NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
December 7, 2000
By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service
Living in North Dakota has many benefits. We have four seasons, clean air and plenty of space, just to name a few. And we never need to use fake snow to get in the holiday spirit. We usually have plenty of the real stuff. Of course, if Aunt Zelda in Florida decides to surprise you by mailing fresh oranges for the holidays and they land on your front step while you're at work, you could have some issues with the weather, the delivery service or Aunt Zelda.
Mail-order food has become big business. According to a representative from the Direct Marketing Association, consumers will spend about $6 billion on food items from the Internet and catalogues this year. Even meat items and other perishable foods are being shipped from coast to coast. They remain safe because the companies use insulated containers and dry ice to keep them cold during transit.
If you decide to order perishable mail-order items, it's important to be present to collect the item or to let the recipient know in advance that a gift is on the away. During warm weather, be sure there are refrigeration facilities available at the delivery site. In the coldest months in North Dakota, of course, our car trunks become portable freezers.
Products labeled "keep refrigerated" should be opened right away and checked to be sure they are still cold or frozen. If perishable food items are not refrigerator-cold, it's safest not to eat the food. Freezing food does not kill bacteria, and cold storage only slows down the growth of bacteria. Call the food company or the delivery company to report that the food wasn't received in satisfactory form. Most likely, the food item will be replaced or your money refunded.
Many people send friends home-made food items by mail at this time of the year. Food quality and safety are important for those as well. First, select food items that travel well. Otherwise your most dainty and delicate holiday cookies may end up as crumbs during the mailing process. If you decide to send home-made jams or jellies in glass jars, be sure you've used research-tested safe recipes and pack the jars carefully in plenty of bubble wrap. Frosted treats probably won't withstand cross-country trips by mail. Sturdier goodies like gingerbread cookies, muffins, and fruit breads are more likely to arrive in good condition at the destination. Unless you're sending shelf-stable jerky-type meat products, frozen perishable meats are best left to shipping by the pros. And, if you decide to send fruit cake, be sure that your friends appreciate the thought.
Here's a tasty holiday bread that could be mailed to a friend to enjoy during the holidays.
Cranberry Nut BreadIngredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon EACH: baking powder, baking soda, salt
3 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup cranberries, coarsely choppedProcedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg in a large mixing bowl; add sugar and mix well. Carefully stir in sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt; add to creamed mixture, stirring just until moistened. Add orange peel, nuts and cranberries. Turn into one greased 9 x 5-inch or two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Bake about 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan and cool completely on wire rack. Makes about 15 servings.
A serving of Cranberry Nut Bread contains about 165 calories and 6 grams of fat.
While home-made fruit breads are a delicious addition to a holiday platter of goodies, there's one type of home-made bread/cake you'll want to leave off your menu: "bread in a jar" or "canned bread." According to some of the popular recipes, the batter is placed in a greased jar, baked and sealed with a lid. Not only are jars not meant as baking containers, bread/cake baked and sealed in jars could be hazardous to your health. Some of the ingredients could contain inactive forms of bacteria, called "spores", that could become active as a result of the heating process. In the air-tight environment of a sealed jar, the now-active spores could produce the toxin that causes botulism, a potentially fatal form of food-borne illness usually associated with vegetables improperly canned at home. For longer storage, don't can breads. Freeze them.
A second home-made gift item that you'll want to leave off your list would be home-made flavored oils, such as herb-oil mixtures or garlic and oil mixtures sealed in jars. These mixtures also pose the possibility of developing the toxin that causes botulism, especially if they're held at room temperature. Commercial products have added acids to keep the pH or degree of acidity at a safe level.
Some safe, and welcome, options for holiday food gifts include theme baskets. For the pasta lover on your gift list, include pasta bowls, assorted pasta, canned sauce or your favorite recipe along with the non-perishable ingredients. Dried soup mixes are easy to make and also widely available commercially. Add some crackers or muffin mix and soup cups to complete the gift.
While North Dakota is known for its weather reports, it's also being recognized for its excellent food products. Shop on-line for food products and a variety of other products on the Pride of Dakota website at http://www.shopnd.com/.
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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu