Keep Your Food and Family Safe This Summer!

After a long winter and cool spring, temperatures are finally warming up making everyone eager for outdoor picnics and barbecues. While these temperatures are ideal for that, they also provide a perfect environment for bacteria and other pathogens in food to multiply rapidly and cause foodborne illness. You can help prevent harmful bacteria from making your family sick by avoiding the “Danger Zone” and following the “Core Four”. The Danger Zone:  temperature range between 40°F and 140°F

• Keep food out of this range as foodborne bacteria can grow rapidly to dangerous levels that can result in illness
  • Always keep cold food COLD, at or below 40°F, in coolers or in containers with ice or frozen gel packs
  • Keep hot foods HOT, at or above 140°F, on the grill or in insulated containers, heated chafing dishes, warming trays or slow cookers
  • Reheat foods to 165°F

Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often

• Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food
• Clean kitchen surfaces, dishes and utensils with hot water and soap

Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate

• Have one cutting board for produce and another one for meat, poultry and seafood
• Use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked foods
  • Wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards that held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs before reusing
• Marinate in the refrigerator and not on the counter keeping raw meat/poultry separate from any veggies you might be using
  • If you plan to reuse the marinade as a sauce be sure to boil it first to destroy any harmful bacteria or make extra to set aside before adding raw meat/poultry
  • Cook: Cook to safe internal temperatures
• Use a food thermometer to ensure food is thoroughly cooked
  • Whole cuts of meat (steaks, chops and roasts) – 145°F with a 3 minute rest time
  • Ground beef, pork, lamb and veal- 160°F
  • Poultry, including ground poultry- 165°F
  • Fish – 145°F
  • Leftovers – 165°F

  Chill: Refrigerate promptly

• Refrigerate perishable food within one hour in hot weather (above 90°F) and within two hours if temperatures are below 90°F
• Place leftover foods in shallow containers for quick cooling

Never taste foods you think might be unsafe.  Most food poisoning bacteria are tasteless, colorless, and odorless.  When in doubt, throw it out! Written By: Mark Larose from Garden State Growers Happy June to you gardeners! Summer is in the air. By now, you should be enjoying some of the fruits of your labors, or annuals of your labors! Color is abounding in your garden, and on a warm day with a nice breeze, your yard or home has the fragrant scent of Spring in it. Now is the time that many people are ready to do their summer planting. June is the time of year where the past meets the present along with a glimpse of the future. How so? Many of your flowers are just finishing up their bloom, while others are fully strutting their glory, and then again, some are just ready to burst with a rainbow of colors! One hint that you may not have tried is to include a bed of succulents. They add a sturdy and hardy base of color and are beautiful to look at as well. If you need some other suggestions to enhance the color spectrum of your garden, consider some Coreopsis, Marigolds, Periwinkle, Hollyhock, Sunflowers or Shasta Daisies. Also, try to do your watering at cooler times of the day after dusk to prevent quick evaporation. It’s not only the wise thing to do, but will help with your water bill as well. Don’t forget to pay attention to your lawn too. I’ve heard tell that so much attention is being paid to the garden, that sometimes, the beauty of green grass is lost in the mix. Remember that gardening is a wonderful family tradition for many. If you have children, consider including them in this seasons planting. Remember to take pictures of your garden for Facebook and show it off to your friends. Either way, have fun. Happy Gardening! Want a chance to unwind with a  $200 gift card to the spa? Open your world and unwind at Sanctuary Spa in Saratoga Springs! Part 3/4 of the spectacular summer giveaways sponsored by Heineken starts today! Comment below and on our Facebook page and tell us your favorite way to de-stress after a long day to enter to win a $200 gift certificate to Sanctuary Spa in Saratoga Springs. Every Thursday in August we will be posting a new contest-so be sure to check back with us each week for updates! After a long and stressful week, what could be better than enjoying your choice of body treatments, getting pampered, and just having some time to yourself? We’ve partnered with Heineken to give you an opportunity to win a relaxing, luxurious day at the spa!  Sanctuary Spa of Saratoga Springs  uses  state of the art nonsurgical aesthetic technologies to provide each of their clients with a truly unique experience!  Sanctuary Spa has a wide variety of body treatment services available. A few of their body treatments include: seaweed and green clay mud masque and wrap, infrared sauna therapy, hydrotherapy, facials, manicure & pedicure, massage, threading, and waxing (visit Sanctuary Spa’s website for a comlplete list of services). To enter to win, comment below AND on our Facebook page by August 21st at 2PM and tell us your favorite way to de-stress after a long day! One randomly selected winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to Sanctuary Spa in Saratoga Springs. The winner will be announced on August 22nd. Read official rules here. Want a chance to win two tickets to Chicago and Doobie Brothers concert at SPAC?! Open your world with Chicago and Doobie Brothers! Part 2/4 of the spectacular summer giveaways sponsored by Heineken starts today! Enter to win two tickets to Chicago and Doobie Brothers show at SPAC on August 21^st! Every Thursday we will be posting a new contest-so be sure to check back with us each week for updates! Does listening to Chicago and the Doobie Brothers bring you back to the good old days?  We have two tickets to their show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center that you could win!  To enter, leave a comment below AND on our Facebook page by August 14^th at 2:00PM telling us your favorite song from the ‘70s and why you love it!   The Chicago and Doobie Brothers concert at SPAC will be on Tuesday, August 21^st at 7:30PM. Along with the two tickets to the show, the winner will also receive a preferred parking pass.  The winner will be announced on August 15^th. Read official rules here. Want to win four tickets to a major league baseball game? Tell us which baseball team your family loves to cheer for! Is your family looking for some exciting ways to get out and celebrate the last weeks of summer? What better way than to enjoy America’s favorite pastime with your family! We want to give you a chance to win four tickets to a Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox game*-your choice! Simply comment below AND on our Facebook page and tell us who your family roots for! Are there any family rivalries, or is your family loyal to the same team?! We want to hear about it! To enter to win, comment below AND on our Facebook page by August 1^st at 2:00PM. Summer is a great time to relax and enjoy time with your family. Bayer understands how important it is to keep your family healthy…especially in preparation of a new school year starting up! To help keep your family strong and energized (so you can all proudly root for your team!), check out our Facebook page for an exclusive coupon for $2 off any Bayer One A Day multivitamin or Flintstones vitamin.

