FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF NOV. 5, 2000:
How long can I safely store a fresh turkey in my refrigerator?
For optimum quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that fresh turkeys be cooked within two days, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist.
Grocery stores will often stock fresh turkeys a week or more before Thanksgiving, encouraging their customers to buy early for the best selection and price. But the meat counters in these stores can hold turkey right at its freezing point–26 degrees Fahrenheit–while your home refrigerator is likely set around 40 degrees. "Food-spoilage bacteria produce slime and odors on poultry much more readily at 40 degrees," says McCurdy.
Plan to buy your fresh turkey no more than two days before you’ll be cooking it. Your grocer might let you select your bird early and save it for you.
If you absolutely must buy early and don’t want to freeze your turkey, then choose a "branded" fresh turkey with a "use by" date beyond Thanksgiving. According to McCurdy, name-brand processors will stand behind that date. As a precaution, unwrap and sniff the bird the day before you put it in the oven so you have time to get a replacement if necessary.
Once you’ve thoroughly cooked your turkey, you can safely refrigerate the leftovers for three or four days.
Our 11-year-old daughter is involved in music, track, basketball, 4-H and several church activities. That means she’s on the go all the time. So far, she’s also keeping up with her schoolwork, but she spends very few evenings with her family and we miss her. How many extracurricular activities are too many for a preteen?
Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist, says she’s never seen a study that concluded that too much extracurricular activity hurts children. "You see the ‘too-hurried’ child written about in the media, but when you look at the research, it turns out involvement is good," she says.
"Extracurricular activities give children so many opportunities to learn social and artistic skills, build confidence, develop leadership potential, become physically fit–the list goes on and on," she says. "On the other hand, the ‘too-hurried’ mom who is driving a child around to all of these activities also deserves to spend time on her own needs and those of other family members."
"This is a good chance for you to sort out your values and share them with your daughter," Shaklee advises. Indeed, one of parents’ most important jobs is to communicate their family’s values to their children. If those priorities include more family time together, parents shouldn’t feel guilty about asking their children to limit their outside activities to however many evenings a week Mom and Dad consider appropriate.
"There’s a movement afoot to reclaim family time," Shaklee says. "Family time gives you the opportunity to enjoy your children, share your family’s history, build bonds between siblings and between generations and communicate what your family cares about."
"Tell her that you’re happy to see her in music and track and so forth, but that you also want to see her!" says Shaklee.
We have moved to the Treasure Valley from Taiwan and are wondering if we can grow Chinese vegetables in our garden during the winter?
Even in Idaho’s relatively temperate Treasure Valley, winter temperatures generally fall too low to grow vegetables outdoors, says David Maas, University of Idaho extension educator. However, you can successfully grow these cool-season crops late into the fall and early in the spring.
The Daikon radishes April Cross, Minowase, Summer Cross, New Jersey Cross, White Rat and Semi-long can all be sown in August and September and harvested through November. Likewise, August-planted Brassicas like ‘Napa’ Chinese cabbage, bok choi, lei choi and mei quing choi can provide greens into November. Mustard greens, Chinese broccoli and flowering pak choi can even be planted in October.
So, while it’s too late to plant this year, Maas suggests that you locate seed sources this winter and get an early start on sowing your Chinese vegetables six weeks before the average last frost date–or about mid- to late March in the Treasure Valley.
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]