Evert Fresh Bags

OK, So I know you’re looking at that insert in your delivery this week wondering, “..is Timber Creek going in a new direction or something?” and the answer is YES and NO.

It’s really true that TCF Members have been calling me over the last several months singing the praises of EvertFresh Bags. They’ve all suggested that we sell them because what’s better than TCF Organic food? TCF Organic food that lasts longer, is the answer!

Since organic food isn’t sprayed with fungicides and other chemicals when it is harvested, it can go bad more quickly. Even though for the most part our produce comes directly from the grower and is barely a week old when you receive it, the life of organic produce will always be shorter than the life of conventional produce.

The solution IS the Evert Fresh Bag. I drove to Whole Foods and bought a package of 10 large bags for $7.99. I followed the directions, and even my husband could tell that the food was fresher! I was hooked, and Timber Creek jumped onboard.

So, here’s how to use them: Wash your produce and dry it well. Even though it’s been dried, it will still have a little water clinging to it, so wrap it all up in paper towels. Then, label the paper towel and put a mark on the top of the Evert Fresh Bag to count the uses. These bags have a special clay from remote caves in Japan worked into the plastic. This clay absorbs the ethylene gas that ripening food gives off, and this keeps the food fresher. However, the clay will reach its maximum absorption capacity after 6-8 uses, so it’s good to keep track. After the clay has been maxed-out, you can still use the bags as just….well….bags!

Now, expel as much air as possible, and store your produce. You can store items in the fridge, or in the case of bananas, for example, you can leave them on the counter. You can also use Evert Fresh Bags to keep your flowers fresher, longer. I treat flowers and herbs such as parsley and cilantro the same way: put a fresh cut on the bottom, set them in a glass of water, put an Evert Fresh Bag over the whole thing, and set it in the fridge. You will be amazed!

Now you don’t have to make it a point to eat up all the more delicate foods you receive such as lettuce, first. Lettuce and spinach last incredibly long in these bags, and you’ll be able to use them more spontaneously.

No one can beat our price, not even Home Shopping Network (!), so give them a try. Just add them to your next order.

Photo Friday

On Tuesday. Because I'll be out of town for a few days. This is an Indigo Bunting I photographed in my front yard last week.

Kung Pao Chicken 101

I LOVE Kung Pao Chicken! This is a dish for which you spend all your time in prep, and almost none actually cooking. And because all the ingredients can be delivered by Timber Creek, you won't spend any time shopping, either! (You can get the grocery items from our Wholesale Buying Club: Natural Farms.) Dishes like this are good because you can do the prep in short bursts throughout the day instead of all at once.

You’ll need 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. From TCF, I usually get 1 package of split breasts on the bone and bone them myself – it’s less expensive, and not very difficult, but that’s another post.

If you have a wok, this recipe will go easily. If not, use your largest skillet and consider using two turning utensils instead of one to keep the food moving over the heat. My wok is 35 years old and made of spun steel. It’s developed a little patina over the years, so don’t let that throw you in the pictures.

You can refrigerate the leftover Kung Pao on top of the leftover rice, and it is a great chicken salad eaten cold or room temp…if it lasts that long! The usual caveats stand about using sherry. NEVER use “cooking sherry”. Always use something that is at least drinkable…and “cream sherry” is not for cooking. I use Christian Brothers Dry Sherry. Inexpensive and it does the trick.

The bottled ingredients are also available in almost any grocery store. (...and you can click all the pictures for a larger view...)

Kung Pao Chicken (or Shrimp)

In a bowl, mix:

1 Tb. each, dry sherry and cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper (white is preferred, but not necessary)

1 ½ lb. skinned, boned chicken breasts cut into bit-sized pieces (or 1 ½ lb. shelled & deveined medium shrimp)

Mix the ingredients in the bowl. Add the chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 min.

4 Tb. peanut oil
1 C roasted, salted peanuts, shelled
1 ½ Tb. each: minced garlic and minced ginger
1 – 1 ½ bunches scallions, sliced

Cooking Sauce Recipe:

4 Tb. soy sauce
1 Tb. Thai chili sauce (or other hot sauce)
2 Tb. each: white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar and dry sherry
6 Tb. chicken broth
4 Tb. sugar (optional)
3 Tb. cornstarch

While the chicken is marinating, shell the peanuts. I shell them on a dish towel. Then I gather up the towel and rub the outside well – that loosens the paper covers. I take a small handful over the sink and very lightly blow away any remaining paper, then put them into the measuring cup.