This contest runs from Monday, July 30^th to Wednesday August 1^st at 2:00PM. One winner will be randomly selected and will receive four tickets to the baseball game of their choice. The winner will be announced on Thursday, August 2^nd. Read official rules here. *This promotion only applies to regular season games.

 

Written by Tyler Blance

Produce Merchandising Intern

 

 

 

 

Price Chopper has been buying from local growers for over 75 years. Currently, we do business with over 70 local growers; some deliver to our warehouse, some deliver directly to our stores. An important part of our locally grown program is Price Chopper’s involvement with 4H, a youth development organization that gives children the opportunity to grow and sell fresh produce in their communities. The Golub family has been supporting 4H groups since 1965. Children who belong to 4H can plant, grow, and sell their produce in our stores. Locally grown 2012 has been off to a great start this year. I’ve journeyed out to three local farms so far:

• Shaul Farms in Middleburgh NY
• Davandjer Farms in Pine Island NY
• Paul Mazza Farms in Colchester VT

Each farm has been an important part of our locally grown program each summer and fall. Shaul Farms, located right outside of Middleburgh, NY, has been working with Price Chopper since 1985. Back then, Dave and Jim Shaul would load up a pickup truck of straight-from-the-ground produce and head over to our Cobleskill, NY store (after a days work on the farm was completed) and bring in their fresh crops. These days, Shaul Farms supplies a number of Price Choppers all around the Capital District and Oneonta. Currently the farm is shipping lettuce to our stores, so keep an eye out for locally grown Shaul Farms lettuce! Davandjer Farms in Pine Island NY started with a simple 10 acre plot of land. The farm has grown into a much larger operation; currently they have around 190 acres of crops! Andrew Gurda (owner) and his team supply Price Chopper with onions, although some stores carry his lettuce and baby red potatoes. Look for the greyhound label on certain onion bags; it’s from Andrew and his farm! In addition to being an established local grower, Andrew supports and donates to Produce for Kids: an organization that encourages healthy eating among kids and families. [wpvideo 4t4F9Hbx] Paul Mazza Farms in Colchester Vermont has been in Price Chopper’s locally grown program for ten years. Paul Mazza (owner) has been farming on his own for 27 years: starting with 20 acres and growing his farm to 250 acres! Currently, Mazza Farms supplies Vermont area stores with fresh, delicious strawberries. “Vermont strawberries have more taste than Florida or California berries. There’s nothing like Vermont strawberries!” Mazza confidently claims. Price Chopper’s locally grown program will continue to run all throughout the summer. Local farmers have been working hard to provide people with fresh, flavorful produce, so enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor! I will continue to update you on locally grown happenings, so check back to see what’s growing on near you!