Bi6-Lancastw Farming, Saturday. July 29,1989
COLLEGE PARK. Md.
Despite all our technological
advances, we are still subject to
the whims of nature, as recent
storms and the resulting power
failures demonstrated. County
offices Of the Maryland Coopera
tive Extension Service (MCES)
were deluged with phone calls
from consumers wondering how
to keep food cold in refrigerators
and freezers and how to know
which foods were safe to consum
er after hours or days without
electricity.
And while we all hope we don’t
experience such fierce or destruc
tive weather again soon, thunder
and-lightning storms are common
during the summer months and
often cause local failures. It
makes sense, therefore, to be pre
pared, says Dr. Mark A. Kantor,
Arabian
Is Prize
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
SS Samisands, the newest resident
at Wishful Acres here, will be
awarded to one lucky horse lover
during the Devon Horse Show on
August S. The registered Arabian
gelding is the prize in a raffle spon
sored by the Pennsylvania Arabian
Horse Association.
Donated by Mr. and Mrs.
Everett Shea of Windfall Farms in
St. Marys, Pa., the gray horse has
already been shown at two A-rated
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Keep Food Safe During Power Failures
an MCES nutrition specialist, who
offers the following advice.
“First of all, purchase ther
mometers for the freezer and
refrigerator so you can keep track
of the temperature in case the
power fails. The thermometers
should be sturdy and designed
specifically for this use. Many
hardware stores and supermarkets
carry them.”
If your electricity is cut off. Dr.
Kantor advises calling the power
company to find out how long you
can expect to be without electrici
ty. Or listen to your radio for
announcements from the power
company.
“If it’s only a few hours, you
don’t have to do anything... except
avoid opening the refrigerator and
freezer doors. But if the power
Gelding
In Raffle
shows and won at-halter classes.
He is sired by Desert Sands.
The raffle benefits the organiza
tion’s youth group and will be used
for things such as prize money for
contests and projects and for a one
day clinic. Tickets are $1 each or
six for $S and are available to any
interested person up to the time of
the drawing.
To buy a ticket or see Samisand,
contact Holly Wolgemuth at
717/664-3893.
r
• *
Nothin)
Huns Like a Deere®
failure is expected to last longer
than than, you’ll need to take
some steps to ensure the safety of
your food supply,” he says.
If you’re lucky enough to have
a full freezer, Kantor notes, you
can expect food to remain frozen
for two days. A half-full freezer
will keen food frozen for about
one day, although you may be able
to extend this time by grouping
packages together so they retain
the cold more effectively.
You can also help keep food
frozen longer by adding dry ice to
your freezer. Twenty-five pounds
of dry ice should hold a 10-cubic
foot full freezer below freezing for
three to four days. If the freezer is
half full, the same amount of ice
will keep it stable for two to three
days.
If possible, find out where you
can get dry ice before you need it.
Utility companies often distribute
dry ice free of charge during
extended power outages. Listen to
your radio for announcements
regarding distribution points.
Also, learn how to handle dry
ice properly.
“Never touch it with your bare
hands,” Kantor stresses. “It can
freeze your skin quite badly.
Instead, transport it in a cardboard
box that you can place directly in
the freezer, or wear heavy gloves
and. use tongs when handling it”
Keep the dry ice away from food
items or place a piece of cardboard
between the ice and food so items
don’t stick to it.
(When dry ice vaporizes, it
drives out the surrounding oxy
gen, so don’t stick your head into
the freezer and breathe the
880
* A QUART
Minimum Purchase
24 Quarts
SALE ENDS 8/31/89
vapors.)
After a power failure, food will
usually keep for four to six hours
in a refrigerator, depending upon
how warm your kitchen is. If pow
er will be out for longer than that,
you may want to add block ice to
the refrigerator. Don’t use dry ice;
it can freeze refrigerated items.
You can help insulate your
refrigerator and/or freezer by cov
ering it with a blanket, which will
help prevent the loss of cold air.
Just make sure you don’t cover the
air vents in case the power comes
back on.
Once power has been restored,
it’s time to assess the damage. The
following guidelines will help you
decide which items to keep and
which to throw out.
If ice crystals are visible on fro
zen food and its temperature has
remained at 40 degrees or below,
it is safe to refreeze, although the
quality of some items may suffer.
If the food has thawed completely
but stills feels cold, cook it right
away and then serve or refreeze.
A tailored, double-breasted
wool coat tops the rayon front
pleated pants and polyester tucked
blouse Stacy Ann Reaver created
for her fashion project. A 4-U
seamstress for 11 years, Stacy is a
sophomore at Mount Saint Mary’s
College, majoring in elementary
education.
Flowing blue and white satin
was Sarah Carman’s choice for
the prom gown she styled for her.
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4-H Fashion
(Continued from Pago B 14)
Limited Supply on Tractors
Prices.
In the case of meat, Kanlor
recommends using it in a recipe
that allows for well-done rather
than rare preparation. For exam
ple, cut a roast into thin strips and
stir-fry, or use ground beef for
spaghetti sauce rather than rare
hamburgers.
Some foods can tolerate less
time/temperature abuse than
others. For example; fresh meats,
poultry, lunch meats, hot dogs,
eggs and milk should be discarded
if they have been subjected to
temperature of 40 degrees or high
er for more than two hours; bacter
ia that cause food poisoning can
multiply to unsafe levels under
these conditions.
Fruits and vegetables, on the
other hand, can be cooked and
served as long as there is no yeasty
smell, sliminess or evidence of
mold. Juices can be used, pro
vided they look and smell accept
able, and well-wrapped hard
cheeses, butter and margarine can
be kept unless mold or rancid
odors develop.
4-H fashion project. A sweetheart
neckline and yards of bias cut ruf
fles shaped with elastic add grace
ful touches to the floor-length
gown.
From ten honorees at the state
level will be selected Pennsyl
vania's Fashion Revue Repre
sentative to the Nalional 4-H
Fashion Revue, held annually dur
ing the 4-H Club Congress in Chi
cago, during December.
goes WSk
11l