Yeast

Although the principle tastes present in beer, wine or bread are the result of the raw materials used, the strain of yeast used can also add important flavors, good and/or bad. Considering the importance of yeasts, it's remarkable how little attention they get. Vines and grapes, hops and barley, and even flour are easy for us to understand because we can see them, and they get all the attention.

Yeasts, along with other microbes, are much harder for us visually dominated humans to get a handle on because of their microscopic size. If we want to have a proper perspective on things, imagine the sponge kettle in the Dough Mixing Room is the size of a small lake and yeast cells are the size of golf balls, capable of growing rapidly and dividing every half hour or so. Suddenly they don't seem so abstract.

This week, a look at yeast.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The weariest night, the longest day, sooner or later must perforce come to an end." - Baroness Emma Magdalena Rosalia Maria Josefa Barbara Orczy (British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian origin, most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel, 1865 –1947)

The Story of Yeast

Winter Holiday Food Safety Quiz

It's the holiday season, so don't let your food safety guard down. Here's a quiz to make sure you're paying attention between those brandied egg-nogs.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is only one real deprivation, I decided this morning, and that is not to be able to give one's gifts to those one loves most." - May Sarton (1912 -1995, American poet and novelist)

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Winter Holiday Food Safety Quiz

Feng Shui

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Zoo paid $4,500 to an expert in the ancient Chinese art of feng shui to ensure three endangered golden monkeys on loan from China can have a strong life force. Consulting the feng shui expert was part of the cost for a $7.4 million enclosure for the golden monkeys.

Who am I to argue with golden monkeys? If it's good enough for them, perhaps it's good enough for us. This week, by special request, a look at feng shui.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "In case you ever run out of gift ideas, here's a little tip: give me your laugh. Whether it's mischievous, tender, loud, or quiet, simply give me a laugh from your heart. Your laughter brings me never-ending joy." - Helmut Walch (Austrian author)

Feng Shui

FDA History, Part 1

A few weeks ago you read about the 1937 Elixir Sulfanilamide tragedy, in which over 100 people died after using a drug formulated with a toxic, untested solvent. This week, we look at more of the history of the FDA, starting with the 1906 Food and Drugs Act.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If a person gives you his time, he can give you no more precious gift." - Frank Tyger

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FDA Part 1

Lemon Wedges

Lemons are native to tropical Asia, where cultivation dates back at least 2,500 years. In the twelfth century the Arabs brought lemons to Spain and Africa. It was Christopher Columbus who brought the seeds of lemons with him from the Canary Islands on his second voyage.

It's said that lemon juice is good for colds, flu, scarlet fever, and chest infections; it can act as a tonic for the liver and pancreas, improve the appetite and helps to ease stomach acidity, ulcers, arthritis, gout, and rheumatism; as a gargle, lemon juice relieves sore throats, gingivitis, and canker sores; externally it can be applied directly to acne, athlete's foot, chilblains, stings, ringworm, sunburn, and warts.

Despite all these positive aspects, I'm drinking my ice tea these days without a lemon wedge. Why? A recent study shows that lemon slices are loaded with bacteria, likely due to cross-contamination from improperly handled cutting boards, utensils, other foods or unwashed hands.

This week, a look at lemons that are, well, lemons.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Other people may be there to help us, teach us, guide us along our path. But the lesson to be learned is always ours." - Melody Beattie (American author and journalist)

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Lemon Wedges

A Bitter Brew

Coffee use can be traced back as early as the 9th century, when it appeared in the highlands of Ethiopia. According to legend, Ethiopian shepherds were the first to observe the influence of the caffeine in coffee beans when the goats appeared to "dance" and to have an increased level of energy after consuming wild coffee berries.

Coffee was initially used for spiritual reasons. At least 1,000 years ago, traders brought coffee across the Red Sea into Arabia (modern day Yemen), where Muslim monks began cultivating the shrub in their gardens. Coffee became the substitute beverage in place of wine in spiritual practices where wine was forbidden.

I still drink wine, but my daily dose of caffeine doth leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses and restoreth my buzz, and thy cream and thy sugar comfort me. This week, a look at why coffee is often a "bitter brew".

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience." - George Washington (first president of the US, 1732 - 1799)

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A Bitter Brew

HACCP - Five Preliminary Tasks

A while back, we looked at a brief overview of HACCP.

The format of a HACCP plan can differ, depending on the industry and application. In many cases the plans will be product and process specific. However, some plans may use a unit operations approach. Generic HACCP plans can serve as useful guides in the development of process and product HACCP plans; however, it is essential that the unique conditions within each facility be considered during the development of all components of the HACCP plan.

