Blueberries: A Spectacular Summer Superfood

Blueberries: A Spectacular Summer Superfood

America’s favorite superfood is ripe in the Florida Panhandle! Well, it may not actually be everyone’s favorite, but it’s definitely a tasty superfood. Of course, I’m talking about the blueberry. If you love the sweet nutritious little blue fruit, now is the time to pick or purchase fresh from a local source.

Stem of blueberries in various stages of ripeness of stem with leaves around

Blueberries: Spectacular, Summer, Superfood
Photo source: Ginny Hinton

When it comes to antioxidants, blueberries are king. Antioxidants help protect our bodies from oxidative stress, which is linked to many diseases including arthritis, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. They also help strengthen our immune system. Blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all common fruits and vegetables.

Blueberries are high in fiber (about 4 grams per serving), vitamin C and vitamin K. Of course, they’re also low in calories. Blueberries are available fresh in the Panhandle from late May into June.

When you’re picking blueberries, look for ones that are firm, dry, plump and smooth-skinned with a light greyish bloom. Stick to the deep blue ones for the sweetest flavor. Cover them and they’ll stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to ten days, or they can be easily frozen. Put them in a single layer on a baking sheet or cookie tray and freeze, then store them in airtight, resealable plastic bags. That way, they won’t stick together and you can use just the amount you need. Once you thaw them out, just be sure to use them within three days. Store blueberries unwashed and don’t rinse them until you’re ready to use them.

Don’t love to eat them plain? Nutritious, delicious blueberries are great in lots of dishes. For a quick breakfast or snack, add them to yogurt or cottage cheese and enjoy! Use them to flavor pancakes, waffles or muffins. Add them to a green salad for a sweet flavor burst. However you eat them, know that you’re doing a good thing for both your health and your taste buds.

Enjoy blueberries!

Make Grocery Shopping Sustainable

Make Grocery Shopping Sustainable

reusable shopping bags

One way to be more sustainable when shopping for groceries is to use reusable shopping bags. They’re durable and sturdy and can help reduce the number of plastic bags that end up in the landfill each year. (Photo source: Samantha Kennedy)

Sustainability should not just be a buzzword during Earth Month.  The fact that everybody either shops for or eats groceries means the whole grocery shopping experience is a good time to reflect and improve upon what we can personally do to embrace issues of sustainability.

This year in April, the Earth Month theme focuses on Returning to Nature.  There is no better place to start a quest for personal sustainable improvement than the grocery store!  Grocery shopping truly embraces the three main areas of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social.  In fact, it has been well documented that the average family wastes about 25% of the food it purchases.  (Much of this ends up in a landfill and creates problems of its own.)

With a bit of forethought, meal planning before grocery shopping can help individuals and families apply sustainable best practices for environmental, economic, and social well-being.  In fact, many of the principles of sustainability can be effectively applied to both meal planning and grocery shopping.

RESPECT yourself.  Good nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy life. Improve health by keeping a balanced diet.  Vow to make healthier food choices for personal health and the environment.

REFUSE to use food products that do not fit your principles of sustainability. This may mean buying food with less packaging, eating more locally-grown fruits and vegetables, or looking for foods labeled as more responsibly sourced.

REDUCE the amount of food thrown out.  Planning meals ahead of time and writing out a grocery list are excellent ways to start living sustainably.  Planning not only saves money on groceries, it can save time and decrease the amount of personal food waste a family contributes.  (Remember, freezing products can prolong their life, so if you find that you’ve overbought, try preserving some of your bounty for later use.) Reducing the number of trips to the grocery store also can help save on fuel and transportation costs.

REUSE /REPURPOSE food for another occasion.  Careful meal planning helps ensure that leftovers from one meal can be incorporated into the next one, thereby reducing food waste.

RETHINK!  Healthy, nutritious, delicious, and inexpensive grocery choices can be found in every food group.  Not all food has to be prepackaged.  In fact, with a bit of planning, dinner can be on the table in 15 minutes.  (That’s less time than it takes to wait in line at a fast food restaurant.)

BE RESPONSIBLE!  Use what you buy.

Stock up on low-cost healthy grain products like whole-wheat noodles, brown rice, and store-brand cereals and oatmeal.

Purchase fruits and vegetables that are in season and cost less.  In addition, do not forget that frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables can play an important part in meal planning.

