Strawberries! Not Just for Dessert Anymore

Okay, there is nothing better than picking fresh berries off the vine. Strawberries are mainly thought of as an ingredient in desserts. In many dessert recipes strawberries seem to be associated with high fat, high calories ingredients. But no more, strawberries have evolved into many other uses in our daily menu. The reason why strawberries should be a common choice ingredient in our diets is that it is low in calories and has its own a distinct natural sweet taste. For lunch strawberries may either be served along with other fruits, as an appetizer, or with garden greens to complete a vegetable salad. But did you know that strawberries also make good ingredients for main dishes? There are recipes where strawberries are added to braised or grilled chicken. They can also be pureed into a sauce for meat dishes or served as dip with seafood.

Nutritional Powerhouse:

These little heart shape fruit pack some nutritional punch to protect your heart, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, and guard against cancer. Packed with vitamins, fiber, and are a good source of manganese and potassium. They are also in the top 20 list for fruits with antioxidant known as polyphenols. One serving (about eight strawberries) provides more vitamin C than an orange and is approximately only 55 calories. Naturally sweet strawberries are a fat-free, cholesterol-free, and sodium-free food. Strawberries are a favorite food choice for individuals watching their weight, due to their health benefits.

Choose medium-sized berries that are firm, plump, and deep red; remember once picked, they won't ripen further. Avoid berries that are wrinkled, soft, spotted with mold or leaking juice. Use any over ripe berries within 24 hours of purchasing and wash before eating to remove any loose soil, but do not wash before storing in the refrigerator this promotes the growth of mold.

Fun Strawberry Facts

Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.

• Strawberries are a member of the rose family.
• The flavor of a strawberry is influenced by weather, and stage of ripeness when harvested.
• On average, there are 200 seeds in one strawberry.
• The strawberry is the only fruit with the seeds on the outside of the fruit.
• Americans eat 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year plus another 1.8 pounds frozen per capita. Although strawberries are available in many forms—frozen, jam and jelly, and ice cream— nothing compares to the taste of a fresh vine ripened strawberry.

Here is a great recipe to add strawberries to your lunch or side salad for dinner.

SPINACH, STRAWBERRY, PECAN SALAD

1 lb. fresh spinach, washed & dried 1 pt. strawberries, washed & halved 1/2 c. pecan halves, toasted

DRESSING:

1/3 c. raspberry vinegar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. salt 1/2 c. sugar 1 c. vegetable or olive oil 1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Combine dressing ingredients except the poppy seeds in a blender. Add the poppy seeds by hand. Toss dressing with spinach, strawberries and hot pecans. The hot nuts will slightly wilt the greens

So consider adding this seasonally available fruit to other parts of your diet, not just dessert. To purchase strawberries, check out local farmers market or pick-your-own farms in your local community and get that fresh picked taste. Enjoy the natural sweetness!

Time for a Tune-up!

Summer is a good time to begin thinking about making changes in family routines for the new school year. Being pro-active and planning ahead helps to avoid many conflicts and battles before they start. Often, though, we wait to address problems like “The breakfast dishes are STILL in the sink at dinner time!” until we are in the heat of the issue. And then, things can get ugly.

Think back on the last school year and see if you can identify any stumbling blocks or issues that created conflict for your family. Was it a challenge to get everyone out the door on time because people couldn’t find their shoes? Did children tell you at the last minute that they needed supplies for a project or a ride to an after-school event?

Once you have identified one or two problem areas, arrange a family meeting. Ask family members to agree on a day and time (30-45 minutes) to meet and plan ahead. Put this on the calendar, and tell everyone that they need to commit to the meeting. Some families meet weekly at the same time so that it becomes part of the family routine. Make it fun by having a special snack or treat.

Set groundrules for your family meetings. Things such as “Everyone listens, no one criticizes”, “One person speaks at a time”, and “Stick to the agenda” are great examples of guidelines to keep your meeting running smoothly.

Come prepared with the list of issues you wish to discuss, and don’t over fill the agenda. One or two issues at a time work well. Get input from all family members, come up with a plan that says what each person will do to help resolve the problem, and agree to review how it is working at the next meeting.

Most importantly, do not discuss major issues such as a teen pregnancy or an individual child’s problem like a bad report card. Think of family meetings as a tune up for your family to keep it running in tip-top condition!

Eating Local - Where Does Your Food Come From?

