Woodpiles alive with over-wintering critters

MOSCOW, Idaho-When you go out to split your firewood, you never know what you'll find.  But Ed Bechinski, integrated pest management specialist for University of Idaho Extension, can give you a few clues.

Over the years, clients have brought him plenty of the legless, grub-like larvae of longhorned beetles, metallic wood-boring beetles and horn-tailed wasps.  Fleshy and wrinkled, they span 1 to 3 inches and-depending on the species-can lurk under bark or in heartwood. 

Horntailed wasp                                                          Asian Long-horned Beetle

"As you split the firewood, they'll fall with a thud on your foot and you'll wonder what in the world they are," he says.

"What they aren't," says Bechinski, "is a menace to either you or your landscape trees.  Once it develops into an adult, the horntailed wasp flaunts a very long stinger, but it's only for laying eggs.  And the beetles are 'highly specific' to the species of tree they'll attack and to the condition of that tree," Bechinski says.  "A lot of them will only lay eggs in weakened or dead trees."  Neither of two particularly damaging species-the Asian long-horned beetle or the Emerald ash borer-has yet to be reported in Idaho. 

Emerald ash borer

What you should worry about is encountering hobo spiders, black widow spiders or scorpions in stacked firewood, Bechinski says.  "Always wear gloves and tap the wood hard against the ground or house before you bring it inside," he says.  "This time of year, these potentially injurious critters will be cold and stiff and likely to slide right of the wood on impact.  Once inside, however, they'll reactivate."

                         Black Widow                                                           Hobo Spider

Bechinski strongly discourages concerned homeowners from treating firewood with pesticides. "That would be dangerously stupid," he says. "The pesticide would vaporize in the fire and could spread fumes within the house-and it wouldn't protect against insects inside the wood anyway. It's a waste of money and potentially hazardous.  Don't even think about it."

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Stay in your comfort zone with comfort foods

BOISE, Idaho-Eating comfort foods during the winter months won't necessarily pout you out of your comfort zone when it comes to healthy eating, says Beverly Healy, University of Idaho Extension educator.

Healy says cookbooks, magazines, web sites and even cooking shows now feature many lower-calorie, lower-fat variations of traditional comfort foods.  She especially recommends recipes at www.aicr.org , the web site of the American Institute for Cancer Research.

One of Healy's favorite comfort foods is US Senate Bean Soup, which is served daily in the US Senate cafeteria: Soak 1 pound white beans in a cool place for 4-6 hours or overnight.  Drain the beans and put them in a soup kettle with 3 quarts of water and a ham bone that still has some meat on it.  Bring the water to a boil and simmer for about 2 hours.  Stir in 1 cup of cooked mashed potatoes, one quarter cup of chopped parsley and 3 onions, 1 small bunch of celery (including the tops) and 2 garlic cloves, all finely chopped.  Simmer for another hour until the beans are thoroughly cooked.  Remove the ham bone, dice the meat and return the meat to the soup.  Adjust salt to taste.

Indeed, soup tops the list of Americans' comfort-food choices, along with roast chicken and beef, meatloaf, Italian tomato sauce, chicken pot pies, mashed potatoes and pizza.

According to surveys by the University of Illinois Food and Brand Lab, favorite comfort foods vary according to respondents' age and sex.  The 55-plus age group named soup and mashed potatoes as top choices, while 35- to 54- year-olds preferred soup, pizza and pasta and young adults favored ice cream and cookies.  Men chose ice cream, soup, pizza and pasta, while women expressed a preference for ice cream, chocolate and cookies. 

"Comfort foods trigger fond memories from our youth and are often foods that our mothers made," Healy says.  "They nourish our souls as well as our bodies and remind us of times past when things were simpler."

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VENISON JERKY:  Simple dehydration won't kill food-borne disease organisms

BOISE, Idaho- 'Tis the season for Idaho hunters to think about elk and venison jerky.  Beverly Healy, University of Idaho Extension educator, wants them to know that simply dehydrating meat for jerky typically falls 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit short  of killing food-borne disease organisms like salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7.  It pays to take an extra step in the kitchen-either by pre-cooking meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit or by using a bacteria thwarting vinegar-based marinade.