Buy the largest size you can effectively use before it reaches the expiration date – and look for the items with the latest dates.  Purchase store brands or generic brands whenever possible. Keep in mind smaller containers tend to cost more, no matter what the food group. Buying larger packages and dividing them into smaller portions can save money and reduce the amount of packaging that ends up in the landfill. Investing in small, reusable storage containers will save money and reduce waste in the end.

Practice Meatless Monday.  The protein group provides inexpensive protein sources like beans, lentils, and eggs, which can be substituted for meat in many meals.

Protein does not have to be the most expensive item purchased.  Consulting the store’s weekly sales flyer during meal planning can help you plan meals around meat and poultry items that are on sale.

Prepare food your family will actually eat.  There are two schools of thought here: preparing just enough for one meal or preparing big-batch recipes that provide leftovers which can be frozen for later use. Either practice can be sustainable. Freeze leftovers only if you’re going to use them. Otherwise, cut down on the amount of food cooked to help reduce food waste.

Learn how to cook.  Prepare and eat more meals at home.  It is sustainable, good for you, and delicious. Meals cooked at home are more nutritious, less expensive, and result in less overall waste, such as packaging.

Two additional ways to be more sustainable when grocery shopping are to use reusable shopping bags and to stop using single-use plastic produce bags. Plastic grocery bags choke our landfills and end up in our water bodies. They are not biodegradable and can last thousands of years virtually intact. Reusable shopping bags are made from recycled materials and can drastically reduce the number of plastic bags that end up in the trash each year.

For more information on making your grocery shopping more sustainable, check out these related articles:
Freezing: Nature’s Pause Button (UF/IFAS Extension)
What’s in your FREEZER? (UF/IFAS Extension)
Best Practices for Shoppers at the Farmers’ Market (UF/IFAS Extension)
Sustainable Grocery Shopping (University of Northern Iowa)

Picture, name, and bio of UF FCS agents: Heidi Copeland and Samantha Kennedy

UF/IFAS Family and Consumer Sciences Agents Heidi Copeland and Samantha Kennedy

What’s in your FREEZER?

What’s in your FREEZER?

March is Frozen Food Month.  In fact, the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA),Inc., likes to suggest that there is MEALTIME MAGIC in the FROZEN AISLE.  I could not agree more!

words "March Frozen Food Month" on a plate with fork and folded napkin to left all on a placemat

March is Frozen Food month. Photo Source: with permission from Frozen Food Alliance

Frozen foods are a smart choice.  Frozen foods are always in season, last much longer than their fresh counterparts, are convenient, economical and full of variety.  Plus, frozen foods can be portioned and packaged in ways that don’t leave anything to waste.

A lot has changed since 1925 when Clarence Birdseye was issued U.S. Patent #1,773,079, to freeze fish.  This U.S. Patent marked the beginning of today’s frozen foods industry.  In 1927, he extended the freezing process to quick-freezing meat, poultry, fruit, and vegetables.  Birdseye’s initial introduction of 26 frozen foods has morphed to so many frozen products that the NFRA boasts over 3,700+ different choices.  There is something FROZEN for every taste and every budget!

The modern day frozen product is generally supercooled at temperatures below -54°F.  This supercooled fast freezing process produces smallish ice crystals that help foods retain their personal characteristics.  Additionally, a lot of research goes into commercially frozen food’s packaging. Many frozen products can go directly from freezer to microwave, oven or even a pot of boiling water.  Packaging must also consider the constraints of the home freezer knowing that its average temperature is around 0° or a bit below.

Although cold temperatures like 0°F or below puts a temporary hold on many biological processes microorganisms are not always killed off during freezing.  It is important to recognize that proper care must be taken preparing some frozen foods.

In addition, when foods are frozen for extended periods of time or are frozen improperly, freezer burn can begin to develop on the food’s surface. Freezer burn happens when moisture in the outer layers of the food evaporates into the dry freezer air, leaving behind empty pockets in the tissue of the food.  Freezer burn on meat is visible as brownish-white discolorations and on other foods dry, white spots. While it is not harmful to eat, freezer burn can adversely affect the flavor and texture of food.

It is easy to prevent freezer burn.  One can easily reduce the food’s exposure to air through the use of correct wrap before storing food in the freezer. The National Center for Home Food Preservation (https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze.html) has excellent information on how the use of proper packaging materials can protect the flavor, color, moisture content and nutritive value of foods from the arid climate of the freezer.

