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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 2020)
Cottage Grove Sentinel Community B1 THURSDAY | OCTOBER 8, 2020 Betty Kaiser: Cook’s Corner Clarifying my ‘scary’ canning column Betty Kaiser D ear Readers, my last column featured a Marinara Sauce recipe that I can every year. It stirred up a whole lotta trouble. So… This column is in re- sponse to an email that my editors and I received regarding my “scarily dangerous advice.” We were asked to “strongly and immediately correct the information in your column … freezing is the only safe option for pre- serving this recipe.” So, here is the correc- tion: You can eat it but Do Not Can Betty’s Marina- ra Sauce! And if you have any questions about what you are canning, call the OSU Lane Extension Of- fice 541-344.5859. Two highly trained Master Food Preservers considered the recipe/ column “scary” for a vari- ety of reasons, including what could be dangerous water bath canning, un- safe recipes, my flying- by-the-seat-of-my-pants cooking, adding meat or other uncalled for ingre- dients in canning recipes and more. By those standards, I plead guilty to every- thing except the most se- rious charge: water bath canning. I didn’t give instruc- tions in the column on how you should be doing your canning. I did sug- gest following instruc- tions on your home can- ner. I also should have said that I never do water bath canning. I always use a pressure cooker. I didn’t cover all can- ning bases. Sorry! I am not an expert in canning so I don’t write “how to” columns on that subject. I’m a long- time recipe columnist sharing simple, seasonal meal ideas to enjoy. My foods education consists of being raised and fed by a Southern family; studying Home Economics at Pepper- dine College in Los An- geles and supervising the kitchen and business at Kaiser’s Country Diner in California, and a local donut shop bakery. Unfortunately, in my columns, I sometimes must take shortcuts in what I say and that got me into trouble this time. For instance, I should have been more explicit and said that I don’t can meat. I only add it after I open the canned product to prepare it for dinner. The same thing goes for my “cooking by the seat of my pants” comment. It’s after canning that ad- ditions are made. That wasn’t clear ei- ther. Mea Culpa! In Oregon, Master Food Preservers are trained and certified vol- unteers who assist Ore- gon State University Ex- tension Service. They are highly educated in their field and, among other things, they provide up- to-date food safety and preservation informa- tion to Oregonians. They are protecting the public and very seri- ous professionals. So in closing this col- umn, I leave you with these canning thoughts from Beth Pool and Kim Still, veteran Mas- ter Food Preservers with Lane County OSU Ex- tension Services: “Incidences of botu- lism poisoning have been on the rise in recent years due to people finding fresh recipes and think- ing, ‘This is so tasty! I’ll just can it.’ What happens is the Clostridium botu- linum bacteria actually thrives in that low acid, air-free environment (of a water bath processed canning jar), releasing a deadly toxin that is taste- less and odorless. When consumed, it attacks our nervous system... a very long and painful death. “Now, to address the safe ‘hows’ of preserving vegetables and meats. All foods have their own specific pH levels and are either more baselike/ alkaline or acidic (drink- ing water is neutral). “Foods higher in acid, such as fruits, can be safely preserved by wa- ter bath canning. Foods lower in acid — vegeta- bles and meats — must be pressure canned (not with a pressure cooker!) at temperatures above boiling (224°) to kill the botulinum bacteria. “It is also vital to pay attention to their pro- portions (ratios) when combining vegetables (or meats) as in sauces, soups, etc. “Because of their vary- ing pH/acidity levels, the low-acid ingredients must be measured by vol- ume or weight according to the recipe. Tomato paste alters the density of the product, causing uneven processing and a dangerous situation. “Acid must also be in- cluded in proper pro- portions. If meat is add- ed, the processing time changes quite a bit. “Despite commercially made products you see on grocery shelves, only USDA approved recipes should be used for home canning. “You will find safe recipes for preserving spaghetti sauce with or without meat in a hand- out published by OSU Lane County Extension. In it are recipes and ex- planations of the science behind preserving toma- to products. “The website is: https://catalog.exten- sion.oregonstate.edu/ pnw300. “It may seem less sat- isfying to use a ‘boring’ scientifically researched recipe, but you can make it ‘your own’ with extra ingredients after you’ve opened your safely pre- served product and are preparing your meal. “Another excellent source for USDA ap- proved canning recipes is The National Center for Home Food Preser- vation, https://nchfp.uga. edu. We can also recom- mend recipes from Ball Blue Book (post 1989 publishing date), as long as you follow the mea- surements and directions exactly.” — Keep it simple and keep it seasonal with Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner LORANE COUNTRY NEWS Contributed by Lil Thompson door and drive-in ser- vices last Sunday at 10 for The Sentinel a.m. Indoor was with • Lorane Christian Church held both in- masks and at least six foot distance. There vative services during were at least seven cars these COVID-19 