The Trustees of Rosefield Township are partnering with Elmwood Township and the Peoria County Office to provide two weeks of 4-H Camp Clover during the summer of 2008. Here are the details:

Dates:

July 7-10

July 14-17

Location: Elmwood Community Building

Times: 9am —Noon

Cost: $5

If you are interested in having your child(ren) attend 4-H Camp Clover, call the Peoria County Office at 309-685-3140.

For many of us, Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff for outdoor grilling. It's time to uncover the grill, clean the racks and start planning menus. It's also a good time to review a few key safe food handling tips from the U. S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Meat and Poultry Hotline.

Wash hands and food surfaces often when working with food. All kitchen helpers, including the outdoor chefs using the grill, should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with hot soapy water before and after handling food. Also wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing raw meat, poultry and seafood. Remember to wash hands and surfaces again before going on to the next food—to avoid cross-contamination.

Other ways to prevent cross-contamination are to separate raw meat, poultry and other perishable foods from the ready-to-eat foods, like bagged lettuce and hamburger buns; wash hands thoroughly before and after handling each food; and ALWAYS use a clean plate or platter for serving the cooked meat, poultry and seafood.

Cook meats to the proper temperatures. Use a clean food thermometer that measures the internal temperature of cooked foods like ground meats and poultry. Some key temperatures to reach are: ground beef to 160 F, steaks to 145 F, and poultry to 165 F. All cuts of pork should reach 160 F.

Never partially grill meat or poultry to finish cooking later. Cook food completely to destroy harmful bacteria. When re-heating take-out foods or fully cooked meats like hot dogs, USDA recommends cooking to 165 F or until steamy hot throughout.

Lastly, be sure to refrigerate perishable food promptly. From the time you purchase the food at the store until you serve, note the time perishable foods are at room temperature. Perishable foods should not be in the danger zone of 40 F to 140 F for more than two hours. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftover within two hours.

The exception to the two-hour rule is hot weather. In hot weather (90 F and above), USDA recommends food should never sit out for more than one hour.

For further questions on grilling, contact the Meat and Poultry Hotline Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Time, at 1-888-674-6854, or visit USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) website at: www.fsis.usda.gov.

Have a Happy and (Food) Safe Memorial Day!

Jananne Finck M.S., R.D.

Nutrition and Wellness Educator

University of Illinois Extension

Graduation time is approaching and parties are part of the celebration. Family and friends gather to honor graduates as they complete one phase of their life.

According to Jananne Finck, MS, RD, University of Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator, Springfield Center, some parties will be elaborate affairs with a served sit down dinner while others will offer a buffet of homemade foods.

If the party features a buffet, caution is needed to prevent food borne illness. Bacteria are uninvited guests we want to avoid.

While bacteria are everywhere, there are a few types that especially like to crash parties. According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) with the United States Department of Agriculture, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Listeria monocytogenes tend to be common problems as they frequent people's hands and steam tables.

FSIS offers a few tips to have a happy and healthy party that features food safety:

· Always wash hands before and after handling food, and keep the food area, dishes and utensils clean.

· If cooking food ahead, be sure to cook foods to safe temperatures. Cook fresh roast veal and lamb to at least 145 F for medium rare and 160 F for medium doneness. Bake poultry to 165 F. All other meat, fish and ground red meats should be cooked to 160 F.

· If cooking food ahead, chill food quickly, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

· On the buffet table, arrange and serve food in several small platters or bowls rather than putting all of one food in one large container. This way one smaller dish is on the table while the rest of the food can be held at proper temperatures until needed. Replace empty dishes or platters rather than adding fresh food to the container.

· FSIS stresses perishable foods shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than two hours unless the temperature is 90 F or higher, then time is reduced to one hour. Keep track of how long perishable foods have been on the buffet table, and discard perishable foods that have exceeded these times.

· Remember; keep hot foods hot—at 140 F or warmer—by using chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays. Keep cold foods cold—40 F or colder—by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. Otherwise use small serving containers, and replace as needed for safe food handling.

For more information on safe food handling, visit the U.S. government food safety website at www.foodsafety.gov.

Jananne Finck M.S., R.D.

Nutrition and Wellness Educator

University of Illinois Extension

Diabetes Educators
American Association of Diabetes Educators toll-free at 1–800–TEAMUP4 (1–800–832–6874), http://www.diabeteseducator.org/

Dietitians
To find a dietitian near you, call the American Dietetic Association toll-free at 1–800–877–1600, or look on the Internet at http://www.eatright.org/ and click on "Find a Nutrition Professional."

Government
The National Eye Institute (NEI) is part of the National Institutes of Health. To learn more about eye problems, see http://www.nei.nih.gov/.