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With the new year upon us, many are hoping 2021 will be much different than 2020. Reflecting on the past year, have you considered what you might do differently in the new year? Were there parts of this year which you want to ditch yet parts which are worth keeping or continuing? Or perhaps the experiences of 2020 gave you a renewed sense of experiencing life unlike the normal routine of years past. If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, now is a good time to set some goals about how you want your 2021 year to go. Here are some way...
The enjoyment and focus of the holidays should not include getting sick from eating foods which were improperly cooked, cooled and/or held at improper temperatures. Here are reminders about preparing and keeping food safe: • Properly cleaning hands, prep areas, utensils and equipment are your best course of action in keeping the harmful bacteria away. For hands, wash with warm water and soap for 20 seconds, rinse and dry before and after handling any food. For dishes and equipment, remove food particles from surface, then wash with dish soap a...
With so much of our lives happening online this year, protecting our personal information is even more important. One sure way to keep your personal information from getting into the hands of those you do not want to have your information is to use strong passwords for your online accounts. Using strong passwords, having a different password for every account and changing passwords every 60 days are some of the most important ways to keep your online accounts from being hacked. Most of these points you have heard before but check out the...
In the last article about diabetes monitoring, weight was included in the list as one of the items to track to help manage diabetes. While there are many ways to maintaining weight, food is typically the first one people with diabetes have the most questions about. When it comes to food, having a plan about what to eat helps. Planning meal and snack option helps to have healthy food options on hand to avoid eating foods which may get you off track. Planning what to eat sounds like a lot of work, taking too much time to go through your recipes,...
To continue the theme of American Diabetes month in November, self-care for people with diabetes is important and necessary to manage the chronic condition. Self-care can help people with diabetes feel better and reduce the risks of complications. Diabetes targets individuals differently which makes it challenging. However, there are several ways to help individuals self-manage their own diabetes. Monitoring is one of the ways discussed in this article. First, monitoring blood sugar is key. Knowing what the blood sugar levels will help a...
November is observed as American Diabetes Month. This is an opportunity to share information about diabetes, making people aware of what it is and why it is important to manage diabetes when diagnosed or even prevent it.34. What is diabetes? Simply put, it is a condition that causes the levels of glucose (blood sugar) in your blood to get too high. Over time, your organs cannot function properly due to the high levels of glucose. It just cannot keep up with the demand and then you begin to experience health problems. If diabetes is not...
Before we know, the temperature will be dropping. Before it gets too cold, take advantage of the current temperatures, and prepare your home or apartment for the winter. Here are some ideas to get you started. 1. Check seals around doors and windows: It is surprising how small cracks and spaces can let heat out during the winter but also let pests into your home as the weather cools. On the outside, look for cracks around window and door frames and apply caulk. Check your electrical outlets and switch plates for air leakage and install insulati...
I cannot let September slip by without putting information out about this month being National Sewing Month. The past six months have sparked a surge of more people sewing. Motivations of why people sew vary from stress reliever to a way to save money, although many would say it is an expensive hobby. If you are worried about the cost of sewing, by taking some time to do a little research on the web, you can find a lot of free or low-cost supplies to get you going on fun and creative projects. Simply type in a search for “free sewing p...
FRIDAY FOOD PRESERVATION 101 Finding your freezer stuffed and no room to put your fresh seasonal produce to enjoy this winter? Canning may be your answer. Canning does require some specific steps to ensure a safe, shelf-stable product. Montana State University Extension is offering a series of basic food preservation classes online. The sessions will be held live on Fridays from 9:30 – 10:30 am. Topics include, water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, sausage making, dehydration vs traditional drying and pickling. On September 25, I w...
If you love working with wool fabric, yarn or fiber, the Make It With Wool (MIWW) Contest needs you! If you knit, crochet, spin, weave, sew or quilt, consider entering the MIWW contest this fall. The MIWW contest promotes the beauty and versatility of wool fabrics/yarns/fibers, encourages personal creativity, recognition of creative skills and development of life skills. The 2020 MIWW contest is quickly approaching so here are the details. The District 3 (Blaine, Broadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Judith Basin, Lewis & Clark,...