You can prepare the garlic, ginger and scallions just before you start cooking.

When it’s time for dinner:

Start the rice. I often use jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock – 2 C stock to 1 C rice. Bring the stock to a boil, add the rice and stir. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 min.

While the rice is cooking, heat your wok over high heat. When it’s hot, add 3 Tb. of the peanut oil. Add the peanuts and stir constantly. When they are just beginning to brown, start removing them from the pan to paper towels to drain. If any burn, throw them out. This step flavors the oil.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and add 1 Tb. of peanut oil – mix well. Add the ginger and garlic to the wok, stir twice, then add the chicken and stir constantly until it is no longer pink. Add ¾ of the scallions, allow them to cook about 2 min, and then pour in the cooking sauce. The dish will come together immediately. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Spoon some rice into a bowl. Spoon the Kung Pao Chicken on top. Sprinkle with scallions. Dinner is served.

Some Things Cannot Be Improved Upon

After two very, very long weeks I just wanted a very simple breakfast. Because I like to cook, there are times (like this one) when I realize that I can combine flavors, amplify or dampen flavors, but I cannot make a flavor. This lovely piece of fruit came in my delivery this week. What did the poet say? "...only God can make a grapefruit..."?

What We Had For Dinner Last Night

This is a quick post for a quick dinner. My original plan was to make a type of Salad Nicoise: cold, steamed veggies, eggs and potatoes with cold tuna. It was a little cool outside when dinner time came around, so I decided to cook up some salmon, instead. Then I veered further offtrack and made a mayo/tamari/garlic dipping sauce…and, well….as often happens with me, dinner completely mutated into something else.

So: In the morning, I boiled 2 potatoes and 2 eggs together. I took the eggs out of the cooking water after 10 min. and ran cold water over them until they were cooled off. Then I set them in the fridge. I continued to cook the potatoes (jackets on) until they were tender, then gave them the same treatment as the eggs. In the meantime, in my large wok-steamer, I steamed the green beans for 5 min and the leeks (trimmed, but whole) for about 10. Then I set them on a plate to cool. Afterward, I put everything into the fridge to get it chilled.

I mixed up about 1 C mayo with 2 Tb. tamari (soy sauce) and, using the garlic press, added a very, very tiny clove of garlic. Then I let that sit in the fridge with everything else to let the flavors marry.

Come dinner time, I heated the oven to 325°, salted and peppered the salmon, and got a frying pan hot on the stove with a little olive oil in it. I cooked the fish flesh-side down first for less than a minute, then flipped it over to skin-side down for 30 sec. more. Then I put the whole pan into the oven for 10 min. more. In the meantime, I arranged the platter: cut the eggs and potatoes in quarters, split the leeks in half, drained and sliced some jarred roasted red peppers, and put it altogether. I drizzled a little extra virgin olive oil over the veggies, sprinkled some French sea salt over all – and WOW, what a GREAT DINNER! No leftovers. None.

The Official Start of Grillling Season

Well, OK – I admit it, I never stop grilling. There’s no weather too cold to get a nice tenderloin roasting for dinner on that grill. I think I got that from my father who once grilled the Thanksgiving turkey in a heavy, wet snow storm – it was the best turkey I ever had.

But let’s talk about grill types. If you have a gas or propane grill, you know how to use it. It’s basically an outdoor stove and its uses are pretty straightforward. If you have a charcoal grill, you’re a step closer to my hickory chip-smoked heart. But if you grill using hardwood charcoal, you’re definitely hardcore – and I am hardcore.

There’s a little butcher shop right next to Timber Creek where I buy my hardwood charcoal. I pour it into my cylindrical charcoal starter and crumple a piece of newspaper underneath. Just light the paper with a match: no starter fluid required and in about 15-20 min. your charcoal is red hot. While it’s firing up, I soak some hickory chips to flavor the food. I usually pour that hot pot of flaming charcoal onto an equal amount of charcoal sitting inside the grill, let that sit about 10 min. more, and at that point it looks like this:

These coals are banked to one side because tonight we’re making pork tenderloin with grilled veggies. I simply sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper all over the tenderloin….I don’t put oil on the meat. I seem to get a better crust with less burning this way. Drain the hickory chips and sprinkle them over the coals. Reset the grate over the coals, and set the meat over the hottest part of the fire and allow each side to sear evenly.

