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Author: djbechard

Food Safety While Eating Outdoors

Posted on by djbechard

Picnic and barbecue season offers a lot of opportunities for outdoor fun with family and friends. But these warm weather events also present opportunities for foodborne bacteria to thrive. As food heats up in summer temperatures, bacteria multiply rapidly.

To protect yourself, your family, and friends from foodborne illness during warm-weather months, safe food handling when eating outdoors is critical.

  • Keep Cold Food Cold. Place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Cold food should be stored at 40oF or below to prevent bacterial growth. Meat, poultry, and seafood may be packed while still frozen so that they stay colder longer.
  • Organize Cooler Contents. Consider packing beverages in one cooler and perishable foods in another. That way, as picnickers open and reopen the beverage cooler to replenish their drinks, the perishable foods won’t be exposed to warm outdoor air temperatures.
  • Keep Hot Foods Hot. Hots foods should be kept at an internal temperature of 140oF or warmer. This is the temperature that is required to keep bacteria at bay. Use a food thermometer to check. Use or keep food hot in chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays.
  • Remember the 2 Hour Rule. Discard any perishable food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, unless you are keeping it hot or cold. If the food is being served in a place where the temperature is above 90oF, the safe-holding time is reduced to 1 hour.
  • Don’t Cross Contaminate. Be sure to keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood securely wrapped. This keeps their juices from contaminating prepared/cooked foods or foods that will be eaten raw, such as fruits and vegetables.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Recommended Plants for Kansas

Posted on by djbechard

Do you need help deciding what plants to use in your landscape this spring? Post Rock Extension has resources for you! Visit our Recommended Plants Page to find lists of plants that have been trialed and tested to do well in our area. You will find everything from recommended vegetable varieties to the best shade trees.

 

https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/horticulture-resource-center/recommended-plants/

By: Cassie Thiessen

Financial Success

Posted on by djbechard

The U.S. Governments Financial Education and Literacy Commission promotes five principals for Americans to keep in mind as they make day-to-day decision about money and plan their financial goals.

Earn – Make the most of what you earn by understanding your pay and benefits.  If you aren’t using vacation pay or personal days off, that’s a benefit that you are leaving on the table, and you’re not getting the rest and leisure that you’re eligible for.

Save and Invest – It’s never to early to start saving for future goals. If you have a retirement account, you should routinely review those accounts and make sure they are on track to meet your goals.

Protect – Make sure you have an emergency savings, and that insurance plans provide adequate coverage for home, car and other property.

Spend – Get good value for your purchases.  Shop around and compare, especially on big purchases.

Borrow – Most of us have to borrow money to buy a house or other large purchase at some point. Borrowing money and paying back loans helps to build credit.  However, remember that borrowing money comes at a price – paying interest. When you borrow you repay the debt and pay interest.

Everybody will manage their money differently, and these are principles, not hard and fast rules. We can’t always stick to these principles depending on our circumstances.

By: Brenda Langdon

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Posted on by djbechard

Research has shown that what is good for your heart is also good for your brain. What we eat, how much we move, how well we sleep, and how we manage stress affect nearly every aspect of our well-being, including physical and mental health.

It is common to think that health and longevity are genetic traits. While genes do determine 20 to 25% of our overall health quality, lifestyle habits and the environment have a much greater influence on how well or long we live. While some benefits of a healthy lifestyle won’t be realized for weeks or months, you will probably feel better immediately after a walk or other physical activity.

Exercise increases brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, feeling less anxiety and stress, and even less physical pain. Getting more movement can also help some people relieve feelings of depression.

Other positive lifestyle habits will bring results quickly. Eating well and getting good rest will pay immediate dividends on your mental outlook and energy level.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Welcome Arin!

Posted on by djbechard

Hello! I’m Arin Watt, the office professional here in the Lincoln Office. I have resided in Lincoln since early 2022 with my 3 beautiful children. We have lived all over the United States (including Alaska!) but decided to make Lincoln, Kansas our home. I love meeting all of the wonderful people around town and enjoy going to as many local events as we can to really immerse ourselves into the community. My children and I enjoy being outside at the local parks, enjoying a movie at the Finch Theatre downtown, and getting ourselves a yummy pizza on the weekends from Biggie Bigg’s! I am so excited to be a part of the K-State Research and Extension- Post Rock District team and to help out the community in any way possible!

Does “Green” Mean Clean?

Posted on by djbechard

Regular use of cloth bags is considered important to “save the environment,” but isn’t personal and family health just as important? The inside and outside of reusable grocery bags can be a breeding ground for dangerous foodborne bacteria which can pose a serious risk to our health.

Reusable bags if not properly washed between uses, create the potential for cross contamination of foods.

When transporting foods, keep food safety in mind. Juices from meats can leak from packaging and contaminate ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables in the cloth bag. A good rule-of-thumb is to put raw meat in a separate plastic bag before packing in reusable bags, or use a separate cloth bag for meats.

Where do you place your reusable bags while putting groceries away? The outside of the bag may be contaminated from the grocery cart, the store counter, or from the floor of your vehicle. If you set bags on the counter when you get home, the germs on the outside of the bag are now on your countertops. Remember to wash and sanitize your countertops before preparing food.

When shopping for reusable cloth bags, look for ones that are washable and remember to launder bags often. Simply washing reusable cloth bags between uses in the washing machine, or by hand, with soap is effective at reducing bacteria by 99.9%.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Vegetable Planting Dates

Posted on by djbechard

The veggies we grow in the garden fit into two groups based on their temperature preferences: cool season and warm season crops.

Most cool season crops can be planted and will germinate when soil temperatures average 45F.  These include:

  • Lettuce
  • Radishes
  • Spinach
  • Potatoes
  • Onions
  • Peas
  • Carrots
  • Cabbage
  • Asparagus

Most warm season crops will not germinate and should not be planted until soil temperatures are 55F – some even 60F.  These veggies are:

  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Melons
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Pumpkin
  • Squash
  • Eggplant
  • Beans

We typically reach the 45F level about mid to late March and the 55F level about late April.

Unsure of the soil temperature in your area? K-State Mesonet Site is a great resource to find local soil temperatures. https://mesonet.k-state.edu/

By: Cassie Thiessen