Frozen food packaging depends on the type of food to be frozen. In general, packaging materials must have certain characteristics:

  • Moisture vapor resistant
  • Durable and leakproof
  • Not become brittle and crack at low temperatures
  • Resistant to oil, grease or water
  • Protect foods from absorption of off flavors or odors
  • Easy to seal
  • Easy to mark (with both content and date)

Additionally, a full freezer is the most energy efficient.

Posting a frozen foods inventory (list) near the freezer and keeping it up to date by listing the foods and dates of freezing is helpful.  Remembering also to rotate foods in the freezer.  An easy acronym for this is FIFOFirst-In, First-Out. In other words, use the food stored the longest before you use the newest.

Moreover, purchase a thermometer if your freezer does not have an automatic temperature display.  A freezer should be maintained at a temperature of 0°F or lower. At higher temperatures, foods lose quality much faster.

Most recently, a woman from North Carolina, Sheila Pulanco Russell, is credited with bringing a lifehack to the masses with her “how to” Facebook posting.  I think it is a good thing to know.  It is called the One Cup Tip. All it entails is putting a cup of water in the freezer, freezing it solid, and then placing a quarter on top of it and leaving it in the freezer.

When you return from an extended out of town trip you know if your power was out. It the quarter is sitting at the bottom of the cup you know your power was off too long and that your frozen food is not safe to eat.  If the coin is in the middle of the cup, the outage was fairly short and your food should be good (frozen foods that still have their crystals are safe to eat and refreeze). If the coin is still on the top, then there was no power outage or just a quick one and all is well. Note: no one wants food poisoning, so if you are in doubt, throw the food out.

Have questions?  Don’t hesitate to call your local county extension agent from the Cooperative Extension office; they’re free!

 

Heidi Copeland

Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, III

University of Florida IFAS Extension

615 Paul Russell Road

Tallahassee, Florida 32301

hbc@ufl.edu

(850) 606-5203

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Helping Leftovers Last Longer

Helping Leftovers Last Longer

leftover food wrapped in foil

Storing foods in aluminum foil is a not a good food safety practice since it does not form a tight enough seal to keep out air, moisture, or microorganisms. Use air-tight containers or zipper plastic bags to store leftovers safely. (Photo source: Samantha Kennedy)

This month, I would like to focus on leftovers, more specifically, using and storing leftovers responsibly.

Many times, leftovers are saved with the best intentions. We really do plan to eat last night’s lasagna for dinner tonight, but then something better comes along and suddenly that lasagna gets pushed to the back of the refrigerator where it gets forgotten until the fridge is cleaned out two months later.

That dried out, fuzzy lump covered in foil? Well, it used to be lasagna.  Now it is inedible, unsafe, and a waste of food and money.

I say, stop the madness! Show those leftovers a little love. If properly stored and handled, those boring leftovers can once again dazzle your palate.

First of all, proper storage is key. Whether being put in the refrigerator or freezer, wrap or store leftovers in an air-tight container.  This will not only prevent cross-contamination by microorganisms, but will also help maintain flavor and quality.

The only exception to this is whole, fresh fruits and veggies, which need to be stored in the crisper drawer or on the countertop to allow air flow. Cut fruits and veggies should always be refrigerated.

The best materials for food storage are air-tight plastic or glass containers and paper or zipper bags made for freezer use. When using paper, be sure to wrap the food tightly and completely.

Aluminum foil, wax paper, and plastic wrap do not make effective wrappers for the freezer since they do not form a tight enough seal to prevent freezer burn.

Always label all leftovers, especially when freezing them, with the name of the food and the date it was stored. To ensure safety, discard refrigerated leftovers after five days and frozen leftovers after six months. Foods frozen longer will suffer significant quality loss.

Leftover foods like soups, stews, and casseroles make terrific quick meals for lunch or dinner.  Simply divide the leftovers into single portions and freeze, or refrigerate if all portions will be eaten within five days.

Foods like leftover roasted chicken or breakfast bacon can be added to a salad or made into a sandwich.  Today’s leftover pancakes can be tomorrow’s pancake parfait or breakfast sandwich bread.

Leftover scrambled eggs can be added to tonight’s fried rice. Last night’s chili can be made into today’s baked potato topping.

The possibilities are endless.

“Leftovers” does not have to be a dirty word. With a little planning, knowledge, and ingenuity, leftovers can easily become a family favorite.  And the best part, saving leftovers means saving money, too.

