Health & Household Tips

Having a Bad Air Day?

According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Consumer Magazine, finding out the degree of air pollution in your neighborhood is as easy as going into the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AIRNOW web site (http://www.epa.gov/airnow) and zooming in on your region.

The site provides real-time information abeout air quality in an easy-to-read format. It also has background about the environmental and public health effects of air pollution, along with tips for consumers on how to protect their health and actions they can take to reduce pollution.

The site includes links to web cameras situated in cities such as Chicago, Denver and St. Louis, so users can visually check out the visibility and air quality in those areas at different times of the day. Currently, AIRNOW focuses on ground-level ozone (smog), but EPA plans to include surveys of other pollutants on the web site in the future.

Source: FDA Consumer, January-February 2001, Volume 35, Number 1

Add Dried Fruits to Your Diet

It was Americans ho-hum attitude toward dried fruit that prompted the California Prune Council to petition the Food & Drug Administration for a name change from prunes to "dried plums." Although most people don't think of grabbing a bag of dried fruit for snacking, it is a way to increase fruit in the diet while satisfying the craving for something sweet.

During the drying process, water is removed, which results in some Vitamin C loss, but other antioxidants, fiber and minerals such as iron and potassium remain intact. Dried fruits do not spoil, don't need to be washed or peeled and they are compact and lightweight. Many brands are treated with the freshening agent sulfur dioxide, so, read the ingredient label and steer clear if you are allergic to their preservative.

To Hard Cook Eggs (The American Egg Board Method)

Hard Cooked Eggs

Large eggs
Cold water

1. Place eggs in a single layer in a stainless steel or other non-reactive saucepan (do not use iron).
2. Add enough cold tap water to come at least one inch above eggs. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling.
3. Turn off heat. If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling.
4. Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes for large eggs (12 minutes for medium, 18 minutes for extra large).
5. Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled (about 15 minutes).
6. To remove shell, crackle egg by tapping gently all over with the back of a spoon or on a hard surface. Roll egg between hands to loosen shell, then peel, starting at large end. Hold egg under running cold water or dip in a bowl of water to help ease off the shell.

 

Spring 2001
Finding the Best Site for a Garden Is More Than a Random Process | Build a Raised Bed | It Takes a Kernel of Skill to Grow Great Sweet Corn | Pruning Ornamentals Keeps Your Garden on the Cutting Edge | Lawn Care Calendar | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Mad Cow Disease | Green Eggs: The Science of Egg Cookery | Concern for Egg Safety | New National Standards for Organic Food | Your Spring Vegetable Garden Plan | Health & Household Tips | Did You Know?

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