812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Navemtec ,18k
David Kradel Herbert Jordan Milton Madison
Penn State
Poultry T
Pointers 1 ;
Herbert Siegel Donald Singletary Owen Keene
Safe Food Handling
Essential for a
Happy Thanksgiving
Morris G. Mast
Thanksgiving is a festive
season, involving good friends,
good times and good food. For
most of us, the day focuses on the
Thanksgiving dinner and a deli
cious roasted turkey. Unfortunate
ly, it also can He an occasion that
lends itself to food-handling
practices, and utthe worst scenar
io, foodbome finness.
There*, has £pen much media
attention in the past two to three
years .egardiilg food safety, espe-
Ida’s
Notebook
Ida Bisser
Time to prepare for Thanksgiv
ing. Just a few more days to plan a
menu and gather the ingredients.
The only thing that I will need to
buy is a big turkey. Actually, I
guess there are a few more things
that I’ll need, such as, bread, eggs
and cranberry sauce.
The cellar shelves are lined
with jars of fruit and the two freez
ers are full of vegetables. There
are plenty of pumpkins stored
away and so there will be several
pies for Thanksgiving. I expect
only two of our six children will
be able to feast with us. It is a
satisfying thing to be self
sufficient and at some of our
meals I can say that everything on
the table came from our farm.
Recently we had a family din
ner as our son, his wife and baby
came from Memphis, Tennessee,
for a high school reunion. Their
one year old is a hefty 27 pounds
with lots of red curls. I’m hoping
he will not be a football player as
some people have suggested. I
would worry about some serious
injury happening to him.
They were here in Lancaster
County less than two days. It
seems that if we are willing to pay
the price, we certainly can cover a
lot of miles in an airplane in a
short period of time. Sometimes it
takes longer to drive in a car from
the airport to our destination than
the flight itself. And, then there is
the time change to consider too.
Last week my husband and I
traveled to northern Pennsylvania
to visit out youngest daughter and
give Allen an opportunity to hunt
for turkey. I took my fishing pole
along but neither of us had any
luck. However, we were lucky to
have very for our
short trip.
dally on the roles of production
agriculture and the food processor
in assuring a safe food supply.
However, most foodbome illnes
ses occur due to mishandling of the
food in the home or food service
institution.
Fortunately, these events can be
controlled if these end-users of the
food supply are aware of potential
hazards, know how to prevent
them, and most importantly, prac
tice what they know. Mishandling
of turkey frequently occurs in four
areas...thawing frozen birds, stuf
fing, roasting, and storing
leftovers.
Many turkeys are purchased fro
zen. The key to safe thawing is
always to keep the turkey cold;
therefore, you will need to plan
ahead and allow adequate lime for
the thawing method you choose.
Never thaw turkeys at room temp
erature. Thawing in the refrigera
tor is the preferred method for
safety reasons: however, plan on
24 hours for each 5 pounds of turk
ey, so that a 15-pound bird will
require 3 days to thaw.
If you forget to thaw the turkey
until the day before, you can use
the cold-water method. Immerse
the frozen bird in its original wrap
in clean, cold water. Change the
cold water frequently. Allow 30
minutes per pound, so that a
15-pound bird will require 7-8
hours to thaw.
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A third method (for the procras
tinators among us!) is to use a
microwave oven. Assuming your
oven is large enough to accommo
date the turkey, follow manufac
turers guidelines for proper set
tings and times required to safely
thaw the bird.
You may wish to enjoy the
aha/im QAiomcn
Lancaster Society 14
Lancaster Farm Women Socie- showed an antique. It was like a recipe. Members walked around
ty 14 met November Bat the home stroll down memory lane. the cookie display and took as
of Donna Coleman. A health tip was given by many as they had contributed.
Devotions were led by Marion Esther Landis. For the December Bth meeting,
Rohrer. Members each brought three members will take a bus trip to
For roll call each member dozen cookies and 10 copies of the NBC and Radio City Music Hall
in New York City, N.Y.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY • November 24th and 25th
• FREE Hot Dogs & Sodas - Door Prizes
• Live Entertainment - Factory Representatives
• Special Prices Thru-Out!
the Cub Cadet winter
Snowthrower Sale.
It Can Save You APile ... If You Catch Our Drift.
Model 826 Snowthrower
This self-propelled, two-stage unit is powered by a
heavy-duty 8 h.p. engine and clears a wide 26"
patch. The track design provides the ultimate in trac
tion and stability on ice and in deep snow drifts. The'
all-steel 12” diameter auger works in combination
with the impeller to throw snow up to 18 feet away.
Additional features include electric start, and five for
ward speeds plus reverse for varying snow
conditions.
Optional accessories include a snow shield,
headlight and drift cutter bars.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price $1,159.95
Sale Price $9BB-00
You Save $1 71 >95
ChbCadet.
Power Equipment
lawing
Stuffing
OPEN HOUSE
If You're Not
Shopping
LEROY'S REPAIR
You May Be
Paying
Too Much!
48 Queen Road Gordonville, P.
V* Mile South Of Intercourse
dressing or stuffing without stut
fing the bird, for example heat the
stuffing in a separate container.
This will save work and the
unstuffed bird will require less
lime to cook. If you do stuff the
bird, never do it far in advance of
roasting; this invites trouble since
it provides a wonderful environ
ment for bacterial growth and
potential problems. Also be sure to
not overstuff...stuffing does
expand when heated.
Roasting
A recommended oven tempera
ture is 325 degrees Fahrenheit. By
using a much lower temperature,
such as 250 degrees Fahrenheit,
too much time is required to ele
vate the temperature of the turkey
meat and stuffing to destroy bac
teria. Once roasting has started, it
should be completed to an end
temperature of 180-185 degrees
Fahrenheit in the inner thigh and
165 degrees Fahrenheit in the stuf
fing; interrupted cooking enhances
the possibility of bacterial growth.
To assure adequate heating, use an
accurate meat thermometer to
determine the above temperature.
If you wish to cook your turkey
using a microwave oven, check the
manufacturers instructions. Using
an oven cooking bag during micro
wave heating ensures the most
even cooking.
Storing leftovers
After enjoying your properly
thawed, stuffed and roasted turkey,
it is imperative to properly handle
leftovers to assure food safety. As
a guideline, do not keep the roasted
bird at room temperature for more
than two hours. Leftovers should
be wrapped or placed in a covered
container and refrigerated or fro
zen immediately after your
Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t leave
the turkey sitting out on the count
er for people to nibble at while fes
tivities continue. After the turkey
has been cooked, it is susceptible
to post-cook contamination. Cook
ing has destroyed any harmful
microorganisms; however, new
ones like Staphyloccus aureus,
which people may harbor and easi
ly transmit to the turkey, will grow
well without competition from
other bacteria. Leftover refriger
ated turkey should be eaten within
3-4 days; frozen turkey should be
consumed within 4-6 months for
best quality.