Posted by on 08 Nov 2008 at 8:55 am under Meats
As
Thanksgiving approaches, it’s time to talk turkey. There are many questions surrounding the age-old tradition, such as whether to buy fresh or frozen, and how to safely thaw a turkey.
If you buy a fresh turkey, check the date on the package and purchase only if the date has not passed. If the date is a “sell by” date, that is the last day the turkey can be sold. It is best to prepare the turkey by that date also. If it is a “use by” date, cook it by that date.
Continued on the In Season Guides page for Turkey.
Posted by on 22 Oct 2008 at 8:04 am under Seafood
October is normally the heart of lobster season, but slow demand is causing many Maine lobstermen to sell their lobsters for $3 a pound at the dock, pull up their traps for the winter and end their season early, according to the
Courier-Gazette in Rockland, Maine
At a community lobster bake in Stonington, held in support of the local lobster fleet, lobtsers were selling for $3.50 each, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Posted by on 18 Oct 2008 at 2:03 pm under Fruit
The traditional, basketball-sized, orange fruit is not the only choice in pumpkins any more.
“While orange is still the norm, the market offers white, bluish-gray, buff or even red pumpkins, too,” according to
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension horticulturist Terry Kelley.
If you’re a traditionalist, Kelley recommends the deep burnt orange color of a Magic Lantern or the light orange of an Old Zeb’s. If your goal is to carve a jack-o’-lantern, stay in the 8- to 20-pound range.
If you like trying something new and thinking outside the box, why not try a white or blue pumpkin?
The traditional Lumina variety is the standard white pumpkin that grows from 5 to 12 pounds. Cotton Candy is another of similar size.
If you’re looking for a mini, Baby Boo is a small, white pumpkin. If you want to go toward the giant side, try Full Moon, one of the newest pumpkins on the market. It is a white-skinn
ed variety that can easily grow to 80 pounds.
Jarrahdale is a grayish blue pumpkin that’s deeply ribbed and somewhat flat. Despite its unique outside color, it’s just as orange as any jack-o’-lantern on the inside. Most of the white varieties are orange on the inside, too.
Fairytale and Cinderella are flat, scalloped varieties with glossy skin in buckskin and deep orange. Red Eye is almost red and has veins of white running through the red background. One Too Many has the opposite color scheme.
“If you want a behemoth, pick from one of the giant varieties like Dill’s Atlantic Giant,” Kelley said. “Finding these fruits from 300 to 600 pounds is not uncommon. The world record is around 1,200 pounds.”
You don’t have to stick with orange giants, either. White pumpkins and other varieties range in size from a bushel basket to a small automobile, he said.
For decorating, a plethora of miniature types come in all colors, too, from orange to white to mixed. Kelley says true miniature pumpkins weigh a pound or less.
Gold Dust and Jack-Be-Little are just two of the many miniature varieties that come in orange. Cannonball, Ironman and Li’l Ironsides grow in the 2- to 5-pound range.
There are still more varieties to choose from like the striped minis Li’l Pump-Ke-Mon and Hooligan.
In Season this week across much of North America:
Posted by on 03 Oct 2008 at 3:59 pm under Fruit
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2008 is 689 million pounds, up 5 percent from 2007 and slightly below 2006.
Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 385 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (190 million). New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 15 million to 50 million pounds.
Posted by on 30 Sep 2008 at 1:25 pm under Vegetables
The size of Pennsylvania pumpkins harvested this year will be smaller than average, according to Penn State horticultur
e specialist Mike Orzolek, due to the dry weather that the state experienced in late July and August, as well as a generally cool summer. The size difference will be especially noticeable in medium-to-large pumpkins ranging from 18 to more than 25 pounds.
Pennsylvania ranks as the second largest pumpkin grower in the U.S., with approximately 8,000 acres planted.
Posted by on 25 Sep 2008 at 9:37 am under Fruit
The nation’s 2008-2009 navel orange crop will likely be substantially lower than last season,
according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The initial 2008-09 navel orange forecast of the NASS is for 64 million (37.5-pound) cartons, 34 percent below last season’s crop of 97 million cartons. Of the total forecast, 62 million cartons are predicted to come from the Central Valley of California.
Data indicate an average fruit set of 202 oranges per tree, with a Sept. 1 diameter of 2.276 inches, the NASS says.
Posted by on 18 Sep 2008 at 7:20 pm under Nuts
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has estimated the 2008 Oregon hazelnut crop at 34,000
tons, some 3,000 tons less than the crop harvested in 2007.
This year’s crop in Oregon is running one to two weeks late, however, and it is feared that autumn rains could interfere with harvest.
The average Oregon hazelnut crop from 1998 through 2002 was 29,600 tons; the 2003-2007 average is 36,600 tons.
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