Knowledge at Noon, sponsored by the Finney County Extension Office, will be Thursday, December 1, from 12:05-12:55 pm at the Finney County Public Library, 605 E. Walnut Street in Garden City, Kansas.

The public is invited to attend this program. Bring a lunch if you wish; coffee and tea will be provided. For more information on the Extension Knowledge at Noon programs, please contact the Finney County Extension Office at 620-272-3670.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

Why a list?

“Impulse purchases drive up food costs,” said Mary Meck Higgins, K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist.

“On average, about 40 percent of grocery purchases are impulse buys.”

That means that a consumer shopping with a list and sticking to it who spends $50 a week on groceries might save $20 a week, or more than $1,000 a year. If spending $100 a week on groceries, savings could add up to $2,000 year, and if spending $150 a week, savings might reach $3,000.

Grocery Shopping Tips from K-State Research and Extension

•  Keep a shopping list in the kitchen, and have family members note needed items throughout the week, since return trips to the grocery store for missed items take time and add cost.
• Organize a shopping list by category and in the same order as the store aisles to minimize shopping time and extra trips down aisles that add temptation.
• Plan ahead, in thinking through meals and menus to make sure the ingredients needed are on hand or on the list.
• Shop the perimeter (outside aisles) of the store where the least-processed foods (fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and basic bakery items such as whole grain bread) are offered.
• Eat before shopping, and shop early, late or on a weekday, when the store is less crowded.  Morning shopping may provide more access to manager mark-downs and clearance items.
• Stick to the list.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

Get a Food Spending Plan. Find out what is a reasonable amount to spend in order to feed your family healthy meals, using an easy (and free!) calculator online, at www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/fooddollar

Cook enough for several meals and freeze leftovers. Place enough food for one meal in a freezer container. Thaw in the refrigerator for a no-hassle meal in the future, on a day when you don’t have time to cook.

 Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season, when they are lower in price and taste better. To know which foods are in season during each month, visit the website, www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/downloads/Get_Smart_Shopping.pdf

Minimize waste, by buying only the amounts your family will eat.

Enjoy the comforts of home more often. Eating at restaurants increases the amount you spend on food, and often includes limited options for fruit and vegetable choices. Include fruits and veggies in quick meals that you prepare and enjoy at home. For delicious low-cost recipes to make in 30 minutes, visit the website, http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov

Make homemade soup for a healthy and tasty way to use vegetables. Make a big batch and freeze leftovers in lunch-size containers.

Canned fruits and vegetables can be stored for a long time. Choose canned vegetables that have no added salt and fruit that is canned in 100% fruit juice.

To make many fresh fruits and vegetables last longer, store them in the refrigerator soon after getting home from your shopping trip.

Clearly label your foods in the freezer and refrigerator with the contents and date. Use within a safe time frame.

Buy frozen fruits and vegetables in large bags, to stretch your budget. Avoid those with added sugar, salt or sauce.

Source:  Erin Henry and Mary Meck Higgins, “Dining on a Dime,” September 2011, K-State Research and Extension

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

Join Linda Beech for the Extension program “Money-Saving Mixes” on Friday, September 9 at 12:00 noon at the Finney County Extension Office, 501 S. 9th Street on the fairgrounds. There is no cost for this grant-funded program. Bring a lunch if desired, beverages will be provided.

This program will examine the advantages and disadvantages of making your own mixes, considerations for labeling and storing prepared mixes and pointers for maintaining mix freshness and quality. Participants will work together to prepare a money-saving mix and calculate the cost savings over buying a similar commercial product. Everyone will take home mix recipes, instructions and a sample of a homemade mix to try.

A minimum enrollment is required to hold this class, so pre-registration is a must. Call the Extension Office at 620-272-3670 or email lbeech@ksu.edu by September 6 to save your spot.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

The Finney County Extension Service will sponsor the Consumer Programs at the 3i Show again this year.  All programs are free and offered on a come-and-go basis for the enjoyment of show-goers.

Presentations are held in the Grandstand Meeting Room on the Finney County Fairgrounds at 10:00a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 on Wednesday and Thursday with programs at 10:00 am, 11:00 am and 1:30 pm on Friday.

Parking is very limited on the fairgrounds during the 3i Show. Instead of driving to the show, catch a 3i shuttle bus at the United Methodist Church, Westlake Ace Hardware or the municipal parking lot at Eighth and Fulton Street. Shuttles run every 15-20 minutes, however, you will want to allow a little extra time to reach the fairgrounds by shuttle bus.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

• 10:00 am- Native American Culture and Customs
• 11:00 am- Container Gardening
• 1:30 pm- Fabric Precuts:  What Are They and How Do I Use Them?
• 2:30 pm- Leaving a Legacy

Thursday, May 5, 2011

• 10:00 am- Housing Options for Aging in Place
• 11:00 pm- Driving Safety for Women
• 1:30 pm- Scams: How to Protect Ourselves
• 2:30 pm- Homemade Bread for Busy Cooks

Friday, May 6, 2011

• 10:00 am- The Celiac Attack: Control it with a Gluten-Free Diet
• 11:00 am- Seafood At Its Best
• 1:30 pm- Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack and Stroke

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

Don’t believe them! These statements are unproven, says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a recent Consumer Update.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a bacterium that can cause severe—even life-threatening—infections that do not respond to standard treatment with the antibiotic methicillin.