Then I prepared the veggies. Today, I’ve been a little pressed for time, so I took the easy way out. I used a spray bottle of olive oil and sprayed the veggies all over – leeks and baby bok choy this time. I soaked the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes, then ran the veggies through. A little more salt and pepper, and they’re ready to go. By now, the tenderloin has been nicely seared on all sides, so I moved it over to the cooler side of the gril, and moved the leeks right up over the fire. I positioned the bok choy about half way between the two. Then I covered the grill, closed the air holes on the top about half way, and went inside to the kitchen.

On the stove, I melted a couple of Tb. of butter and added a clove of garlic run through the press. I let it sit over very low heat while I went outside to move the veggies around and add a tomato to the grill, cut in half -- cut side up. The meat was cooked in about 15 min. and I took it off the grill to rest while the veggies finished up. Then I split the leeks and poured the garlic butter over them and poured a little inside the bok choy. I grated some Parmesano over the hot tomato, sliced the pork and arranged a sliced starkrimson pear alongside, and dinner was served.

Yes, yes, this dinner may sound kind of boring to some. But I told you I’m hardcore. I could eat breakfast lunch and dinner from the grill, and my philosophy is: never waste a good fire.

Tomorrow I’m grilling artichokes. Want to come over?

An Easy Holiday

This past weekend we had a good showing of family for our holiday dinner. A total of 13 adults and two children – and that’s not even half of them! This time, I wanted to enjoy myself. I often spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and not very much time visiting during an occasion like this, so I changed my gameplan. I ordered the Raw Veggie Box from TCF and made in advance a huge tray of Radishes, English Peas, Zucchini, Yellow Bell Pepper, Scallions, Baby Carrots and a couple Sugar River Cheeses. I also had made a dip made of 1 part mayo, 1 part sour cream and a healthy dash of habanero sauce. It had a kick! I found a bottle of chardonnay I didn’t even know we had, so the day began very pleasantly, indeed.

Dinner was as simple as I could possibly make it. I bought a spiral cut ham and just brought it to room temperature – no cooking needed. I took 5 lb. of Russian Red Fingerling Potatoes and put them in a roasting pan with 5 large sliced Leeks, 5-6 large Garlic Cloves, chopped, a couple Tb. of Kosher Salt and a generous sprinkling of Fresh Rosemary Leaves. I tossed them together with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, covered the pan and put them in a 400 degree oven for 45 min. Then I stirred them, lowered the heat to 350, and let them go another 45 min. Next, I lowered the heat to 300 and just let them sit in there another 15 min. or so while I finished setting up the buffet.

Before the guests arrived, I took 5 lb. of trimmed Asparagus and peeled the bottom half of each stalk. Then I dropped them in the steamer for 20 min. at serving time. I also melted a stick of butter in a measuring cup in the microwave to dress them (easier to pour that way).

My favorite part of the meal, tho, was the salad. I have a great time experimenting with salads. This one consisted of mainly Romaine, but I also added a little Escarole since I had some in the fridge. I tore and tossed the greens, then zested a few Lemons and minced an equal portion of Flat Leaf Parsley. These, I tossed with the greens to coat them and bring in a nice background flavor. Then I added the rest: chopped Scallions, Grape Tomatoes, and some jarred Roasted Red Peppers. Then I covered the bowl and set it in the fridge till dinner. Next, I made the croutons. Making your own croutons is an essential step to making a great salad. A salad doesn’t need croutons, but if you’re going to have them, make them yourself. Once you’ve made your own, you’ll never eat store bought croutons again. Consider them to be as important an ingredient as fresh lettuce is to your salad. To make them, I bought a loaf of Rudi’s Olive Oil and Rosemary Bread and let it sit out a few hours the day before the party. The morning of the party I cut up the bread in rather large cubes, and brought my wok up to high heat. I then added a generous amount of Olive Oil to the pan, and dropped in the bread cubes. Next, I turned the heat down to medium and began tossing the cubes so that they each got some oil on them, and they toasted evenly. Before they were finished, I sprinkled them generously with Kosher Salt, tasted a couple because I’m the cook, and let them cool on a cookie sheet. Now you can make them in the oven on a cookie sheet, but my oven was occupied, and they take longer that way.

