Escambia Extension Urges Smart Grilling For Food Safety
September 6, 2010
The end of summer means grilling — and a good cookout means proper food safety.
Safety is an important consideration when operating a grill. Improper use can cause a fire or explosion. Keep the area around a lighted grill clear of combustible materials, and never use a grill in an enclosed area such as a sheltered patio or a garage. Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing that may catch fire. The cooking grids should be cleaned after every cookout. The last thing you want to do is cause someone to become ill due to improper cleaning or unsafe food preparation practices.
Wash your hands with hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds before starting to prepare any foods, and wash your hands again if you do anything else—change a diaper, pet an animal, or blow your nose, for example. Cover any cuts or sores on your hands with a bandage, or use plastic gloves. If you sneeze or cough while preparing foods, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and turn your face away, or cough into your sleeve. Always wash your hands afterwards.
Bacteria multiply rapidly at room temperature. Most food-borne illness-causing bacteria cannot grow well at temperatures below 40°F or above 140°F. Thaw foods in the refrigerator or in the microwave. Never leave foods out at room temperature.
Keep everything that touches food clean. Bacteria can hitch rides around your kitchen on all sorts of things—plates and cutting boards, dirty utensils, dish rags and sponges, unwashed hands.
Never chop fresh vegetables or salad ingredients on a cutting board that was used for raw meat without properly cleaning it first. If possible, keep a separate cutting board just for the preparation of raw meat, poultry, and fish.
Wash cutting boards thoroughly with hot soapy water, and then sanitize with a solution of household bleach and water.
Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices from coming into contact with other foods during preparation, especially foods that will not be cooked. Wash all utensils and your hands with hot soapy water after contact with raw meat.
Marinate meat, poultry and seafood in the refrigerator in a covered, non-metal container. Throw away any leftover marinade.
Grill food to a safe internal temperature. Use a meat thermometer to assure correct doneness of the food being grilled.
Safe minimum internal temperatures:
- Poultry (whole, ground, and breasts): 165°F
- Hamburgers, beef: 160°F
- Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks, roasts and chops):
- Medium rare: 145°F
- Medium: 160°F.
- All cuts of pork: 160°F.
Hold meat at 140°F until served. Use a clean platter for transferring cooked meat from grill to serving table.
Summer is the time for getting together with friends and family and cooking outdoors. Make your outdoor grilling experience safe and enjoyable.
For further information regarding food safety and other related topics, go to the University of Florida’s Solutions for Your Life website: http://www.solutionsforyourlife.com.
Dorothy C. Lee, CFCS, is an Extension Agent II, Family & Consumer Sciences with the Escambia County Extension Service. Reference: Safe Food Handling Fact Sheet, United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Series.
Pastors Take Mission Trip To Iraq
September 5, 2010
Recently, two Cantonment residents, Brian Barlow and Jim Locke, joined Ken Bell of Pensacola in traveling to the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
Locke and Barlow, pastors at Hillcrest Baptist Church, and Bell, a local attorney, were invited by Dr. Nabeeh Abbassi, past president of the Baptist Convention of Jordan, and Pastor Nabil Sara, Pastor of the National Evangelical Baptist Church of Baghdad, to participate in the first ever Baptist sponsored Iraqi Pastor and Wives conference.
The men were warmly welcomed by the Iraqis in the Kurdish area. They were surprised by the modern facilities at the airport in Erbil, the beauty of the northern countryside, and the helpfulness of the people. Remarking on the general friendliness of the Kurds towards Americans, Bell stated, “For a people who have suffered so much and have every reason to be suspicious of strangers, no matter where we went the Kurds were surprisingly gracious and welcoming.”
The conference was held in Duhok and featured notable speakers from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Brazil, and the United States. Pastor Locke, senior pastor of Hillcrest, was the keynote evening worship speaker and spoke on the importance of the unity of the church.
Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq suffered considerable internal turmoil in all regions of the country. In the northern area alone, several thousand villages were destroyed displacing more than 600,000 people. Several of the pastors at the conference told of the sufferings and victories in their lives under Saddam. One Baptist pastor told Bell (pictured), “I live with my wife in our heavily damaged church. My co-pastor was murdered and another protestant pastor in our city was shot in the neck and rendered a quadriplegic. I was told that if I opened the doors to my church, I and my family would be killed.” Commenting on his story Bell said, “at the risk of torture and death, they stay to minister to the small underground church that remains in the city.”
Another pastor that impressed Bell was Mahmoud. “Mahmoud, a former Muslim and Communist, and his young, pregnant wife are to minister in al-Sadr City, one of the darkest, most violent, sectarian areas in all of Iraq. I cannot imagine a more dangerous area to openly profess Christ. Even Muslims of other sects are at grave risk here. The danger to a professing Christian is obvious. They are “dying to self and living for Christ” in a way few would emulate” said Bell.
Barlow (pictured left) and Bell led seminars on the topics of “Vision – Shaping the Future,” and “Developing a Shared Vision for your Church.” When asked by Barlow to write out his vision for his church in central Iraq, one of the Iraqi pastors replied, “for you, I will first write my vision for my church in ink on paper then, I know, at some time in the future, I will follow Christ’s example and write it again for my fellow Iraqis in blood on the ground.”
Sporadic violence against Christians and Christian churches is common in Iraq though most Iraqi Muslims are against violence and disavow the extremists and criminals that perpetrate such acts.
One of the Iraqi pastors from Mosul told Locke about his experience with extremists and how he dealt with the destruction of his church, “When they (Islamists) destroyed my small church it was a terrible shock, I cried for many days. But then I realized that I must forgive them and love them. Before I became a believer in Christ I was like them, now that Jesus is in control of my life, I am a new man. They are not new men, therefore I have to love them and show them how to become new men with new hearts that love others not hate them.”
Pastor Charlie Costa of Lebanon was also a featured conference speaker, speaking on the topic “the Kingdom of God,” as were several Iraqi-American pastors from the US. For two Iraqi-American pastors, it was the first time since Saddam Hussein came to power that they had returned to their home country. “These men had fled their homeland decades earlier as young Muslims fearful for their lives. They returned as Americans and Christians to encourage their brothers and sisters. What an emotional experience for us to witness. Their love and compassion was palpable. And, the chance to break bread, share stories, encourage and worship as one was an opportunity long desired. And, I am sure one that will be repeated again soon,” said Bell.
The conference also covered a variety of women’s issues that pastors wives face. The women’s conference was led by the training staff of Arab Woman Today Ministries. The women shared many stories about their lives as pastor’s wives and the common bond of friendship and fellowship they share. One of the women told Barlow that, “each day I am grateful that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and that I can work beside my husband in the ministry. We are teaching our children that Jesus gave everything for us and that we should devote our lives to serving Him by serving others.”
The conference concluded with a public baptism service in which five new Iraqi believers were baptized (pictured top of page). The baptismal service took place in a highly visible public lake next to the main road entering the city. Pastor Costa officiated at the service assisted by Pastor Locke. Though the water was cold and deep, everyone’s spirits were warm and high.
Pictured top: Hillcrest Baptist Church Pastor Jim Locke baptizing a man while on a mission trip to Iraq. Pictured below: Goods for sale at an Iraqi market. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pedestrian Hit By Train
September 5, 2010
A CSX freight train reportedly struck and injured a pedestrian Saturday night near Cantonment.
The incident was reported just before 8 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 95A and Kingsfield Road. Richard Dickman, 32, was transported in serious condition to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance. He was reported to have a broken arm and other injuries. Witnesses said the man often walked the tracks in the area.
Further details were not available.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call.
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
The Boys (And Girls) Of Fall — With NWE, Jay Photos
September 5, 2010
Football was king Saturday across the North Escambia area.
After a nearly three decade absence, Jay Junior League football returned Saturday with a great turnout to support the Royals against Pace Blue. In Flomaton, teams from across Escambia and Monroe counties in Alabama held a Jamboree. In Cantonment, the Cowboys welcomed the Milton Panthers to the Ranch, and Northwest Escambia took on the Milton Panthers Black team in Walnut Hill.
