I really miss topping my salads off with a handful of alfalfa sprouts. What makes them so unsafe?
It doesn’t seem that long ago that sprouts were ubiquitous at every salad bar you approached. Not so much anymore. They’ve even disappeared from some major grocery store chains after numerous outbreaks traced to sprouts in recent years.
The problem is in the way sprouts grow: Seeds need warm, moist growing conditions to sprout — exactly the conditions that illness-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, need to thrive.
Even if there’s just a small amount of bacteria on or inside a seed, those cells can multiply to dangerous levels within hours in such conditions.
The irony is that raw sprouts have long been touted as one of nature’s most potent...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – From vegetable grafting and dairy cow management to plasticulture strawberry production and organic grain production, Ohio State University professionals will present pertinent information on some of the key issues in organic and sustainable agriculture next month during Ohio’s largest sustainable food and farm conference.
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 34th annual conference, Growing Opportunities, Cultivating Change, is Feb. 16-17 in Granville, Ohio. And with 27 workshops, Ohio State scientists, specialists and students will offer a record number of presentations during the event, which is expected to draw 1,200 participants, organizers said.
The previous high was 19 workshops...
MEDINA, Ohio -- Ohio's produce farmers may want to take some time to review the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's newly proposed Produce Safety rule. They have until May 16 to comment before the rule is finalized, said Ashley Kulhanek, agriculture and natural resources educator for Ohio State University Extension.
After finalization, the rule will take effect for some operators within a mere 60 days.
"That's a short period of time after finalization before they have to comply with the new rules," she said.
The proposed Produce Safety rule, announced on Jan. 4 and published in the Federal Register today, is one way the government is putting the Food Safety Modernization Act into practice. The act was signed into law in January 2011, and growers and the food...
I’m looking for easy ways to make some of my recipes and meals healthier. Any ideas?
This is a great way to start the new year, and yes, there are plenty of ideas to increase nutrients and reduce fat and calories in the foods you prepare at home. Below are some favorites, primarily from Ohio State University Extension (see “Modifying a Recipe to be Healthier” at http://ohioline.osu.edu) and eXtension (see “Recipe Substitutions” at http://www.extension.org).
To reduce fat:
Use evaporated skim milk instead of cream.
Use 1/4 cup egg substitute or two egg whites in place of a whole egg.
In quick breads, muffins, brownies or cakes, substitute half or all of the oil, butter or other shortening with unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas or fruit puree....
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University has a long history of cultivating international relationships.
Now the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is expanding that role through the Office of International Programs in Agriculture by forming a three-way partnership designed to bring together university expertise at Ohio State, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in India and Egerton University in Kenya.
The U.S./India/Africa Tri-lateral University Partnership Program for Food Security will combine the strengths of PAU with Ohio State's expertise in agricultural capacity-building to address poverty and hunger issues in Kenya and throughout Africa.
The program is a joint effort of the U.S. government and the government of...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Right next to a commercial nursery and greenhouse operation on the outskirts of Wooster, paddlewheels keep water constantly moving in four 30-by-200-foot ponds shaped like automotive raceway circuits. The water is deep green and murky.
That's just how Phil Lane likes it.
Lane is a program manager for Touchstone Research Laboratory, a West Virginia-based company that operates this unusual facility on a stretch of farmland where the remnants of corn and soybean fields are now buried under snow.
And the stuff making the ponds green is another type of crop that could one day grow alongside the more traditional fare occupying Ohio fields: algae.
"Algae can be grown just about anywhere, so we...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- An Ohio State University scientist says an abundant byproduct from coal-burning power plants, if spread on farmers’ fields, could help control Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms.
Warren Dick, a soil biochemist in the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), said applying fluidized gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum to crop fields can keep soluble phosphorus, the main nutrient feeding the algae, from getting washed from the soil by heavy rains, then running off into streams and rivers and eventually into the lake.
“Not only that, but FGD gypsum, which is a synthetic form of gypsum, can improve both the soil and the crops,” he said. “Naturally occurring, mined gypsum has...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Here are upcoming events involving Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences as of Jan. 7:
January
NEW: Jan. 9: Registration deadline for Certified Crop Adviser Pre-Exam Training Seminar Jan. 16-17 in Sidney. $225; includes preparation sessions, lunches, handouts. Information: http://www.regonline.com/CCAPrep.
NEW: Jan. 10: Registration deadline for Ohio Farmland Preservation Summit Jan. 17 in Columbus. $50; includes continental breakfast, lunch. Registration, information: http://go.osu.edu/farmlandsummit2013.
NEW: Jan. 11: Ohio Land Use Conference, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus. Registration...
COSHOCTON, Ohio -- Ohio State University’s Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team will hold a program on preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms from 6-9 p.m. on Jan. 30 in the Coshocton County Services Building, Room 125, 724 S. Seventh St., in Coshocton.
Food safety and Good Agricultural Practices, or GAPs, for fruit and vegetable production are the focus.
“The Food and Drug Administration has just released draft standards for safe production and harvest of fruits and vegetables as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Ashley Kulhanek, the team’s program coordinator.
“Whether or not a farm will be exempt from these rules, the new year is a good time to learn about GAPs.”
The instructors will be...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- If you live in Ohio and bought a poinsettia for the holidays, chances are Ohio State University agricultural scientists, educators or alumni had a hand in making them look beautiful and healthy.
The university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is involved in all areas that support poinsettia production -- training students on growing techniques and proper care, working with producers to address their needs and evaluate new varieties, and conducting research that tackles pest management problems unique to this popular plant.
Such support is crucial for the success of Ohio's greenhouse industry, which is a major national player in poinsettia production and boasts some of...