When it was time to eat, I finished the salad. First, I drizzled some Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the salad and barely tossed it. Then I sprinkled some Balsamic Vinegar over it. Again, I barely tossed it. Then, with a vegetable peeler, I shaved huge tongues of fresh Parmesano Reggiano generously over the greens, and topped it all with the cooled croutons.

Then came the fun part: After everyone went through the buffet line, They noticed these little wine glasses on the table with strange colored granules in them. These are some of my salts. I got this idea from Willson, the chef in Madrid, Spain who I link to on the right (“Will’s Eats”). He had done a post about some of the specialty salts he uses, and, truth be told, I’m an incurable salt collector myself, so I took a cue from him. For the dinner I put out Celtic Sea Salt from France, pink Murray River Salt from Australia, and Black Salt from Hawaii. These are only 3 of the 15 or so salts I have in my kitchen, but the idea was to have some fun at dinner, so I kept it simple. The salad described above rises to incredible heights of flavor with the addition of a good specialty salt, and the Asparagus would play well with them, too – so we went for it…it’s amazing what a little very, very good salt can do for a dish. We drank a nice Rose` from Spain and chatted and ate for quite a while. We had wonderfully easy and enjoyable day, and at the end I gave a tip of my hat to Will for the inspiration.

THE ORGANIC REBELLION

Don't teach me anything new --- because once I learn it, I just can't stop!!

If you haven't seen this, it's HILARIOUS!!!

If Mozart Came Back as a Cat....

Ok, This is purely cute. That's why it's here.



Everyone needs a little smile now and then! =) (I heard she eats organic cat food!!)

Everybody Loves PIZZA !!

Last night my sister, Laurel and her husband Jim joined me and my husband, Rich in a throwdown challenge set into motion last summer: Which one of us makes the best pizza? Last June, when we cooked up this idea, it was faaarrrrr tooo hot to bake pizzas all day, so we planned to have the ultimate Pizza Cook-Off some day in February. That day was yesterday.

We all gathered at the house to show what we had: and man-oh-man the competition was tough! First Laurel made her pizza: herbed crust, lots of meat and fresh veggies. Then I made mine: Naples-style with Timber Creek Mozzarella, basil, onion, garlic and store-bought pepperoni. In the meantime, I had baked a peach pie with white peaches that I got from TCF last summer. Last August when they were ripe, I just sliced them up, tossed them with a little sugar and lemon juice and froze them in a zip-lock bag for use on some cold, winter’s day. I also churned up some homemade vanilla ice cream made with Amish Whipping Cream and Amish Whole Milk. Whew! It was a daunting day, but somebody had to prove my pizza was best!!

We didn’t rush. We took our time and even had a “do over” to be sure that the very best representative pizzas would be offered up for the judges. In the end, over pie ala mode and coffee we declared it a “draw”, but we had a heck of a lot of fun getting there!

PSSSTT!! Click on pizza for an even more delicious view!!

Friday Morning Kitten Blogging

Zinfandel discovers a new playmate. =)

How To Feed A Family

This post is a long overdue “Thank You” to everyone who felt moved to respond to the letter they received from Timber Creek about the Feed a Family Foundation.

You are the most generous, selfless, caring people I know.

As most of you probably know, Tony’s idea to feed families organic food for a year was originally grounded in the simple concept that together, we all can do something to help one another. This first effort of Timber Creek matching funds with Member contributions was purely born; and was meant to give our combined dollars and shared concerns to others without the need to form a charitable trust to be overseen by the government.

By the second week of our call to the Members of Timber Creek, it had become clear that Tony should make the Feed a Family Foundation a formal, government-approved foundation that worked year ‘round to ‘feed a family’. Wheels were put into motion, forms were filed, and we’re well on our way to that worthy goal.

We have not yet reached it, tho. We did not receive our not-for-profit status in 2006. Our application is pending with the IRS, and during this time we are unable to accept any donations on behalf of the Foundation. While none of the members of our Board of Directors foresees a reason that we would not be granted tax-exempt status in early 2007, we must be patient and wait until the IRS makes their final determination. I hope that you understand our concerns and can appreciate that this policy has been adopted to protect the Foundation and help to ensure its long life.

Some of those who have given large contributions have asked that we send their checks back, and that is OK with us. We understand. Others, particularly those who wrote smaller checks, have asked that we keep the funds and use them to feed a family. They know that they cannot take a tax deduction from the Foundation, but that’s OK with them. Two groups of very motivated people did put together the funds to feed two families for the next year! This is what caring is all about, and I take off my hat to them.