Understanding MRSA

“Staphylococcus aureus itself is a very aggressive organism,” says Edward Cox, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Office of Antimicrobial Products. “It’s often associated with patients in hospitals who have weakened immune systems, but the bacterium can also cause significant skin infections and abscesses in a normal, healthy person. And it can get into the bloodstream and, less frequently, may involve the heart valve, which is very difficult to treat.”

But this antibiotic-resistant strain is even more difficult to treat. “With MRSA, a number of the antibiotic drugs we typically used often don’t work, so we lose treatment options we used to rely upon,” says Cox.

Misleading Claims

FDA is cracking down on companies that break federal law by promoting their products as preventing MRSA infections and other diseases without agency review and approval.

“Consumers are being misled if they think these products you can buy in a drug store or from other places will protect them from a potentially deadly infection,” says Deborah Autor, compliance director at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

One company claims that its hand sanitizing lotion prevents infection from the bacterium E. coli and the H1N1 flu virus. And another firm claims its “patented formulation of essential plant oils” kills the bacterium Salmonella. These claims are also unproven and, therefore, illegal.

“FDA has not approved any products claiming to prevent infection from MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella, or H1N1 flu, which a consumer can just walk into a store and buy” says Autor. “These products give consumers a false sense of protection.”

Advice for Consumers

• Don’t buy over-the-counter hand sanitizers or other products that claim to prevent infection from MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella, flu, or other bacteria or viruses.
• Ask your pharmacist or other health care professional for help in distinguishing between reliable and questionable information on product labels and company websites.
• In general, wash hands often, especially before handling food, to help avoid getting sick. Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. For children, this means the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.

For more information, see the full Consumer Update report and other helpful consumer information at the FDA website, www.fda.gov.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

The USDA collected random samples of large shell eggs from 12 locations across the country.  Most nutrients remained the same.  But, cholesterol decreased 12% to 185 mg and vitamin D increased 64% to 41 IU.  The decrease in cholesterol is likely due to healthy improvements in chicken feed.  Eggs were last analyzed in 2002.

Eggs are also good sources for healthy dietary fats.  More than two-thirds of the fat in an egg is made up of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  They do not contain trans-fats.  All of these types of fats are recommended in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The USDA guidelines recommend consuming less than 300 mg of chlesterol each day.

During Easter, eggs are often advertised at seasonal sale prices.  This may be a good time to stock up.  Fresh eggs in the shell will keep for 4 to 5 weeks in their original carton in the refrigerator.  Use hard-cooked eggs within 5-7 days.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

This program will be held on Monday, April 11th at 12:00 noon at the Finney County Extension Office, 501 S. 9th Street on the fairgrounds in Garden City. Bring a lunch to enjoy during the program. Dessert and drinks will be provided.

A minimum attendance is required to hold this program, so pre-registration is requested by Friday, April 8 at the Finney County Extension Office, 620-272-3670 or email to lbeech@ksu.edu.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

It’s true, though, families can save money by eating at home. Check out the quick meals for busy families link at Spend Smart Eat Smart from Iowa State Extension which compares the cost of a restaurant meal with one you prepare at home. Remember, when you eat out or buy convenience products, you pay for labor as well as the food.

So, how do you save money by eating together at home? Spend Smart Eat Smart website has lots of great ideas for saving money as you prepare meals. Prepare double or triple batches of favorite recipes to have on hand when you are in a hurry. Save money when you buy ingredients in quantity to make several batches. Make a list of foods that cook quickly and save time, such as scrambled eggs, fruit and toast; stir fry meat and veggies, etc.

Keep meals simple and easy – a family meal together doesn’t have to be elaborate or include expensive ingredients. A simple meal, eaten together while sharing conversation with those you love, is worth more than the most elaborately prepared dish.  Don’t let this simple concept become lost in the busy-ness of everyday life.

I”d love to hear how you save money with family meals at home.  Share your best tips!

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

Now is the time to make sure you have a thermometer in each refrigerator and freezer.  A thermometer is an “inexpensive insurance policy” to help you monitor food temperatures during a power outage.  With a thermometer, you’ll be able to take action if foods are getting too warm in order to save costly food losses.  (During the last ice storm and power outage, the first  question I asked callers inquiring about the safety of the food in their freezer was “how warm did it get in the freezer?”  Most couldn’t tell me.)

Be prepared for power outage

Besides putting a thermometer into your freezer, here are several other tips to prepare for a power outage which sometimes comes with severe winter weather:

• Stock a survival kit with a flashlight and extra batteries, candles and matches, battery-powered or hand-crank portable radio, a couple of cans of sterno canned cooking fuel and some simple foods which can be eaten cold or with saucepan heating.
• Gather emergency heating supplies such as extra firewood for a fireplace or fuel for other types of portable heaters.
• If you own a generator, be sure it is in good working order with plenty of fuel.
• During an outage, do not open the refrigerator or freezer door any more than is necessary. Food can stay cold in a full refrigerator for up to 24 hours, and in a well-packed freezer for 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-packed).
• Freeze large chunks of ice in clean plastic jugs or containers to place in freezers or refrigerators as needed. These can quickly be frozen outside overnight if you have the containers on hand.
• Draw some extra water if your water supply is dependent on electricity (like the pump on the farm where I grew up.)

Was the freezer off while you were away? Here’s a simple way to detect a problem with frozen food safety: store an ice cube or two in a sealed plastic bag or small container in the freezer. If the ice cube has melted down from its original shape, you’ll know the power was off for an extended period of time!

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.