CSA Recipes

I was watching an Episode of Planet Greens Emeril Green. A great cooking show with Emeril Lagasse filmed at Whole Foods. In the Episode entitled Keeping it Local, they talked about how eating a tablespoon of local honey can help alleviate allergy symptoms.

After a little research, I found this article that goes into detail about using local honey to help with allergies.

“The reason honey may help with seasonal allergies is because honey contains a bit of pollen from plants. So if you eat the sweet treat that is made by bees in the area where you live, the honey will often act as an immune booster, reducing your allergy symptoms to local flowering plants. It’s a good idea to take two to three spoonfuls each day for several months prior to pollen season”

Read the full article here

Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the “State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009.” This document summarizes data for fruit and vegetable consumption from multiple sources and, for the first time, breaks the results down by state. It also discusses policies and environmental supports that can make it easier for everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables.

The State Indicator Report shows that all states in the country fall short of national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, which aim for 75% of Americans to eat at least two servings of fruit, and for 50% of Americans to eat at least three servings of vegetables daily.

Click Here to View By State

Great artilce sent by Summer Creek Farm

Click Here To Read

I M M E D I A T E    N E W S    R E L E A S E

“PRESSURE  CANNER  GAUGE  TESTING”

Canning foods is resurfacing as a popular way of preserving foods.  To ensure the safety of your family, foods must be canned in a safe manner.  There are two safe ways of canning depending upon the food you are preserving.  The boiling water bath is used for fruits, tomatoes, pickles, jam, jellies and preserves.  All other foods should be canned using a pressure canner.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria are the reason why low-acid foods must be pressure canned to be safe.  The spore from the bacteria can withstand boiling and under certain conditions can result in production of a deadly toxin.  These spores can be destroyed by canning food at a temperature of 240 degrees F or above for a specific amount of time.

To insure that your canner’s dial gauge is working correctly pressure canners should be checked for accuracy on a yearly basis.  The University of Maryland Extension – Frederick County Office will be testing pressure canners at no charge on the following days:  July 22, and 23 between 1 – 4 p.m. and August 3 and 4 between 1 – 4 p.m.  You do not need to RSVP but canners will be tested on a first come basis.  If you cannot wait for the gauge to be tested, you may drop it off and we will call you when it is ready.  For additional information or questions contact the Family & Consumer Science Office at 301-600-1599.

For more about the Frederick County Extension Office check our website
www. frederick.umd.edu