times. outside for service. Same for next Sunday Thank you to Lorane at 10 a.m. Church for its inno- • Crow-Applegate-Lo- rane School District started Sept. 22 with all QUALITY SENIOR LIVING IS EXPANDING IN COTTAGE GROVE! distance learning due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Lane County taking us over the met- ric for any in person classes. The high school held an assembly on Zoom for their students. All students and staff Our new luxury suites will be worked hard in this new available for move-in October learning environment. They will keep students and parents updated on Magnolia Gardens Senior Living has how everything is work- completed construction of 37 new suites. ing. For more information, We are a full-service Assisted Living call Applegate Elemen- & Memory Care Community with tary at 541-935-2100 24/7 Immediate Placement for EXPERIENCE or Crow Middle/High Urgent Admissions. EXTRAORDINARY School at 541-935-2227. • Please, everyone be Reserve your Call (541) 514-2485 for careful on Stoney Point. more information or to suite by Last week someone schedule a personal tour! October 31, 2020 almost ran into the back and secure your of a flagger’s truck and introductory over the weekend a car rate special went over the side of the for two years! construction site. Assisted Living, Memory Care & Independent Living Just slow down in ei- ther direction and be 1425 Daugherty Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424 prepared to stop. (541)-942-0054 • www.MagnoliaGardensSL.com T Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” ‘Glory’ous Love It is rare for a mare to lie down after giving birth, and it was a good thing she did; Glory’s weak premature colt curled up in her arms for comfort. (This column was first published Ocrt. 30, 2019) A fter living outside of Oregon for 14 years, includ- ing six years in China, Renee’s family was thrilled to move back. They celebrated with a skiing trip, stopping at a restaurant, where an image of a magnificent Gypsy colt graced the cover of a magazine. “In that minute, I fell in love with the Gypsy breed,” ex- plains Renee. “The colt’s beauty took my breath away; the hair on its mane and tail resembled long, fine and beautiful feathers. After seeing the magazine, I was so enthralled that I could not eat. Life seemed to come to a stop until I could touch, feel and love a Gypsy horse.” A month later, she was the happy owner of two Gypsy horses and discovered this magnificent mystical looking breed was cuddly looking, exceptionally giving, forgiving and loving. Years later, Renee owned several more Gypsies, including the mare Glory Upon Glory from Ireland. In New York, the agricultural department unloads arriving livestock, washes and disinfects their feet to prevent the spread of hoof-and- mouth disease. From there, Glory was flown to Kentucky and trucked to Oregon, still nursing a filly. Later, Glory was bred through a Tennessee stallion’s se- men, which arrived in a box via Fed-Ex. Their veterinarian was the middle-man in the conception. Glory’s colt was born 36 days premature, which was a se- rious threat to the colt’s survival. Renee, knowing that his early birth was a dangerous to the colt, felt it needed some divine help. So, she named him “Segway,” which means a small pathway to the Lord. “The first two hours, I watched Glory and Segway in the pasture,” said Renee. “I had never seen a mare lie down be- fore, but Glory did. Little Segway crawled into her lap and snuggled his muzzle into her cheek and kissed her. Glory leaned her head on her son’s head. Then, he put his head on her chest. She lay her head over his neck and head, and he put his neck all the way down onto her lap, and she lay her head on his body. It was so precious. They lay quietly for 15 minutes and Segway fell asleep.” Renee walked out to the colt and coaxed him away from his mother’s arms, to his stall, to encourage him to nurse. “But he did not nurse and started to fail,” said Renee. “I cried out, ‘Lord, you have to heal this baby.’ Then, I phoned my church and asked them to please pray for the colt. Then I phoned my uncle, a minister of another church, and his congregation also began praying for Segway. It was a very scary time.” Renee said she milked Glory and hand-fed Segway three times a day for three days. “On the third day, I found him joyfully running around his stall like a happy newborn colt! He was finally nursing on his own,” Renee said. In gratitude for all the prayer’s success, Renee sent an email to her daughter, Lauren, and the stallion’s owner, which included the cradling photos of Segway. “From these two people things went crazy. Segway’s pho- tos circumnavigated the globe several times over,” Renee said. “There was an avalanche of responses from people wanting to use Glory and Segway’s photos as their screen- saver to give them inspiration.” Someone in Copenhagen, Denmark, even wanted to make calendars, Renne said. An OB nurse in Ohio, who teaches “Kangaroo Care” (the process of connecting pre- mature babies skin-to-skin with mothers to promote infant well-being and improved brain development) asked if she could put the photograph on a bulletin board along with other pictures of newborn critters of all kinds in kangaroo positions. Clearly, Renee was right: Gypsy horses are special and they can inspire people around the world. TIPS: • Gypsy horses look mystical and magical. When these horses ‘dance’ in their pastures, they look like a unicorn missing their horn. Write us about your fun pet at angelscribe@msn.com