We will keep you informed of our progress. The Feed a Family Foundation is a great cause, and soon we will be able to help many, many families with a year-long delivery of fresh, organic food, courtesy of you.

The REAL Stewards of the Earth -- an Opinion

Have you been watching the ABC World News Tonight’s 3-part series on organic food? It’s been two days of broadcasts so far, and I’m seeing the usual distortions, but nothing new. I went to the Broadcast Plus section of their website to look a little further into the subject and I found myself in an interesting conversation.

ABC provided a few links to 'find organic food in your area', so I checked them out. One of the links was to an “online community” which can put you in touch with organics in your area, so naturally, I tried to find Timber Creek. But we weren’t there. I emailed the webmaster (in California where this group is based) and told him about TCF. I asked him if he could include us in his database. But he said “NO”. His reason was that his organization only promotes family farms “that sell to their local communities and the businesses that support them.” (Interestingly, I could purchase organic and 'natural' foods from this website, and have it shipped across the country to me.)

So, I asked him: “How come I can buy organic food from you online (you’re in California and I’m in Illinois)? Isn’t that the same thing that TCF does?”

I’ll quote his answer directly:

“Our goals are:

#1: Family farms
#2: Buy Local
#3: Organic food

...in that order.

90% of the work we do is though our directory, where people find local sources of family-farm grown foods. We have a catalog where we sell products from family farms via mail order, which is how we support the project.”

Now, I didn’t write back to him, but I’m hearing this unusual argument a lot lately. The argument goes something like this:

“The most important thing we can do is to support the ‘little guys’ {farms} who are struggling to stay afloat. We all wish that we could just go down to the corner farm and buy our fruits and veggies, but since we can’t, we have to protect these guys as best we can, from being absorbed into the giant factory farms. And, locally grown food is better for you, anyway. If the food is Organic, well, that’s just a plus.”

Fair enough, I guess……but to me, that's exactly backwards:

If I’m spending my money at your farm to help keep your business afloat, don’t I have a say in what quality of food I’m buying from you? Yes, family farms have a unique struggle, and eating locally grown food is the ideal, but if your food could be slowly poisoning me and my family, why is helping your farm so important? The terms “locally grown” and “organic” are not mutually exclusive.

There are a lot of seemingly unsolvable issues in the organic world. Transportation over long distances seems counterproductive, yet if the farms in my area are only growing food with the full compliment of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, antibiotics, recombinant growth hormones, and such, I’m going to look elsewhere. Plenty of us don’t even know where the nearest farm would be – but many of us know better than to read the words “locally grown” without asking the far more important question: “is it clean?” All food is locally grown to someone – that doesn’t make it better for you.

The way I see it, there is nothing wrong with helping a farmer who lives somewhere other than my neighborhood, if he’s the one who will bring me the clean, organic food that I want. That organic farmer's success makes it easier for my neighbor the farmer to transition to organic, if that's what he wants to do. These far-flung farmers who, year after year, demonstrate their commitment to the future of the planet and my family’s health; help other farmers in the long run, too -- they're the real stewards of the earth. Not everyone cares about the quality of the food that they eat, but if you do, there is a farmer out there who is upholding the organic standards for YOU.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... P.S. The lovely family farm in the picture above is the storefront of Roseland Organic Farms -- the USDA Certified Organic Farm in Niles, Michigan where we get our grassfed beef.

90 Days of Purpose

There is a church in Forest Park called “Living Word Christian Center” that is really unique. The pastor of the church is a doctor, so he has a passion to keep his congregation healthy. Some of our Members belong to the church, so they asked me to come up and speak to them about the benefits of eating organic foods. I was overwhelmed when I saw this group! There were over 100 people signed up for “90 Days of Pupose”. This is a 90-day re-orientation to one’s personal health, covering all aspects of body, mind and spirit, beginning with eating the right foods: organics. Timber Creek Members Mitze, Audrey and Louella (pictured above) had an incredibly organized presentation that touched on food combining, the low-glycemic index and many other cutting-edge concepts.

