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Nothing brings your fun in the kitchen to a crashing hault like somebody getting sick -- or worse.
There is a flip side to cooking with farm or garden-fresh foods. When you choose whole or minimally-processed foods, you take on extra responsibility for things like hygeine and storage temperatures. Simple stuff, yet important.
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The good news is some basic common sense and food safety guidelines can keep you and your family healthy and happy. |
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Basic Food Safety Tips |
- Keep it clean. Wash your hands before beginning any food preparation activities, and especially after bathroom breaks. Helpers of all ages, too! Always wash fresh produce, even if you "trust" the grower. Thoroughly wash any surfaces that have touched raw animal products (fish, meat, chicken, eggs, etc).
- Keep it hot-hot-hot or cool-cool-cool. Bacteria multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40º and 135º F. Notice that room temperature is within this range! Thaw meats in the refrigerator. Heat cooked dishes quickly, then drop the temperature for slow cooking if desired. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
- Once you slice a tomato or a melon... store any leftovers under refrigeration. Why? Because when you break the skin, any little microbes that were on the outside surface of the fruit are now introduced to the inside. Even if you washed it first, assume you didn't get 'em all. Just keep cool!
- Garlic & olive oil??? It sounds so tempting, doesn't it? To just stick a few cloves of garlic in some olive oil and leave it on the counter to flavor the oil. After all, we use those flavors together all the time. No, no, no! Don't do it! Pouring oil over garlic creates an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) in which several very bad things can happen. One of those things is called botulisum, which unfortunately can be fatal. Just mix the garlic and olive oil as you need it and you'll be fine.
- Use leftovers within a week. Ha ha! Like the great stuff you're gonna make will last that long! But let's just say a little container of leftover stir-fry gets hidden in the back of the 'fridge. For more than a week. Pitch it. Better safe than sorry. Veggie scraps, of course, can be composted.
- A word about canning. If you're planning to can your garden or market bounty (which I highly recommend!), make sure you've read up on the "rules" for safe food preservation. Use clean (sterilized) canning jars with new lids. Don't skimp on processing time. Use the appropriate method (water bath or pressure canner) for the food you're preserving. Most foods that call for pressure canning can be frozen as an alternative if you prefer. Check your seals! Re-process or use immediately any jars that don't seal properly.
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Green Folk Say |
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Boy, oh boy I just love salad! But please don't drown garlic in olive oil and leave me on the counter. It wouldn't feel good, you know... |
Us too, Gavin. You and olive oil and tomatoes... We make a swell team. Just refrigerate the leftovers. It's not much to ask and we'll all be happier! |
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