Dear Friend,

I'm pleased to provide you with this issue of Serve It Safely. It is intended for occasional cooks, those who volunteer to prepare and serve food to the public during community dinners, food stands, etc.; professional food service personnel; and those of us who prepare food for ourselves and our families.

This newsletter features information from University of Illinois Extension, Illinois Department of Public Health, and other sources. It is another way that we can serve local citizens.

Articles are coded to let you know whom the information is most intended for.

A - all

B - businesses or commercial establishments

C - consumer or home use

Anyone needing a reasonable accommodation to participate in our program should contact me at the phone number above.

The newsletter is produced by:

Shirley Camp, Extension Educator, Nutrition & Wellness, Macomb Extension Center

Rick Keim, County Extension Director, Greene County Extension Unit

Kim Dankoski, Clerical Support Associate, Greene County Extension Unit

Serve It Safely,

Rick Keim County Direcor Greene County

Even though you have a few weeks before you cook your Thanksgiving meal, you can begin planning what you will serve and even buy some of the supplies.

Start off by planning your guest list and menu. Knowing what you will be serving can help with your food budget because you can take advantage of any specials that are available over the next few weeks. You can also spread your spending over time and not end up with a huge grocery bill that breaks your budget!

Since turkey may be the main dish for your holiday gathering, there are some decisions you need to make about what type of bird to buy. Do you want a fresh or frozen turkey? If you buy frozen, do you have freezer space to store it?

If fresh turkey is your choice, purchase it only one or two days ahead of time. For food safety, fresh turkeys should not be pre-stuffed.

How much turkey should you buy? If you are buying a whole bird, purchase one pound per person. For a boneless breast of turkey you will need 1/2 pound per person, and for a breast with bone you will need 3/4 pound of turkey per person. If you buy a pre-stuffed frozen turkey, buy 1¼ pounds per person, and keep it frozen until you are ready to cook it (in other words do NOT thaw it before cooking.)

For a turkey that is frozen, use a safe thawing method. Since you will be serving several people, you want to prevent foodborne illness from being an added "condiment" at your holiday meal, Camp says. Preventing foodborne illness is of particular importance for the young, the elderly, those with immune-compromised systems and pregnant women.

If you plan to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator, place the frozen bird in the original wrapping in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below. Allow about 24 hours per 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. So if you have a small bird of 4 to 12 pounds, it will take 1 to 3 days to thaw; a 16 to 20 pound bird will take 4 to 5 days to thaw. After thawing the bird can be kept refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.

If you forget to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator or do not have enough refrigerator space, you can submerge the turkey in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes per pound to defrost a turkey in cold water. A 4 to 12 pound turkey will take 2 to 6 hours using this method; a 16 to 20 pound will take 8 to 10 hours.

If you have a small turkey, you could thaw the turkey in your microwave oven. Check your microwave instruction book to see whether thawing a turkey in the microwave is recommended and how large a bird can be thawed in your microwave oven. Turkey thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately after the thawing process.

If you need further information about holiday food safety and cooking, contact your Greene County University of Illinois Extension office or go to the website www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets.

- Shirley Camp, Macomb Extension Center

Now is a good time for homeowners with private wells to be testing their drinking water to ensure it is still safe to drink. The heavy rainfall and flooding we've been experiencing may result in a greater potential for pollutants to contaminate your drinking water due to leaching of harmful materials into the soil, a deteriorating well casing and surface water flow into a dug well.

If you have a private water supply, you are responsible for the quality of water that your family drinks. That's why it is important to test your private water supply at least once a year, and more often if problems arise. If you get water from a public or municipal supply, you have more protection because these supplies are tested on a regular basis. Still, you may need to test your water because it is possible that corrosive water—water that erodes metal fixtures—can cause pipes in your home to leach contaminants and metals into your water supply.

In recent years, pollutants have contaminated a number of private water systems in both urban and rural areas. Some of these pollutants include nitrate from septic systems, fertilizer, livestock wastes, pesticides, industrial chemicals and gasoline from underground storage tanks. Many people no longer take their drinking water for granted. Instead of assuming tap water is safe, many homeowners are now regularly testing their drinking water.

Contaminated water does not always look, taste or smell differently than safe drinking water. The following guidelines are offered to describe conditions in which water testing may be advisable:

Private or Public Supply - Consider testing water from a private or public supply if:

· You have recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness that cannot be explained.

· Water has an objectionable taste or smell.

· Household plumbing contains lead pipes, brass fittings or lead-solder joints.

· You are considering installing water treatment equipment.

· You want to check the efficiency and performance of home water-treatment equipment.

· Water leaves scaly residues and soap scum or decreases the cleaning action of soaps.

· Pipes or plumbing show signs of corrosion.

Private Supply Only - If you have a private water supply, also consider testing if:

· You are buying a home or wish to evaluate the safety and quality of the water supply.

· Water stains plumbing fixtures and laundry.

· Water appears cloudy, frothy or colored.

· Pumps, chlorinators and other water-supply equipment wear rapidly.

· Someone in the household is pregnant or anticipating a pregnancy.

· The household includes infants less than 6 months old.

· You have a new well and want to evaluate it.

· The well does not meet construction codes.

· You have a sand-point well or a large-diameter dug or bored well.

· The well is less than 50 feet deep and one of these conditions exists: (1) the soil is sandy or (2) bedrock or sand and gravel is less than 10 feet from the surface.

· The well is in an area where you have mixed or loaded pesticides, spilled pesticides or fuel or have had a backsiphoning problem.

· The well is in or close to a livestock confinement area.

· The well is within 50 feet of a septic tank or 75 feet of a septic absorption field.

· The well is located near an operational or abandoned gas station or fuel storage tank.

· The well is close to a retail chemical facility, gravel pit, mining operation, landfill, junkyard, factory, dry-cleaning operation, road-salt storage site or heavily salted roadway.

Private well owners should test their water supplies for coliform bacteria and nitrate at least once a year. For additional information on water testing, go the University of Illinois Water Quality website, www.wq.uiuc.edu, click on "Publications" and download the free, four-page pdf file on "Testing Home Drinking Water." More frequent testing is recommended if any member of the household is pregnant or less than 6 months old. If you suspect pesticide contamination in your private water supply, contact your county Department of Public Health for a list of laboratories best suited to test for pesticides.

- Bob Frazee, East Peoria Extension Center