Healy prefers the texture of marinated jerky over pre-cooked jerky.  to prepare it, she adds to pounds of lean,  quarter-inch-thick meat slices to 2 cups of vinegar and lets them soak for 10 minutes, stirring them occasionally to make sure the vinegar continually covers every strip.  Meanwhile, she combines one-quarter cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, one-quarter teaspoon each of black pepper and garlic powder, one-half teaspoon of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of hickory smoked salt and pours  them into a 1-gallon re-sealable plastic bag, making sure once again that every piece of meat is thoroughly covered by the marinade.

After refrigerating the bag for 1 to 24 hours, Healy removes the meat slices and lays them flat-in a single layer with no pieces touching-on a clean dehydrator tray or oven drying rack. Then she slips them into a dehydrator or oven that's been preheated to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for the past 15-30 minutes.  The strips will dry in 10 to 14 hours, she says.

Healy knows her jerky is done when it's chewy and leathery.  "It's as brittle as a green strip but won't snap like a dry stick."  To test  a piece, let it cool slightly then bend it.  "It should crack but not break."

According to Healy, properly dried jerky will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for about two weeks, in the refrigerator for three to six months and in the freezer for up to a year. 

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QUICK SUMMER MEALS:  Put your family on the fast lane towards healthier eating

BLACKFOOT, Idaho-Marnie Spencer, co-author of a University of Idaho Extension curriculum called "Meal Time in Less Time" and a registered dietitian, loves to see summer coming.  With fruits and vegetables stacked  high in grocers' bins and at farmers' markets, summer is the easiest-and least expensive-time for people to eat healthfully.

Not counting some advance menu-planning, refrigerator stocking and food preparation, Spencer says she always has dinner on the table in 20 to 30 minutes.  "Its not more time-consuming to make a weekday meal than it is to run to the fast-food restaurant - and it's certainly much less expensive," she says.  "But you need to have a plan."

Spencer's family-like many other Idahoans-likes to grill in the summertime.  She stocks up on lean meats, poultry and fish, then marinades them in low-fat Italian dressing overnight so they're ready to hit the grill.  She even marinades the vegetables that she'll toss into the grill basket.

For warm-weather eating that puts on smiles and takes off pounds, Spencer offers these tips:

• Cook once and eat twice-or thrice: Use leftover grilled chicken, beef or pork fajitas, main dish salads or sandwiches later in the week.

• Make whole-grain sandwiches of lean meats and vegetables flavored vinegar and spices.  Add low-fat cheese and a little dab of mayonnaise or butter.

• To help meet the goal of 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day, wash produce as soon as you get it home-or out of the garden-so that it's always ready to eat.  Pre-slice carrots, watermelons and other produce that will keep in the fridge. 

• Use your crock pot for ribs or roast but set it out on the deck to keep it from heating up the house. 

• Make a weekend sandwich bar or salad bar from leftovers.

• Drink plenty of water jazzed up with a squeeze of lemon or lime.  Or, choose low-fat milk. 

• Once the tomatoes start coming, serve them on toast with olive oil, garlic and basil or as a side to meat.

Spencer notes that summer's warmer temperatures mean consumers have just one hour-not two- to get the leftovers off the table and into the refrigerator.

Spencer wrote the "Meal Time in Less Time" curriculum with colleagues Laura Sant and Rhea Lanting.  It's been distributed to Extension educators in 20 states and will be presented at the Society for Nutrition Education meeting in California in July.

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TOO HOT TO HANDLE (without gloves): Chili Peppers deserve respect in the kitchen

BOISE, Idaho--Canning salsa is a "hot" topic at University of Idaho Extension offices this time of year.  Not only are consumers asking for tested salsa recipes, they want to know how they can quite literally avoid getting burned.

Most peppers should be seeded and chopped before they're used in salsas or pickled peppers or before they're processed in a pressure canner.  Because they contain capsaicin, chilli peppers should always be handled with respect, says Alexis Woodbury, UI Extension program assistant.  This volatile oil produces the fiery sensation that many salsa lovers enjoy, but it can also cause severe chemical burns to hands, faces and eyes that may require medical attention.

"When working with chilli peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves and be sure not to touch your face," says Woodbury.  "As an extra measure of caution, wash your hands with soap and water after you've processed the peppers and cleaned the kitchen."

Up-to-data salsa and canning recipes are available from UI Extension offices statewide.  In addition, consumers can order a Pacific Northwest Extension publication called "Salsa Recipes for Canning" from the UI Educational Communications Web site, www.info.ag.uidaho.edu , or by calling the Jerome County Extension office @ (208) 324-7578.  Copies cost $1 plus tax and mailing costs, where applicable.

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