In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s some trivia about strawberries from Family Features Web site.
* The term “Alaska strawberries” is a 19th century American euphemism for dried beans.
* Strawberry Point, Iowa, is home to the “World’s Largest Strawberry,” which sits atop city hall.
* The most valuable fruit crops in the United States are, in order, grapes, apples, oranges and strawberries (2000).
* A centuries-old custom says that if you break a double strawberry in half and share it with someone else, they will fall in love with you.
* The United States is the leading producer of strawberries, and supplies about 20 percent of the world’s strawberries. California grows about 75 percent of U.S. strawberries.
Bring home the bacon
In case you wonder when you’re buying bacon just what the distinctions are, here are some points from Jones Dairy Farm on the different types of bacon:
* Traditional bacon is cut from the pork belly and has a fairly even ratio of fat to lean. It is cured and smoked for flavor and may be sold raw or fully cooked. When cooked and ready to eat, it is crisp and chewy. Traditional bacon is a much fattier cut of meat than Canadian bacon.
* Canadian bacon is from the loin, a muscle that is generally lean with minimal visible connective tissue or fat. The loin is cured and smoked to make Canadian bacon, which has a flavor similar to ham but is slightly milder. Canadian bacon has a tender texture and is typically sold ready to eat.
* Canadian-style bacon is a term that is often used interchangeably with Canadian bacon. Unlike real Canadian bacon, it can include additional pork muscles including sirloin hip meat and ground pork trim, and will be labeled accordingly. This can mean lower quality.
Keep a crisp crust
Keep leftover pizza crust and quiche crispy without drying out the toppings or filling by using this tip from Fine Cooking Magazine’s “How to Break an Egg.”
Heating leftovers in a nonstick skillet or saute pan (with no oil) set over low heat, crisps the crust, and keeps moisture in the filling and toppings.
How sweet it is
The mild January was sweet to Vermont’s maple syrup producers.
Maple sap is running early, and the lack of snow lets syrup makers tap trees more easily. A number of producers have done so already, particularly in southern Vermont.
“I’ve been sugaring all my life, and I’ve never boiled this early, never,” said Orman Ovitt, 90, whose family business started making syrup on Monday. “This is somethin’ else.”
The Ovitts started boiling sap into syrup six weeks earlier than last year, when they produced 1,600 gallons.
Vermont, the largest U.S. producer of maple syrup, made 410,000 gallons last year, state maple expert Henry Marckres said.
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