Family Living Focus by Ginger Clayton Mercer County Extension Agent PLAYING IT SAFE WITH EGGS As Easter approaches, many of us begin to stock up on eggs for decorating or to serve in special dishes. Eggs have been used as a source of human food for thou sands of years, so there are doz ens of ways to prepare eggs. In some instances, the bacteria Salmonella has been associated with egg consumption. Since we can’t tell which eggs may carry the bacteria by looking at them, food safety precautions should be used anytime eggs are handled. Our new AGCO® RT Series tractors are designed to knock out all competitors with mots standard features and value, including: • Turbocharged Cummins® B Series 5.9 L engines • Quiet, spacious cabs or 2-post ROPS • 32x32 Auto QuadraShift® or Dual Control powershift • Closed-center, pressure-flow-compensated electro-hydraulics • Michelin® Agribib™ tires Stop in today. Pick your model. Grab the wheel. You’ll see why power to power, feature to feature, dollar to dollar, AGCO RT Series tractors am the new undisputed champions. fAoeoT AGCO* It % tradtmark of AGCO Corporation. SEE YOUR LOCAL DEALER TODAY! FARMERS EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY Airville, Pa. 717-862-3967 B.H.M. FARM EQUIP., INC. Annville, Pa. 717-867-2211 MILLER EQUIPMENT CO. Bechtelsville, Pa. 610-845-2911 WITMER’S INC. Columbiana, OH 330-427-2147 When purchasing eggs, look for ones that have clean, un cracked shells. Be sure that the eggs you purchase are being held in a refrigerated case. Pick up your eggs and other refrigerated foods just before you check out, allowing them to remain under refrigeration while you are shop ping. Then, take these foods home immediately and put them in the refrigerator. You should also check the date that is stamped on the egg carton. Don’t purchase eggs that are out of date. HERNLEY’S FARM SIBERT EQUIPMENT C.J. WONSIDLER EQUIP., INC. New Oxford, Pa. BROS. Elizabethtown, Pa. 717-624-8763 Quakertown, Pa. 717-367-8867 215-536-7523 New Tripoli, Pa. 215-767-7611 Oley, Pa. 215-987-6257 WERTZ FARM & POWER EQUIPMENT, INC. PARt. 516, Glen Rock, Pa. 717-235-0111 STANLEY’S FARM SERVICE Klingerstown, Pa. 570-648-2088 When you get the eggs home, always store them in your refrig erator. Eggs do not need to be washed before being stored as they are washed and sanitized at the plant. By washing eggs pur chased at the store, you may be washing of a protective coating the plant has placed on the eggs. Store the eggs in their original carton to retain moisture. Do not place the eggs in the egg holder located on your refrigerator, be cause as the door is often the warmest part in your refrigera tor. Eggs can usually be stored for four to five weeks after pur chasing. Eggs that have been re moved from the shell should be used within a few days of remov ing them from the shell. While the appearance of eggs may differ slightly, these factors are not usually related to the safety of eggs. Blood spots in eggs are caused by the rupture of blood vessels and do not indicate that an egg is unsafe. If the white part of an egg is cloudy, this indi cates the egg is fresh. The color of an egg yolk can vary according to the diet of the hen. However, a jWmptfi&i'mm MANOR MOTORS On Rte. 553 Penn Run, Pa. 724-254-4753 LEBANON VALLEY FARM SERVICE IMPLEMENT CO., INC 717 786 7 3 1|- RiGhland ' Pa ' 717-786-7318 717-866-7518 B. EQUIP, INC. Waynesboro, Pa. 717-762-3193 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 23, 2002-B5 pink colored egg white may be an indication of spoilage. A very important rule to keep in mind whichever way you are preparing your eggs is always wash your hands both before and after handling raw eggs. Coun tertops, utensils, and equipment that come into contact with eggs should be thoroughly washed with warm, soapy water after use. These rules are important because bacteria from raw eggs can be spread to foods that are ready to eat. When preparing eggs, cook them until both the whites and the yolks