FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF NOV. 12, 2000:
Yes, it is–but if you don’t have a meat thermometer to check the stuffing’s temperature, bake it in a casserole rather than inside the bird. "Stuffing inside a turkey must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe," says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist.
Don’t mix the wet and dry ingredients of your stuffing until just before you put the stuffing into the bird, she says–although it’s okay to prepare the wet and dry ingredients separately in advance and chill them. When you combine the ingredients, make sure the end result is wet, not dry, because heat destroys bacteria more rapidly in a moist environment. Stuff the turkey cavities loosely–about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey–to ensure adequate heat penetration.
My 10-year-old granddaughter has asthma. It seems like a lot more children have asthma today than 30 years ago. I recently read of a possible link between diet and asthma. My granddaughter tends to eat too much junk food and not enough fruits or vegetables. Could this play a role?
You’re right that incidence of asthma is higher today, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist. Asthma is one of the fastest-growing ailments in the U.S., with cases increasing by as much as 50 percent every 10 years.
You may also be right about a relationship between poor diet and asthma. Several overseas studies have pointed to a possible link, including Scottish research that found that children with the lowest intake of vegetables, milk and vitamin E were significantly more likely to develop asthma. In a Saudi Arabian study, children who regularly ate at a fast food outlet were significantly more likely to begin wheezing.
"Try to have fruits, vegetables and lowfat milk available for your granddaughter when she visits you," Raidl suggests.
I live next to a yard with an aspen or poplar stand that keeps sending runners up into my lawn and raspberry bed. How do I stop them or convince them that they don’t really want to move in my direction? I don’t want a new grove of trees in my yard–and I’m wondering if they could be responsible for the low productivity of my raspberries this year.
Aspens, like other members of the poplar genus, are just natural spreaders, says Dan Barney, University of Idaho extension horticulture specialist. The circular colonies of aspens that are so strikingly beautiful against Idaho’s desert hillsides in fall can consist of just one individual plant. All but the central tree are clones that started as suckers from the original tree’s roots.
Since your neighbors didn’t use Barney’s favorite control strategy–not planting along property lines–you’re left with his secondary strategy. "Mow or dig up invading suckers as they appear," Barney advises. Though you may be tempted, don’t use a translocatable herbicide that contains glyphosate: as it moves through the root system, it could kill your neighbor’s mother trees along with your suckers.
As for the raspberries, Barney says it’s "unlikely that a few aspen suckers affected them significantly." He suggests that you "search for another cause of the decreased production."
I would love to plant foxgloves and monkshood next spring, but I’m afraid they’ll poison my dog. How much of a threat do they really pose to pets?
Both foxgloves and monkshood are toxic, but it’s "almost unheard of" for them to poison pets, says Patricia Talcott, University of Idaho veterinary toxicologist. "Pets won’t eat foxgloves because of their disagreeable taste–and monkshood isn’t palatable to them either," she says. Besides, "pets are not in the habit of grazing flower beds, so don’t worry and plant away."
Interestingly, the entire foxglove plant is toxic; the drug digitalis was first isolated from its dried leaves. Some toxins in foxglove cause gastrointestinal distress, vomiting and diarrhea, while others strengthen and slow contractions in the heart. Worst case, toxic doses of foxglove lead to heart rhythm irregularities, delirium, convulsions and death.
Monkshood–especially its fleshy roots, leaves and seeds–is also toxic. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting and diarrhea, followed by slowing of the heart rate, weakness, exhaustion, convulsions and death. Like the toxins in foxgloves, those in monkshood also target primarily the heart.
"There’s a huge list of ornamental plants that potentially can be toxic to pets," Talcott says, "but we rarely see any problems."
[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.]