To take all these difference into consideration, there are preliminary tasks that need to be accomplished before the application of the HACCP principles to a specific product and process. This week, we'll look more in depth at the Five Preliminary Tasks that need to be accomplished before you can develop a HACCP Plan.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination." - Roy M. Goodman (US politician, 1930 - )

HACCP - Five Preliminary Tasks

A Brief History of Chocolate

It's Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, the old Celtic New Year, said to be a day for human sacrifice among the Druids, the holiday that paid for your dentist's BMW. Traditional activities for Halloween include Halloween festivals, costume parties, bonfires, visiting "haunted houses", viewing horror films, and, of course, trick-or-treating. The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

While chocolate is a poor substitute for ale, it is the treat of choice these days. This week, a brief history of chocolate.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin." - Linus Van Pelt in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, as written by Charles Monroe Schulz (20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip, 1922 – 2000)

Brief History of Chocolate

Elixir Sulfanilamide tragedy

In June 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Food and Drugs Act. The Act prohibited, under penalty of seizure of goods, the interstate transport of food which had been "adulterated", with that term referring to the addition of fillers of reduced "quality or strength", coloring to conceal "damage or inferiority," formulation with additives "injurious to health," or the use of "filthy, decomposed, or putrid" substances.

The Chemistry Bureau's (the forerunner of the FDA) authority was soon checked by judicial decisions. A 1911 Supreme Court decision ruled that the 1906 act did not apply to false claims of therapeutic efficacy; other court decisions set high standards for proof of fraudulent intent.

By the 1930s, muckraking journalists, consumer protection organizations, and federal regulators began mounting a campaign for stronger regulatory authority by publicizing a list of injurious products which had been ruled permissible under the 1906 law, including radioactive beverages, cosmetics which caused blindness, and worthless "cures" for diabetes and tuberculosis. The resulting proposed law was unable to get through the Congress of the United States for five years, but the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) was finally signed into law by another President Roosevelt (Franklin Delano) on June 25, 1938.

What caused Congress to finally agree and send to bill to the President? The public outcry over the 1937 Elixir Sulfanilamide tragedy, in which over 100 people died after using a drug formulated with a toxic, untested solvent. This week, we look at this horrible moment in US history.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong." - Leo Buscaglia (US author & lecturer, 1925 - )

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FDA Elixir Sulfanilamide

Lentils

Lentils were probably one of the first pulse crops to be domesticated and originated in the fertile crescent of the Near East, indicating they date back to the beginnings of agriculture itself. The earliest carbonized remains (10,000 years old) were unearthed on the banks of the Euphrates River in Northern Syria. Genesis 25:29-34 tells us that Esau sold his birthright to his slightly younger twin brother Jacob in exchange for a "mess of pottage" (meal of lentils).

From a nutritional standpoint, they're rich in iron and fiber, and an important source of protein for many across the globe. This week, to celebrate our continued production of Lentil Soup, a look at lentils.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Eliminate something superfluous from your life. Break a habit. Do something that makes you feel insecure." - Piero Ferrucci (psychotherapist and philosopher)

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Lentils

Food Allergies

A food allergy, or hypersensitivity, is an abnormal response to a food that is triggered by the immune system. True food allergies affect a relatively small percentage of people, but it is extremely important for people who have true food allergies to prevent those allergic reactions because these reactions can cause devastating illness and, in some cases, be fatal.

Although an individual could be allergic to any food, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, there are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions: eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts (which include almonds, macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, Brazils, pine nuts, chestnuts, and pistachios), fish and shellfish, commonly referred to as the Big 8 here in the US. Canada includes sulfites and sesame seeds, the European Union adds celery/celeriac and mustard, and in Japan they add buckwheat and highly recommend listing items such as oranges, crab, kiwifruit, beef, poultry, pork, mushrooms, peaches, yams, apples and gelatin.

Whew. I think I'm allergic to allergen lists.

This week, a look at food allergy myths versus facts.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is one piece of advice, in a life of study, which I think no one will object to; and that is, every now and then to be completely idle - to do nothing at all." - Sydney Smith (English essayist, 1771 - 1845)

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)Food Allergies - Just the Facts

A Short History of Canning.

It's been to war, it's been to space, it's saved countless lives, and it's in your cupboard right now. Canning is the unsung essential of modern life. Without this indispensable method of preserving and packaging food, civilization would never have ventured beyond the local food supply. Canning changed the way the world eats and revolutionized the food industry.

To celebrate the official start of Canning here in Medford, this week we'll look at a short history of canning.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Buy the ticket take the Ride." - Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (US journalist, 1939 - 2005)

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Short History of Canning

Escherichia coli

Almost a year to the day of an illness outbreak associated with bagged spinach and two years to the day of one associated with bagged lettuce, a division of Dole Food Company last week issued an international recall of one of its brands of bagged salad after a sample taken from a store in Canada tested positive for E. coli.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of many species of bacteria living in the lower intestines of mammals, known as gut flora. When located in the large intestine, it assists with waste processing, vitamin K production, and food absorption. They were discovered in 1885 by Theodor Escherich, a German pediatrician and bacteriologist.

