating. It turns out that the best way to deal with portions is to
scale them down. There are a bunch of different ways to scale down
your portions -- which will you try first?
Scale Down Tip #1: Read the Facts!
The Nutrition Facts labels on foods are treasure troves of information.
You may be surprised at what constitutes a single serving, especially in
things like bottled sodas and bags of chips. Get familiar with actual
serving sizes and use the Nutrition Facts to calculate how many servings
are in each container. When you can, pick up single-serving packs or
use the Nutrition Facts label as a guide and make your own snack packs
by portioning out proper servings into zip-lock bags and reusable
bottles.
Scale Down Tip #2: Get Online!!
Lots of restaurants and coffee chops have made their nutrition
information available online. Check out the calorie, sodium, and fat
content of your order before you head out the door and make sure that
the portion size is reasonable. If not, look for healthful alternatives.
This will help you find healthful, balanced portions and skip servings
that are way too big.
Scale Down Tip #3: Share!!
If you want to get or make something that only comes in a large portion,
share it! Whether you’re at a restaurant or a backyard barbeque, it can
be easier than you think to share a large portion of food. And, after all,
sharing is caring.
Scale Down Tip #4: Think Before You Drink!!
Beverages with added sugar or fat need special attention when it comes
to portion control. We found that small bottles of soda, tea, and juice
drinks still contained more than 2 servings per bottle. So follow the first
few tips and research exactly what is in that beverage that you’re about
to enjoy. Then think twice before getting a jumbo size.
Source: Food and Health Communications, Inc.
www.foodandhealth.com
KEEP YOUR FRIDGE AT 40° OR BELOW!
Bacteria grows rapidly between 40° and 140°. Keeping your
fridge at 40° or below reduces your risk of food borne illness. Use a
refrigerator thermometer to check refrigerator temperature.
Remember to refrigerate or freeze left overs within 2 hours, one hour if
temperature is 90°F. Divide left overs between small, shallow
containers for quicker cooling. Keep left overs for 3-4 days then toss
any after 4 days.
Freeze any left overs that you will not consume in the 3-4 day
time frame.
Always thaw and marinate food in the refrigerator. Keep your
family safe and follow these guidelines! You do not want food borne
illness to ruin your holidays!
FROZEN FOOD AND POWER OUTAGES: WHEN TO SAVE
AND WHEN TO THROW OUT
Thawed or partially thawed food in the freezer may be safely
refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40°F or below. Partial
thawing and refreezing may affect the quality of some food, but the
food would be safe to eat.
If you keen an appliance thermometer in your freezer, it’s easy
to tell whether food is safe. When the power comes back on, check the
thermometer. If it reads below 40°F or below, the food is safe and can
be refrozen.
Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on
appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.
Note: Always discard any items in the freezer that have come in
contact with raw meat juices.
You will have to evaluate each item separately. Check out
www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/frozen_food.html for a chart of food
to keep and discard after a power outage.
Source: Adapted from “Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency”
TURKEY BASICS
Thawing Your Turkey
There are three ways to safely thaw your turkey
– in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave
oven.
In the refrigerator, keep the turkey in the
original wrapper and place on a tray or large pan to
catch any juices that might leak out. A turkey that has been properly
thawed in a refrigerator may be refrozen.
In cold water, be sure the turkey is securely wrapped and that
water is not able to leak through wrapping. Submerge the turkey in
cold tap water, change water every 30 minutes. Cook the turkey
immediately after it is thawed. Do not refreeze.
In the microwave oven, check the owner’s manual for the size
that will fit in your microwave oven, the minutes per pound, and power
level to use for thawing. Remove all outside wrappings. Place turkey on
a microwave-safe dish to catch any juices that may leak. Cook the
turkey immediately. Do not refreeze or refrigerate the turkey after
thawing in the microwave.
Roasting Your Turkey
Set oven temperature to no lower than 325°F. Place turkey on
a rack in shallow roasting pan.
For optimum safety, stuffing a turkey is not recommended. For
more even cooking, it is recommended the stuffing should be cooked in
a casserole dish. Use a food thermometer to check the internal
temperature of the dressing. The stuffing must reach a safe minimum
internal temperature of 165°F.
A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal
temperature of 165°F, as measured with a food thermometer. Check
the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing
and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference,
consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures.
If the turkey has a pop-up temperature indicator, it is
recommended that it also be checked with a food thermometer.
For quality, let the turkey stand 20 minutes before carving to
allow juices to set. The turkey will carve more easily.
It is safe to cook a turkey from the frozen state. The cooking
time will take at least 50% longer than recommended for a fully thawed
turkey. Remember to remove the giblet package during the cooking
time. Remove carefully with tongs or a fork.
POTASSIUM AND YOU
Potassium is a key mineral that your body needs. According to
the national Library of Medicine, potassium “helps nerves and muscles
communicate. It also helps move nutrients into cells and waste
products out of cells.” Yet potassium’s most notable role is none of
those things. You see, it’s vital when it comes to countering the harmful
effects of sodium. It helps reduce your blood pressure. This in turn can
reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other dangers associated
with high blood pressure. And that’s not all that potassium can do! The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans asserts, “Other possible benefits of an
eating pattern rich in potassium include a reduced
risk of developing kidney stones and decreased bone
loss.”
Some of the top sources of potassium
include:












Bananas
Beet greens
Cantaloupe
Cod
Halibut
Milk
Potatoes
Rockfish
Soy beans
Sweet potatoes
Tuna
White bean
 Yogurt
The Adequate Intake (AI) of potassium for most adults is 4,700
milligrams per day.
RESIST TEMPTATION:
DON’T TASTE THE COOKIE DOUGH!
Holiday baking and food preparation that involves raw eggs
requires special care. Prevent food poisoning caused by eggs by safe
handling, refrigeration, and cooking. Raw eggs in holiday recipes
require special care. High temperatures required to cook cakes,
cookies, and candy containing raw eggs are sufficient to kill bacteria.
However, the raw eggs in cookie dough may present a hazard, especially
to children, the elderly, and those with certain health problems –
uncooked cookie dough is not safe to eat.





Buy eggs only sold from a refrigerator or refrigerator case.
Open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and the
shells are not cracked.
Refrigerate promptly.
Store eggs in their original carton and use them within three
weeks for best quality.
Place the carton in the coldest part of the refrigerator – not in
the door, where temperatures may fluctuate when opened and
closed.
Before preparing any food, remember cleanliness is key! Wash hands,
utensils, equipment, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before
and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods.
Tasting cookie or cake batter can be tempting, but remember that
bacteria could be lurking in those uncooked eggs, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Sources: Michigan State University Extension & University of Illinois
Extension
PREP BAKEWARE FOR HOLIDAY GOODIES
Does your bakeware have “recipe residue” on them? Try these tips to
get them in shape for holiday baking and cooking.
Glass and/or Ceramic Bakeware:


Soak in a solution of liquid dishwashing soap and/or baking soda
and water
Scour gently with a mild abrasive cleaner, baking soda, or plastic
mesh scrubber
Pots and Pans:



Fill pan with solution of 1 quart water and 2-3 tablespoons
cream of tartar, lemon juice, or vinegar
Heat and boil for 5-10 minutes
Empty pan and scour gently with steel wool soap pad
Non-stick Cookware:




Fill pan with solution of 1 quart water + ¼ cup coffee pot
cleaner OR 3 tablespoons oxygen bleach.
Heat to simmering and simmer for 15-20 minutes
Wash, rinse, and dry.
Recondition the pan with cooking oil or shortening before using
Source:
www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/holiday_diswashing.aspx
THE SPROUTED FOODS TREND
A new trend showing up in the cereal, bread, pasta, and snack
aisles is products made with sprouts. Most people have heard of bean
sprouts, but other foods that can be sprouted include grains, legumes,
radish seeds, broccoli seeds, and nuts. The health benefits touted
include being higher in vitamins such as B and C and minerals such as
zinc and iron, as well as increased digestibility. Currently, there is little
research on sprouted foods, and the results of these studies show the
benefits to be small compared to non-sprouted foods. The few studies
that have been done show that vitamin C is slightly higher in sprouted
grains, and iron and zinc may be more easily absorbed. In regard to
digestibility, sprouting does break down the seed, which means less
work for your digestive system. The Food and Drug Administration
recommends children, the elderly, pregnant women, and person with
weakened immune systems avoid eating raw sprouts.
Sources:
http://chnr.ucdavis.edu/faq/
http://bit.ly/1kpPwJ2
A Note from the Agent…
Dear Friends,
What a beautiful fall we have had. The warm days have been so great
to go for a walk, pick up pine cones and black walnuts from the yard, or
just sit and enjoy the beautiful colors of nature.
Hope your holidays are great and that you have time to relax and enjoy
family and friends!
Donna R. Preisner
County Extension Agent,
Family & Consumer Sciences
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service is
committed to making its services, activities, and programs accessible to all participants. If you have
special requirements due to a physical, vision, or hearing disability, or dietary restriction, please
contact the Pawnee County Extension Office at 620-285-6901 or pn@ksre.ksu.edu. K-State
Research and Extension is an equal opportunity Employer.