With the recent interest in “going green”, more food shoppers have been asking where their food is grown or produced. In Pennsylvania, the next months will be the peak growing season and local produce can be found at farmer’s markets and grocery stores. A surge of new community gardens and home gardens has also increased accessibility to home grown produce. There is no definition of local foods. USDA's recent research defined local as 12 miles from the consumers. Many other local designations extend to 200 miles from the consumers. USDA has several ongoing research projects under the title, The Economics of Local Foods and is drafting a primer, Eating Local, Concepts, Impacts and Issues found at www.ers.usda.gov. These projects include studying the feasibility of including local foods in school meals and extending farmer’s markets year round. Marketing “local” has been shown to attract customers over the ‘organic” labeling. These designations are not exclusive of each other and local food can be organically grown or not. Is local food healthier? There is no research to confirm this. However, local foods support sustainability – providing income for farming and food production within your communities. Community and home gardens allow consumers to eat “just picked” produce, containing the freshest flavors and nutrients possible. Local farmer’s markets and CSA’s provide a personal connection between the food producers and the consumers, which has many benefits. These include family involvement, a greater variety of produce being eaten and greater community interest and support of food production. Consumers may also desire certain production methods used (i.e.free range)and conversations with the farmers can determine this. Less travel for foods reduces the “carbon footprint”of getting the food to you. Most of our winter produce is grown in Florida or California, or even out of the country. As you head to the food market this week, look to see where your food comes from – most foods contain country of origin labels. You may also want to include a farmer’s market visit. If you are unsure where to find a market, these can be found at http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/lib/agriculture/marketsfiles/Consumers_Guide_PAMarkets.pdf. If you have a garden or find a bargain on local produce, you may want to attend a food preservation class to save your excess for winter months. Contact your Penn State Cooperative Extension office for dates and times, http://extension.psu.edu/ Please send us a comment if you have some more ideas for supporting local food production

Stored Value Cards

A few days ago, a summer intern in our office mentioned that her pay from another part-time job she has, came in the form of a stored value card. For each pay period, her employer loaded the funds onto the card. She said that she can use the card to make purchases from most retailers. But while she is not charged a fee for using it at some retailers she is charged at others. So why would anyone want to have to pay someone to take their money? How do stored value cards, also known as prepaid cards, work? Are there ways to avoid the fees or at least control the costs of using it? What is a stored value card? Stored value cards come in many different forms and can serve a variety of purposes. Anyone who makes purchases with a retailer gift card, places phone calls with a prepaid telephone card, or buys goods or services with a prepaid debit card is using a stored value card. Payroll cards and government benefit cards are other examples. The magnetic strip on the card stores information about the funds available to the card. There are two basic types of stored value cards. The first type is the prepaid or closed system card, a single purpose card such as gift card that can be used only at a particular retailer. The second type of card is a multi-purpose or open system card that can be used to make debit transactions at many different retailers as well as for receiving direct deposits from an employer, and making ATM withdrawals. Some multi-purpose cards may carry the VISA or MasterCard logo and can be use any place there Visa or MasterCard credit cards are accepted. A stored value card does not extend a line of credit, but bears a closer resemblance to a debit card. The debit card, however, is tied to an account typically at a bank or credit union whereas the stored value card is not. Where do you get them? They can be obtained as a payroll card from an employer, an electronic benefit card from a government agency, or a gift card from a retail store. A multipurpose card can be applied for by telephone, online, or at check cashing outlets, money transfer company locations, and retail stores. Are there costs to using a stored value card? There are several types of fees that may be associated with the use of a stored value card. It’s important to know what these fees are to weigh the benefits of using a stored value card compared to the use of other financial services such as a checking account, credit or debit card. Generally, if the card has a high fee of one variety, it will likely have a low or no fee in another. You need to anticipate how you plan to use the card to evaluate if the card will meet your needs. Typical fees include an entrance or activation fee, a monthly or annual maintenance fee, a point of sale fee, and a within network ATM transaction fee. In addition, there could be several other fees such as a reload fee, a phone or online transaction fee, a bill payment fee, an inactivity fee, a transaction limit fee, or an overdraft fee or overdraft protection fee. In other words, you could incur a fee for putting money into your card and again when you use the card at a retailer. All of these fees can add up to a significant sum if the user is not aware of them or careful in using the card. Who uses prepaid cards? Reloadable multi-purpose cards can be an alternative to a checking account for those who do not have a bank account or are unable to open one. An employer can direct deposit the paycheck to the account or funds can be added by money wire transfer, money order, or cash. They are also used by people who don’t qualify for a credit card. No credit check is required to obtain a prepaid card. The prepaid or stored value card can be a way for parents to give a cash allowance to their teenagers while monitoring their spending habits. It can be reloaded online or over the phone. If you’re trying to rebuild your credit history after a bankruptcy, a prepaid card can be a start. Some companies offer programs that help build a positive payment history, since the timely payment of bills constitutes 35 percent of your credit score. Is your money safe? Your savings in a bank is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The same is now true for stored value cards to the extent that the funds have been placed at an insured depository institution. Gift cards issued by a retailer are not covered. If the retailer goes bankrupt (think Circuit City or Linens ‘n Things, for example), there is no guarantee of the funds on the stored value card. Some states may offer some protections or the retailer may ask the bankruptcy court to honor the cards. As with any financial product or service, the consumer needs to be informed to make the best decision as to whether it will meet his/her needs at a reasonable cost.