The E. coli strain O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium that causes illness in humans. Most people had never heard of E. coli O157:H7 until the Jack in the Box incident of 1993. However, this strain was first recognized as a foodborne pathogen in 1982 during an investigation into an outbreak of unusual gastrointestinal illness associated with consumption of hamburgers from a fast food chain restaurant. A little known fact is that the "fast food chain restaurant" was McDonald's and the location was…White City, Oregon.

This week, a look at Escherichia coli.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (US essayist & poet, 1803 - 1882)

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Escherichia coli

Why Leaves Fall

Daylight hours have been shortening in length since the Summer Solstice in June; the Autumnal Equinox is the point where nights reach the same length as days. After this point, the Sun will shine lower and lower on the horizon until the Winter Solstice in about three months' time. The tilting poles give us the seasons; more hours of sunlight in the summer and long cold nights in the winter.

In a few days we'll celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, also known as the Fall Equinox, Alban Elfed, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Witch's Thanksgiving, and the first day of autumn.

Regardless of the name, it signals the end of the summer months and the beginning of fall(ing leaves).

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand." - Frank Herbert (US science fiction novelist, 1920 - 1986)

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Why Leaves Fall

Listeria

What is Listeria monocytogenes and listeriosis?

Listeria monocytogenes is a kind of bacteria often found in soil and water, which can cause serious illness. Illness from eating foods with Listeria monocytogenes is called listeriosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), less than 2,000 people in the United States report serious illness from listeriosis each year. Of those reporting, approximately 25% die as a result of the illness.

This week, a look at Listeria.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Any road is bound to arrive somewhere if you follow it far enough." - Patricia Wentworth (pen name Dora Amy Elles Turnbull, British author, 1878 - 1961)

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Listeria

HACCP

The application of a structured Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to food production was pioneered by the Pillsbury Company with the cooperation and participation of the Natick Laboratories of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force Space Laboratory Project Group and a fledgling government agency called the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). Application of the system in the early 1960's created food for the United State's space program that approached 100% assurance against contamination by bacterial and viral pathogens, toxins, and chemical or physical hazards that could cause illness or injury to astronauts. HACCP replaced end-product testing to provide food safety assurance and provided a preventive system for producing safe food that had universal application.

Simply stated, HACCP is a logical – and thorough – system designed to identify hazards and/or critical situations, and to produce a structured plan to control these situations. HACCP bases the food-safety program on sound scientific data: to increase training and awareness of employees at all levels, and to focus on prevention and control of food safety problems at highly specific (and controllable) points in the process chain.

This week, a brief overview of HACCP. In the future, we'll look more in depth at the Five Preliminary Tasks and the Seven Principles of HACCP.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint on it you can." - Danny Kaye (US actor & singer, 1913 - 1987)

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HACCP

Sustainable Agriculture

Since the end of World War II, dramatic changes have occurred in agriculture. Food and fiber productivity soared due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favored maximizing production, resulting in fewer farmers with reduced labor demands producing the majority of the food and fiber in the U.S.

These changes resulted in many positive effects and reduced many risks in farming, but there have also been significant costs: topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities.

Sustainable agriculture is garnering increasing support and acceptance within mainstream agriculture. Not only does sustainable agriculture address many environmental and social concerns, but it offers innovative and economically viable opportunities for growers, laborers, consumers, policymakers and many others in the entire food system.

This week, a look at sustainable agriculture.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind." - E. B. White (US author & humorist, 1899 - 1985)

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Sustainable Agriculture

Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges

I was recently reminded that the ever trustworthy kitchen accessory, the sponge, is often neglected when it comes to its own cleaning. Sponges are convenient and reusable, but they can carry a big problem. If they're used all day, all over the kitchen, they can pick up a lot of bacteria and viruses along with the spills and splatters.

This week we'll look at various ways to clean your sponge, including something in nearly every kitchen that can clean sponges, as well as sterilize them.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours. " - Mark Twain (US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit, 1835 - 1910)

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Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges

Virus or Bacteria?

Two types of germs cause most infections in the United States - viruses and bacteria. They are frequently portrayed as harbingers of disease and death. The news is always reporting about some bacteria or virus such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cholera, the West Nile virus, or E. coli causing illnesses around the world. Throughout modern and ancient times alike, these unseen organisms have caused the deaths of millions of people.

Most bacteria are harmless, and without them, life on Earth could not exist. They are essential components of the global ecosystem as decomposers. Viruses, on the other hand, are mostly harmful. They exist only to invade cells and reproduce themselves, usually destroying the host cell in the process.

