Winter 2012 - Miami-Dade County Extension Office - University of ...

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Program Spotlights Holiday Food Safety Tips By Jacquelyn W. Gibson, FCS Agent Entertaining is a full-time job during the holidays. Cooks across the country are making plans for holiday feasts that include all of their family's favorite recipes. Food safety is probably not the first thing you think about when planning your holiday dinner or party. However, to prevent your event from being memorable in the wrong way, it’s important that you take special care in preparing and preserving your special meal. Food safety can be a special challenge during the holiday when poultry, stuffing, and buffets pose additional risks, particularly for most of the people on your holiday guest list. This list includes people who are vulnerable to foodborne illness— elderly, young children, pregnant women, or anyone with a compromised immune system. It takes skill, timing and organization to prepare a healthy holiday meal with all of the dishes that need to be kept at proper temperature so bacteria won’t have a chance to grow. Make sure you have enough oven and refrigerator space for all the dishes you plan to prepare and serve. To make sure your holiday meal is not only delicious but is safe as possible, follow these food safety tips: � Wash hands thoroughly and often—before and after food preparation. � Thoroughly wash cutting boards and utensil before and after contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. � Rinse fruits and vegetables under cool running water and use a produce brush to remove surface dirt. � Use a food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, and fish are cooked to a safe internal temperatures. � Bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a rolling boil when reheating. � Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. When making your own eggnog or other recipes calling for raw eggs, use pasteurized shell eggs, liquid or frozen pasteurized egg products, or powdered egg whites. � Don’t eat uncooked cookie dough, which may contain raw eggs. � Serve only pasteurized apple cider. � Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator, not on the countertop; room temperatures promote bacteria growth. Allow one day of defrosting for each five pounds of turkey weight. � Cook the stuffing separate from the turkey. Stuffing put in an uncooked turkey is susceptible to bacteria growth. If you refuse to break with tradition, use a food thermometer to make sure the bird’s internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees. � Slice the leftover turkey before refrigerating. Whole turkeys do not store safely in the refrigerator. � Carefully store leftovers. To speed up the cooling process, put leftovers into shallow covered containers and keep refrigerator temperature at 40 degrees or below. Perishable foods left at room temperature for more than two hours are susceptible to bacterial growth. � Be careful with holiday buffets. Serving dishes should be kept small and replenished often, directly from the stove or refrigerator. Place cold dishes on a bed of ice. (Continued on page 3) 2
� Hot foods should be held at 140°F or warmer. � Foods should not sit at room temperature on the buffet table for more than two hours. Vegetable Gardening—The Easy Way! By Adrian Hunsberger, Urban Horticulture Agent Now is a great time to start your garden. But growing vegetables in the ground can be a real challenge in Miami-Dade County. In many parts of our county, it's almost impossible to dig because of the limestone rocks. Also, there can be nematode and soil-borne plant diseases to deal with. That's why it makes sense to grow your vegetable garden in raised beds! Locate your garden where the plants will get a minimum 6 - 8 hours of full sun daily. Plant far away from trees to avoid shade and root competition. Make sure your raised beds are accessible from all sides since you won’t be walking on the garden beds. If young children will be gardening, make the beds 3 feet wide. For adults and older children, beds can be as wide as 4 or 5 feet. The length can be as long as you want. Keep track of how long foods have been on buffet table and discard any that have been there two hours or more. Never built a raised bed garden before? Please � Reheat leftovers to 165° degrees. � Left overs should be used within three to four days, unless they are frozen. read our fact sheet “Building a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden: The Easy Way” located on our Miami-Dade County Extension web site http:// miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/ Click on the “vegetable gardening” link. We also have fact sheets on what crops to grow, when to plant, and how to make compost. We even have a YouTube video showing how to plant seeds! http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=TzZ-WyQhVJY&feature=youtu.be Please “like” our Facebook page so that you’ll be kept up-to-date with gardening and pest information. Or search Facebook for “South Florida Friendly Landscapes” to see our page. You can always call the Extension office if you have questions or need to have plant problems identified. Call 305 248-3311 x 228, or x 222 to speak to a Master Gardener volunteer. Happy gardening! Image Credits: Miami-Dade UF/IFAS Extension 3
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Winter 2012 - Miami-Dade County Extension Office - University of ...

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