“It is an overwhelming joy to see these kid involved, Jeffery Rogers, president of Jay Junior League Football said. Saturday marked the first junior league football games in Jay in 28 years.
- For a reader submitted photo gallery from Jay by April Hendricks, click here.
- For a reader submitted photo gallery from NWE’s Midgets, by Melissa Melfi-Reber click here.
- For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from NWE’s Mites, click here.
If you have Saturday football pictures from any of the North Escambia area teams that you would like to share, email them to news@northescambia.com or email us a link to your online gallery (like Facebook, Flickr, etc.).
Pictured above and below: Scenes from Northwest Escambia versus the Milton Panthers Black team Saturday in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
900th Win: Local Men Cheer On Century’s Buck Showalter
September 5, 2010
Century’s Buck Showalter was handed his 900th Major League win Saturday night as the Baltimore Orioles topped the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4.
And among the 18,943 fans in Baltimore a group of friends from the North Escambia were cheering on Showalter.
Ronny Wedgeworth, Steve Stanton, Eddie Hammond, Kenny Felh and Richard Armstrong have had the opportunity to see the Orioles up close and personal with Showalter all weekend. They have also had the chance to do a little batting practices with the O’s.
Stanton played football with Showalter at Century High School. Wedgeworth attended Flomaton High School and played baseball against Showalter and the Blackcats.
Pictured above and below: A group of North Escambia area men at Camden Yards for a weekend with the Baltimore Orioles. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lawson And Nita Berry Celebrate 50 Years
September 5, 2010
Nita and Lawson Berry of Barrineau Park celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Friday.
Juanita Hill and Lawson Berry were married in the North T Street Church of God in Pensacola, Florida on September 3, 1960. They moved to Barrineau Park in 1964. Their son Lynn Berry and wife Terri, their daughter Audrey Dickson and husband Tom, and granddaughter Holly Dickson all live in Barrineau Park.
The Berrys celebrated their 50th anniversary with family and plan a trip to Orlando soon.The whole family will celebrate with a trip to the mountains in the fall.
Lawson retired from the Florida Division of Forestry as an equipment supervisor. Nita was a school bus operator for 11 years and a homemaker.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Featured Recipe: An Impressive Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Torte
September 5, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a dark chocolate torte with a raspberry sauce. It is an ideal dessert for impressing company or that special someone.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Northview Beats Graceville 24-6 (With Photo Gallery)
September 4, 2010
The Northview Chiefs opened their season Friday night with a big road win over Graceville, 24-6
The Chiefs ended their first possession with a 27-yard field goal from Lance Bushaw. Then, with 5:26 on the clock in the first, Graceville’s Tigers were on the board with a touchdown from the six-yard line toe end their first possession. The Tigers missed their two point attempt, taking the lead 6-3.
Then with 1:24 to go in the first, senior Taylor Martin had a two-yard touchdown dash. A good kick, and the Chiefs returned to the lead, 10-6.
The Chiefs managed a drive inside the Graceville 10 before attempting and missing a fourth down field goal with a second shy of six minutes to go in the half.
With 3:44 remaining in the half, NHS intercepted the ball at midfield. But the Chiefs fumbled on the Tiger’s 40. It was Graceville’s ball with 2:25 in the second.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
At the 1:05 mark in the second, senior Dustin Yuhasz returned a Graceville punt 65 yards for a touchdown. A good extra point, and the Chiefs were up 17-6. Northview
drove to the one-yard line with 1.3 seconds on the clock in the first half. But they were unable to make the play before the buzzer. Headed to the lockers, the Chiefs were ahead of the Gators 17-6.
The third quarter was all about defense as both teams were scoreless.
In the fourth, with 10:46 on the board, quarterback Brandon Sheets was in for another Northview touchdown from five yards out. A textbook kick through the uprights, and the Chiefs sealed their 24-6 victory over the Graceville Tigers.