This week we'll look at the differences between viruses and bacteria.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin (US French-born author & diarist, 1903 - 1977)

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Virus or Bacteria

Questions and Answers About Organic from the Organic Trade Association

The Organic Trade Association (OTA), formerly the Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA), was established in 1985 in the United States and Canada. Since its inception, the association has been a key player in shaping both the regulatory and market environment for organic products.

OTA’s mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy. OTA envisions organic products becoming a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's lives and the environment.

This week we'll look at Questions and Answers About Organic, as presented by the OTA.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Living in a vacuum sucks." - Adrienne E. Gusoff (US teacher, humorist and greeting card writer)

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OTA

Botulism

You've likely already heard about Castleberry's Food Company and their recall of more than 80 canned goods for people and four products for pets. The main concern with the items is the potential for botulism.

Botulism is caused by the botulin toxin, which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, first recognized and isolated in 1896 by Emile van Ermengem. C. botulinum is also used to prepare Botox, used to selectively paralyze muscles to temporarily relieve wrinkles. I'd rather have wrinkles, but that's just me.

This week, a quick look at botulism.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Have regard for your name, since it will remain for you longer than a great store of gold." - Ecclesiasticus, Apocrypha (Ec. 41:12)

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Botulism

Plan Do Check Act

Walter Andrew Shewhart (1891 - 1967) was an American physicist, engineer and statistician, and is known as the father of statistical quality control. While working for Bell Laboratories, Shewhart developed a process that included design, performing, verifying results and acting on those results. Shewhart was a friend and mentor to William Edwards Deming (1900 - 1993), an American statistician, college professor, author, lecturer, and consultant. Deming is best known for his work in Japan after WWII, where he is regarded as having had more impact upon Japanese manufacturing and business than any other individual not of Japanese heritage.

In the 1950's, Deming proposed that business processes should be analyzed and measured to identify sources of variations that cause products to deviate from customer requirements. He recommended that business processes be placed in a continuous feedback loop so that managers can identify and change the parts of the process that need improvements. Deming created a diagram to illustrate the continuous process idea of Shewhart, and while it is known as both the Deming Cycle and the Shewhart Cycle, it is best known as the PDCA cycle for Plan, Do, Check, Act.

TTFN, Fred.

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PDCA

FightBAC Chill

In the movie Goldfinger, James Bond is romancing the ill-fated Jill Masterson, (the woman Goldfinger kills by painting gold), when he notices the champagne has lost its chill. On his way to the fridge to fetch another bottle she queries as to why he is bothering. He retorts: "My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Perignon 1953 above a temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit."

Agent 007: License to Chill.

This week we'll conclude the four-part presentation from Fight BAC!® with CHILL.

TTFN, Fred.

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Fightbac Chill Factsht

FightBAC Cook

"In fact, the only working knowledge I had of a kitchen came from watching my mom make dinner; for the longest time I thought the only way to make spaghetti was to curse my father and drink cooking sherry straight from the bottle, which is fun, but seldom results in spaghetti." http://www.humorpress.com/Showcase/Current/Essays/Winners/ThirdPlace.htm

This week we'll continue the four-part presentation from Fight BAC!® with COOK.

TTFN, Fred.

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Fightbac Cook Factsht

Farmer's Markets

A weekly market day is a part of normal life in villages and town squares throughout the world. Here in the US, farmers' markets are a traditional way of selling agricultural and home manufactured products.

Just like shopping anywhere else, care should be taken when purchasing, handling and processing items from farmers' markets. This week we'll look at food safety and selection at the farmers' market.

TTFN, Fred.

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FarmMkt

Gluten

You may have heard of celiac disease, or maybe you or someone you know has it. Celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to eating foods containing wheat, rye or barley. The treatment for the disease is complete avoidance of these foods, also known as a gluten free diet.

This is both easier and more complicated than it sounds. French fries are gluten-free, unless they happen to come from a certain yellow-arched eatery that serves billions and billions, as their fries contain wheat (and milk and added flavor). Corn tortilla chips are gluten-free, unless they come from a certain fast-food outlet loosely based on Tex-Mex cuisine and a hollow metallic device that gives off a reverberating sound when struck, which puts wheat in the recipe to help hold the chips together.

The things you learn being married to someone who is gluten intolerant. This week, we'll take a look at gluten.

TTFN, Fred.

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Gluten

FightBAC Separate

This week we'll continue the four-part presentation from Fight BAC!® with SEPARATE. No, not like separating whites from yolks, but rather separating items to avoid cross-contamination, a leading cause of foodborne illness. As you're aware, it's the transfer of harmful bacteria to food from improperly handled cutting boards, utensils, other foods or your hands.

Like the lyrics in that old song from Three Dog Night, "separate, separate, don't mix cooked and raw". Or something like that.

TTFN, Fred.

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Fightbac Separate Factsht