They asked us to develop a Timber Creek Basket for this group, specifically, and so we did. The 90 Days of Purpose Box ($36.81) will consist of a broad selection of greens, some root vegetables and fruits. Any time you eat an organic fruit or vegetable instead of a conventional one, you are signaling to your body that you are ready to detoxify. Detoxification begins with that first bite of organic food, and the more you substitute organics for conventional foods in your day, the more your body responds. You can change your diet to make healthier choices, but if your changes include detoxifying your body, you can surpass your original goals and enjoy an even more potent level of health.

These unique women and their group of fellow travelers already have an energy that you don’t see every day. We look forward to working with them more and more.

Monday Morning Kitten Blogging

Merlin tries one last time to hide from Jack Frost

MILK IN GLASS BOTTLES! HOORAY!!

IT’S FINALLY HERE!!

MILK IN GLASS BOTTLES

After much waiting and working with one of our dairies, Lamer’s, we are pleased and proud to announce the launch of Organic Milk and Hormone and Antibiotic-Free Milk and Orange Juice in Glass Bottles!!

Why all the fuss, you may ask?? Well, aside from the fact that the milk just tastes better and using glass is better for the environment, Timber Creek Farms is one of a small handful of companies in our delivery area able to bring you the real deal right to your door. There are other, larger companies who can deliver milk in glass, but what kind of milk? In the past, another home delivery service who specializes in milk in glass bottles offered a clean product. They could certify that their milk contained no antibiotics and no synthetic growth hormones. Over time, that certification eroded into a promise, and now their milk is the same as all the rest.

Enter: Lamer’s in Wisconsin. Lamer’s provides Timber Creek with two lines of milk; Dairyland’s Best and Wisconsin Organics. Although not organic, Dairyland’s best is certified to have no synthetic growth hormones or antibiotics in it. And now it’s available in glass! We have their affidavit on file, and we’ll send you a copy for the asking. Wisconsin Organics’ milk is USDA Certified Organic, of course, and now it’s also available in glass, too! Really, what more could you ask for?

Timber Creek now has a complete Dairy Brochure listing all of our dairy options. Look for it on our website at www.tcforganics.net or ask for one in your next delivery.

Now I have my milk in glass and produce delivered together, and they’re on my doorstep once a week.

I only wish I knew about Timber Creek when my children were little………

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(**Important announcement: Lamer's has stopped carrying "Grass Point Farms" milk from grass-fed cows.**)

SPINACH -- SPINACH -- SPINACH

Yesterday, I spoke with the Director of the LaSalle County Health Department, an official with Lakeside Organics (where our spinach comes from) and checked the websites of the Center for Disease Control and ABC News.

What I found out was that Illinois was at that moment reporting its first case of E. coli. I also found out that the company found to have produced the contaminated spinach was Natural Selections, LLC in California. It just so happens that this company has a “commercial side” and an “organic side”. This does NOT mean that products are co-mingled; in fact, it means quite the opposite. Organic products cannot be processed at commercial facilities. The commercial side of Natural Selections is the place that the contaminated spinach originated from. The organic side, named “Earthbound Organics” has been cleared of any suspicion.

The spinach the Timber Creek delivers to you is from Lakeside Organics – also in California. I spoke with them and asked them if the FDA or any other government agency had asked them to stop harvesting or to stop shipping their spinach. The said “NO”. So it appears that the government investigators have done their job, and the worry is over. The CDC isn’t quite that optimistic, however, so I have reproduced their latest announcement later in this post. And because the “all clear” has not been sounded by the government, Timber Creek has decided to pull all spinach from our deliveries until further notice.

What we know so far as of 9/18/06 from the Centers for Disease Control website:

As of 1 PM (ET) September 18, 2006, Monday, 114 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported to CDC from 21 states.
Among the ill persons, 60 (53%) were hospitalized, 18 (16%) developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), and an adult in Wisconsin died. Eighty-five (75%) were female and 6 (5%) were children under 5 years old. Among ill persons who provided the date when their illnesses began, 92% became ill between August 19 and September 5.

The states that have reported cases are California (1 case), Connecticut (2), Idaho (4), Illinois (1), Indiana (8), Kentucky (6), Maine (2), Michigan (4), Minnesota (2), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), Nevada (1), New York (7), Ohio (10), Oregon (5), Pennsylvania (4), Utah (15), Virginia (1), Washington (2), Wisconsin (32), and Wyoming (1).