are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny. If you are preparing a dish that con tains eggs, cook it until it reaches a temperature of at least 160 de grees Fahrenheit, according to a thermometer. If you are making an item that calls for raw eggs such as homemade ice cream, Caesar salad dressing, or certain frostings, use pasteurized eggs. Serving undercooked egg prod ucts to infants and children, the elderly, or others with weakened immune systems can be very risky as these i—- people are more prone to illness. Try to serve your eggs dishes immediately after prepara tion for both safety and Pies, Pies, And More Pies At Dairy Day MONTROSE (Susquehanna Co.) The Elk Lake School stage was host to 29 delectable pies ranging from blueberry, strawberry cream, and candy apple to chocolate chip nut and banana cream. The pies were baked by local residents to be part of the pie auction at Dairy Day. But first, Susquehanna County Commissioner Lee Smith, Chief Clerk Suzanne Brainard, and Sheriff Lance Benedict had the tough job of tast ing the adults’ pies to determine which three were the top prize winners. This year’s pie bak ing winners were Reba Loomis, Robin Campbell, and Becky Darling. Auctioneer Barry Sands rallied the “pie-eyed crowd” and began the bidding high. After all of the 29 pies were auctioned off and the buyers smiling, the total amount was about $1,200. This money will be split between 4-H Dairy program and Susquehanna County Dairy program. Mike McDavid, Penn State Cooperative Ex tension’s northeast regional director, judged the newest division of the pie contest youth. Nine young bakers prepared pies to be auctioned off that day with Amanda Miner winning the con test. ■ t_j CLOSED SUNDAYS NEW YEAR, frtjjsl J EASTER MONDAY, ASCENSION DAY, WHIT MONDAY, OCT. 11, THANKSGIVING, f yaimm CHRISTMAS a December 2bth FISHER’S FURNITURE. INC. NEW AND USED FURNITURE USED COAL & WOOD HEATERS COUNTRY FURNITURE & ANTIQUES BUS. HRS. BOX 57 MON.-THURS. 8-5 1129 GEORGETOWN RD. FRI, 8-8, SAT. 8-12 BART, PA 17503 15 Days Departs Mondays and Thursdays January 13lh thru the 30th, 2003 Includes airfare Hawaiian owned hotels, transfers, baggage handling, Escort flying with you from island to island, staying in OAHU, HAWAII (Kona & Hilo), MAUI & KAUAI Sightseeing includes Honolulu City Tour with Pearl Harbor, Volcano National Park, Kona Coffee Plantation Tour, Parker Cattle Ranch Museum, Orchid Nursery, Macadamian Nut Factory Tour, Wailua Riverboat Cruise, Fern Grotto, Guava Plantation, plus more as listed in brochure W/&SS TOUASCellter free brochure quality reasons. Hard-cooked or hard-boiled eggs are often prepared for Eas ter egg hunts. Use a food-safe coloring when dying eggs. Keep your hard-boiled eggs in the re frigerator until immediately be fore the egg hunt. If eggs have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours, they should not be consumed. You may con sider preparing additional eggs that will not be used in the egg hunt for consumption. If do plan to eat the eggs that you hide, be sure they are clean and unbroken after the hunt. The eggs should be placed back into the refrigera tor immediately following the egg hunt. They should be used within one week since the protective coating on the outside of the eggs is washed away during boiling. Occasionally, the outside of the yolk of a hard-cooked egg takes on a greenish tint. This happens as a result of a reaction of sulfur and iron compounds. Another possible cause for this reaction could be high amounts of iron in the water in which the eggs have been boiled. This greenish color can also be seen when scrambled eggs are held at a temperature that is too high for an extended period of time. While it is not vis ually appealing, this greenish tint is not harmful and the eggs can still be consumed. Hawaii Farm Tour The Best Escorted Vacations You’ll Ever Find From $2144 P.P. Dbl Add $llO for some departure cities 4 Islands
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