The Chiefs amassed 354 total yards against Graceville, with 281 yards on the ground.
Northview (1-0, 0-0) will be on the road again next week for their first district game against South Walton.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: Northview senior Taylor Martin avoids Graceville defenders Friday night. Pictured top inset: Cheerleader Ariel Holland. Bottom inset: Brooke Tullis. Pictured below: The Northview Chiefs beat Graceville Friday night on the road. NorthEscambia.com photos by Heather Leonard, click to enlarge.
Friday’s Football Roundup
September 4, 2010
Here’s a roundup of North Escambia area football scores from Florida and Alabama:
Florida
- Northview 24 Graceville 6 [Read more...]
- Walton 34 West Florida 11
- Tate 30 Washington 20 (Thurs night)
- (Jay Royals were OPEN)
- Pensacola 24 Pine Forest 7
Alabama
- Flomaton 27 Southern Choctaw 14 [Read more...]
- Escambia Academy 24 Jackson Academy 21
- Escambia County High School 43 B.C. Rain 15 [Read more...]
- UMS Wright 47 W.S. Neal 0
- Bayside 27 T.R. Miller 20
It’s Easy To Attract Hummingbirds
September 4, 2010
Few sights are more thrilling in the garden than rapidly moving hummingbirds darting among colorful flowers. Hummingbirds, also known as hummers, are always a wonder to see, and it’s easy to attract them to your garden.
In Florida, we see three different types of hummingbirds, but the most common is the ruby-throated. This feathered jewel is only about three inches long and weighs as little as a single penny!
For their size, hummingbirds have among the largest appetites in the bird world. They feed every 10 or 15 minutes from dawn until dusk. During this period, they eat more than half their weight in food and 8 times their weight in water.
If you’re fascinated by hummingbirds, as I am, you probably hang out a feeder or two in the summer to provide them with sugar water. Artificial feeders will attract hummingbirds.
However, feeders should not be the sole source of food provided. The sugar solution may appeal to the hummingbirds’ sweet tooth, but it provides little nourishment. Nectar is much more vital to the hummingbird than just water and sugar. By planting certain flowers and shrubs, home gardeners can provide food and habitat for hummingbirds.
Typical hummingbird flowers are red, have a tubular shape and have no strong scent. But there are several notable exceptions to this general rule. Many plants with red flowers don’t contain very much nectar. Roses, petunias, geraniums and zinnias have brilliant colors but little nectar.
Plants that produce an abundance of flowers over an extended period of time and those that require little care are good choices. Native plants can “fill the bill” where nectar-seekers are concerned and should be used whenever possible.
Perennials that are recommended as nectar sources include butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), red basil (Calamintha coccinea), shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana), cigar plant (Cuphea ignea), firespike (Odontonema stricta), red star hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus), and obedient plant (Physostegia spp.).
It’s also important to plant a mixture of nectar producing trees, vines and shrubs that have overlapping blooming seasons. This will insure that a continuous source of nectar will be available to hummingbirds throughout the growing season. Some of the species recommended include red buckeye, bottlebrush, firebush (Hamelia patens), wild azalea, trumpet vine, and coral honeysuckle.
Contrary to popular belief, hummingbirds are not strictly nectar feeders. Insects and other invertebrates are the primary source of protein for adult hummingbirds and their young. An adult female can consume up to 2,000 insects per day. Small invertebrates including mosquitoes, gnats, small bees, fruit flies, spiders, caterpillars, aphids, and insects eggs make up the hummingbirds diet. So keep your plants free of pesticides. Pesticides destroy the insect food base vital to hummingbirds and their offspring, and may also contaminate the nectar they drink.
And if you do use artificial feeders, remember that the sugar solutions must be kept fresh. Florida’s hot weather can cause rapid bacterial growth in these feeders and birds that drink contaminated water could die. To avoid this, change the solution every 3 to 5 days. Clean the feeders with hot water and white vinegar. Do not use soap or chlorine bleach.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.