CDC Advice for Consumers

The following is advice for consumers about this outbreak:
• Currently, we are advising consumers to not eat any fresh spinach or salad blends containing fresh spinach that are consumed raw.

• E. coli O157:H7 in spinach can be killed by cooking at 160° Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. (Water boils at 212° Fahrenheit.) If spinach is cooked in a frying pan, and all parts do not reach 160° Fahrenheit, all bacteria may not be killed. If consumers choose to cook the spinach, they should not allow the raw spinach to contaminate other foods and food contact surfaces, and they should wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling the spinach.

• Persons who develop diarrhea after consuming fresh spinach or salad blends containing fresh spinach are urged to contact their health care provider and ask that their stool specimen be tested for E. coli O157.

• Persons who ate fresh spinach or salad blends and feel well do not need to see a health-care provider.

Milk

Did you know that Timber Creek Farms sells two kinds of milk? They’re not all the same, and Members buy them for different reasons; so let’s take a closer look at each of them...and before we begin, let me point out that ALL of our milks can be frozen for later use!

The first milk in our Dairy Brochure is Dairyland’s Best.

Dairyland’s best is not organic, but the cattle that provide the milk are vegetarians. In fact all cattle associated with TCF products (including beef) are vegetarians, and that’s important because by only eating grains, legumes and grasses there’s no possibility of transmitting Mad Cow Disease through the herd or into the final products. One thing that Dairyland’s Best can certify is that there are no antibiotics or synthetic hormones given to the cattle. Dairyland’s Best is the ONLY large dairy in the Midwest that can make that claim! The milk comes in gallons and half pints (for the kids), and you can get Skim, 1%, 2% or Whole. They also provide us with our Half and Half which comes in ½ gallons or pints, and our Whipping Cream which comes in ½ gallons and ½ pints. Dairyland’s Best also offers ½ gallons of Orange Juice made from purified water.

The second milk in our Dairy Brochure is Wisconsin Organics.

Like it says in the title, it’s USDA Certified Organic. It’s also homogenized. That means that the fats in the milk have been evenly distributed throughout the liquid of the milk and will never separate. Just like regular milk in the store. Wisconsin Organics offers Skim, 2% or Whole in half gallons and gallons. This dairy also supplies us with our Organic Butter and cheese.

Timber Creek also offers a whole line of cheeses including the Specialty Line from Sugar River Cheese Company. Their flavors include: White Cheddar with Chipotle, or with Roasted Garlic and Green Onion; Monetery Jack with Roasted Garlic and Basil or with Jalapeno and Cilantro; or Prairie Jack with Parsley and Chive or with Green Peppercorns. We also carry soy milks, cottage cheesse and sour cream from Organic Valley, so be sure to check them out!

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(**Important Announcement: Lamer's Dairy no longer carries milk from Grass Point Farms**)

The Cookbook Box

You know that every time you browse through the Timber Creek brochure you see that "Cook-book Box" on page 16. And you know you think it would be cool to order, but you just don't know how it works...

Well, I'm happy to explain it to you.

First of all, what kind of cook are you? If you suddenly realize that it's almost dinnertime and you haven't given it a thought all day, there are 3 possible responses: Panic; order something; or put a pan on the stove, add some butter or olive oil and then start going through the fridge to find out what dinner is going to be.

Well, it's the third category of cook that would enjoy The Cookbook Box. It's for the experienced cook who is very comfortable in the kitchen, and likes a little bit of a challenge.

This is what you get: NOT recepie cards, but a beautiful, full-color, coffee-table type cookbook to whet your appetite. Then, Tony shops for you using produce items in the book that appear frequently throughout. For example, once he sent out a gorgeous cookbook of Greek cuisine. The box that was delivered with it had artichokes, eggplant, garlic, figs, basil, lemons, fennel and so on. When our Member received the box, she would go to the back of the book -- in the index -- and look up a given item such as eggplant. There were quite a few recepies, and then all she had to do was choose which one she wanted to make, and proceed. Other ingredients for that recepie may have also been delivered, so trips to the store are not always necessary. It really depends upon what's in your pantry, what you might be able to substitute, and which of the recepies your family would enjoy. Since we really don't know which recepies those might be, we give you the basics to choose which ones you'd like to try.

It's a popular box, but not for the faint of heart. If you have ever ordered a Cookbook Box, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to post a comment here.

Saturday Morning Kitten Blogging

Piquad posing as an herb...with that look on her face!