FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF DEC. 6 1999:
I have a recipe for baking cakes in canning jars and sealing the jars with canning lids just after baking. I wanted to make some holiday gifts, but a friend mentioned it might not be safe.
Although a cake "canned" in a jar may look like an attractive holiday gift, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist Sandy McCurdy advises against this practice. "Scientists who study food processing have not developed a safe home process for baking a cake in a jar and sealing the jar with a canning lid," she says.
The danger is introduced by several factors that could act in concert: the baking temperature will not kill bacterial spores, the cake moisture level may be high enough to support bacterial growth, and the low oxygen level – due to the vacuum that develops in sealed jars – may allow the growth of the bacteria responsible for botulism poisoning.
In addition, McCurdy says, canning jars are not constructed for oven use and may break.
During the holidays, I attend a lot of office parties. High-calorie, high-fat items are everywhere. I also tend to drink more. Can this cause a health problem, even if these indulgences are over a short period of time?
Christmas may be hazardous to your health, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist. Citing an article in the October 1999 issue of the journal Circulation, Raidl says deaths from heart attacks were 33 percent higher during the winter holiday months of December and January.
"You may be thinking that these higher incidences of heart attacks were weather-related, but this study looked at medical records of individuals in Los Angeles over a 12-year period of time," Raidl says. The researchers speculated that the possible factors were increased food, alcohol and salt consumption and heightened stress during the holidays.
"So don’t go completely overboard with food and alcohol and don’t forgo exercise – it’s a great stress release," she says.
I’m thinking about buying my niece an ant farm for Christmas. Will the ants keep repopulating the farm indefinitely?
Not unless the hill includes a queen, says Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist.
If the ants you buy for the ant farm all turn out to be worker ants, the colony will die off in a month or two, he says. But here’s the good news: when the weather warms, you can replenish it with native ants – for free.
Because it’s the winged ants – both male and female – who are the reproductive ones, you’ll want to catch some flying ants in the spring. Chances are, at least one mated female will be among them. "Put a few winged ants in the ant farm and they can start a colony that lasts a long time," Stoltz says. Make sure the ant farm is ant-less first; the native and purchased species aren’t compatible.
Another alternative is to simply keep restocking the ant farm with more worker ants from Mother Nature’s generous supply.