For more information on food storage tips, try these publications from UF/IFAS Extension:

Healthy Eating: Food Storage Guide
Preserving Food: Freezing Vegetables

Extension classes are open to everyone regardless of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.

Totally Tasty Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in backyard gardens.  With each plant capable of producing 8-10 pounds of fruit or more, good gardeners may have more tomatoes than they can eat.  If you lack a green thumb, tomatoes are easy to find at farmers markets, roadside stands, and even grocery stores.

Botanically, the tomato is a fruit but in 1893 the U.S. Supreme Court declared the tomato a vegetable because of a tariff dispute.  Nutritionally, tomatoes are low in calories and fat and high in vitamin C and potassium.  They are good source of vitamin A in the form of beta carotene.  Tomatoes are also high in the antioxidant, lycopene.  Research has shown that lycopene may reduce the risk of heart disease and several types of cancer.  Lycopene is more easily absorbed from cooked tomato products. Eighty percent of the lycopene in the American diet comes from tomato products.

There is nothing tastier than a freshly picked tomato.  Choose tomatoes that are firm, fragrant, and brightly colored.  Avoid bruised tomatoes that are too soft or too hard.  Store tomatoes at room temperature, and only refrigerate tomatoes to keep them longer.  Fresh tomatoes are good in salads, on sandwiches, or tossed on scrambled eggs, nachos, or in other common dishes like macaroni and cheese.

Tomatoes are easy to preserve by freezing, drying, or canning.

FREEZING

Frozen tomatoes are mushy when thawed but can be used in soups and casseroles. Wash and dip tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins.  Core and peel.  Freeze whole or in pieces.  Pack in freezer containers, jars, or packaging, leaving 1- inch headspace.

Cooked Puree. Wash, peel, core, and cut tomatoes. Cook until soft. Press through food mill or sieve. Cool and pack into freezer jars or containers. Concentrate the puree by boiling until amount is reduced in half.

Juice. Wash, core, peel, and cut tomatoes. Simmer about 5 minutes; put through a sieve or food mill. Cool and pack as above.

DRYING

Small cherry tomatoes or tomatoes with a high solid content, such as Romas, work best for drying. Dried tomatoes are good in soups, stews, sauces, and salads. Tomato leather can be eaten as is, added to soups for flavor, or a little water can be added to the leather to make a savory tomato sauce.  Steam tomatoes for 3 minutes or dip tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute to loosen skins. Chill in cold water; slip skins off. Cut into sections about 1/2 inch wide or slices; cut small tomatoes in half.  Dry tomatoes in a food dehydrator for approximately10-18 hours (length of time depends on initial moisture content).  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

CANNING

Tomatoes are a low-acid food and must be canned carefully to avoid the risk of botulism. To acidify tomatoes, add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, OR 2 tablespoons vinegar  per pint jar.  For quarts, add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon citric acid, OR 4 tablespoons vinegar per jar.  The acid can be added directly to each jar before filling with the product.  Add a little sugar to offset any strong acid taste.  Tomatoes can be processed using a boiling water bath or a pressure canner.  Use only tested recipes and current canning recommendations from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (http://nchfp.uga.edu/).

Whole or halved raw tomatoes packed in water:

Add two tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each clean quart jar and fill with peeled, raw whole or halved tomatoes.  Cover tomatoes in jar with hot water leaving ½ inch headspace.  Wipe off jar rim.  Adjust pretreated lids and screw ring onto jar, finger tight.  Process quarts for 45 minutes in a boiling water bath.  If you use a dial-gauge pressure canner, process for 10 minutes at 11 pounds pressure   With a weighted gauge canner, process 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

RECIPE:

Fresh Garden Salsa

The ingredients can be finely diced or use a medium chopped consistency for chunky salsa. Serve with tortilla chips or use as a side dish with grilled meat or anywhere you want a bright, tart, savory accompaniment.

2 large ripe, red slicing tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 green onion, top included, chopped
1 to 3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, minced
Juice of lime
teaspoon salt

1. Using a serrated knife, chop tomatoes. If using plum tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons water.

2. In a medium bowl, toss together the tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over the mixture and sprinkle on the salt. Allow to rest 30 minutes before serving to allow salt to draw juice from the tomatoes. Stir again just before serving. Makes about 2 cups.

For more information about growing or preserving tomatoes or other produce, contact the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension office at 850-606-5200, or your local Extension office.

Author:  Kendra Zamojski, County Extension Director and Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, UF/IFAS Leon County Extension