1)  Food Safety IQ: ‘Tis the Season for Pumpkin Pie

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Consumers who welcome seasonal foods often will have questions about food safety, said Karen Blakeslee, Kansas State University Research and Extension food scientist.

For example, should pumpkin pie be refrigerated?

“The answer is yes,” said Blakeslee, who explained: “Traditional pumpkin pie is a custard-style pie typically prepared with eggs and milk, ingredients that have a high moisture and protein content that, when stored at room temperature, can attract bacterial growth.” 

If refrigerating custard-style pies is recommended, how can some pumpkin pies be displayed on grocery store shelves without refrigeration?

Commercial recipes are formulated with shelf-stable ingredients, such as preservatives or antimicrobials, Blakeslee said.

Labels on the prepared pies displayed at room temperature will carry the letters “RT”, indicating that the pie meets guidelines required for display at room temperature.

Commercial pies also are required to carry “sell by” or “use by” dates, said Blakeslee, who recommended checking dates before purchasing pies at the store, and then refrigerating them at home.

More information on food safety and health is available at K-State Research and Extension offices and on Extension’s food safety Web site: www.oznet.ksu.edu/foodsafety.
 

                                                                      

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2)  Even Frost-Free Outdoor Faucets Can Freeze, Break

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Most outdoor faucets now are the frost-proof kind, but that doesn’t mean they never break in cold weather.

Because water expands as it freezes, it can split open metal or plastic pipes, as well as capped garden hoses. The resulting damage can emerge both inside and outside of the house, but may not show until spring. The impacts can range from a slow leak inside the wall to a room-flooding geyser.

“To avoid this, the main thing to remember is that you don’t want anything to still be holding water inside an exposed pipe or faucet when the temperature falls below freezing,” said Ward Upham, Kansas State University Research and Extension horticulturist. “For example, attachments that can trap water in an outdoor faucet include splitters, timers, hoses or almost anything else connected to the tap.”

Winter water problems would be even more common, Upham said, except for the fact that water can become ice at 32 degrees – but, only if it has an impurity, soil or pipe roughness, or other “seed” on which to crystallize.

Without a “seed,” water must supercool. After that, it can appear to freeze solid almost instantly. University of Illinois researchers found pipes in an insulated, and thus unheated attic froze at just below 20 degrees.

Some frost-proof faucets have a vacuum breaker that requires owners to push up a little stem to release the water in the pipe. Once free of such “extras,” however, frost-proof faucets winterize themselves.

Faucets that are not frost-proof usually have their handle on top and they’re likely to be on older homes. But, they all have a water shut-off valve, located close to the faucet, yet inside the house.

“For them, you have to turn off that valve inside the house,” Upham said. “Then you turn on the outside faucet to let any trapped water drain out. And, you leave the tap turned on.”


 

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3) Outdoor Faucet Covers Easy to Make

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- If outdoor water faucets are drained properly before winter, insulated faucet covers become more of an added precaution than a necessity.

“Covers aren’t very expensive, though, and making your own isn’t difficult,” said Ward Upham, who coordinates the Master Gardener program for Kansas State University Research and Extension.

At its most basic, a faucet cover can be a “surround” of rags, newspaper or other insulating material. This wrap will need a ”raincoat” of plastic or other material, taped in place to keep moisture from getting inside, Upham said.

“For a faucet cover that looks more secure, find a butter tub-type plastic container with a pop-on lid,” he said. “Cut a hole large enough for the lid to fit over the faucet. Center that lid behind the faucet and tack it to the wall. Then wrap a strip of fiberglass pipe insulation around the faucet and secure it with tape. Fit the tub over the insulation and just snap the container onto the wall-mounted lid.”


 

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4) Energy Answers: Just What is Renewable Energy?

Q: I’ve heard a lot in recent years about “renewable energy.” What does that mean?

A: Right now, the primary renewable energy resources are biomass, wind and solar. Others include hydropower and geothermal. These energy resources are constantly being replenished, and they provide many environmental, economic and energy-related advantages to society.

Biomass is organic material derived from plant and animal growth. All biomass contains carbon, just as coal and petroleum do. The energy produced from such biomass resources as wheat straw, animal manure, forestry residue and grain crops can heat homes and businesses, power automobiles and trucks, and produce electricity.

For most of its energy, the United States currently relies almost entirely on coal, oil, and natural gas, rather than renewable resources. These fuel sources are referred to as fossil fuels, and they are non-renewable. Because a finite quantity of them is available; their use has a finite or fixed life. Unless something unforeseen happens, fossil fuel resources are likely to become non-existent or too expensive to retrieve in the quantities we presently use. In addition, they may become too costly in terms of their environmental impact.

More information about energy is available on Kansas State University’s Energy Extension Service Web site: http://www.engext.ksu.edu/ees/.

- Source: Bruce Snead, Kansas State University Energy Extension Service