Quick Pickles Maybe canning cucumbers for pickles is not for you but you still have those fresh cucumbers? An easy alternative is to make quick pickles in the refrigerator. Great tasting, very easy and ready in a few hours! Try this recipe for a different twist on the traditional refrigerator pickles: 3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1/4 cup water 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns 1/8 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds 8 ounces pickling cucumbers*, ends trimmed, sliced ¼ inch thick 2 sprigs...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate using alcohol-based hand sanitizer which contains at least 60% alcohol. Think all hand sanitizer is the same? If it is labelled alcohol hand sanitizer, it should all be safe to use, right? Apparently not, given a recall from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recall is due to methanol being used as an ingredient in some brands of sanitizer. Methanol alcohol is highly toxic through inhalation, oral or skin exposures. For these obvious reasons, it is not an acceptable...
More fraud and scam terms to discuss this week… Smishing is short for “SMS phishing”. The scammer sends a text message or SMS (Short Message Service) with a phone number or link claiming to be connected to your bank or another company. They expect you to call the number which goes to an automated system or click on a link leading you to provide personal, credit card and/or other financial information. Once they obtain your personal or financial information, they can access your accounts or even open new accounts without your knowledge. Do no...
Continuing the topic of fraud and scams from last week’s article, it may help to know some terminology and understanding of how scammers operate to get your personal information. This week’s term is phishing. Phishing Scammer sends a fake email, text or website which appears to be from a legitimate source, like your bank or other company you know and trust. The email asks you to provide your personal or other sensitive information such as passwords or usernames by clicking a link. These fake emails may even threaten to disable your account if...
Reports of fraud and scams have, unfortunately, become a normal part of our lives. It can happen to anyone. As the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States, older adults are especially targeted and uniquely vulnerable to financial scams. Con artists find them as attractive prey because, older adults are thought to have a “nest egg,” have excellent credit, won’t say “no” because they were raised to be polite and trusting, are less likely to report the fraud for fear of appearing to have a weakened mental capacity because t...
The past few weeks I have covered canning and freezing foods. An additional method of preserving food is dehydration. Dehydration of food is one of the oldest and simplest methods of food preservation. During the dehydration process, moisture is removed from the food. Removing the moisture prevents bacteria, yeast and molds from growing preventing the food from spoiling. Maintaining cleanliness throughout the process and using food-grade containers and equipment also ensures a safe food product. There are a few ways you can dry foods. You...
Maybe canning is not for you, but do you have extra produce you want to preserve and have available for later? Freezing is a convenient option for preserving food while maintaining a large portion of its nutritional value and flavor. Freezing will cause texture changes due to the water inside vegetables. You will find some produce freeze better than others. Depending on personal preference and what you are using the frozen food for, you may find you prefer some over others. Select produce at peak flavor, maturity and texture. If possible,...
The first picking of my rhubarb is about to happen. I cannot wait to take that first bite of sour, yet refreshing, yumminess. While my current dilemma of deciding what to bake first is scrambling my head, I also know I will soon be saying “What am I going to do with all this rhubarb?” Preserving it, of course, is the answer. And, let’s not forget the other fruits and vegetables which will be coming soon. Now is the time to be getting prepared for canning season. Do you have your canning supplies handy? Have you done an inventory of what you h...
With fewer visits to the grocery store during this time, you may be having issues keeping fresh foods from spoiling. Here are some tips for keeping fresh foods longer, preventing them going to waste. *Stock up on meat and freeze by double wrapping before putting in the freezer. Use butcher paper or freezer paper for the outside layer. *Wash strawberries in really hot water, dry well and store in fridge. *For potatoes, place an apple in the bag to keep them from budding. *Keep cucumbers in a cool place, but not in the fridge. *Apples can be...
A series of 30-minute Estate and Legacy Planning webinars, called Tuesday Tips, is available to view and listen to from the convenience of your home every Tuesday, through May 26, from 11-11:30 am. These sessions also include an additional 25-30 minutes afterwards for your questions related to estate and legacy planning. Hosted by Dr. Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension’s Family Economics Specialist, and Emily Standley, Fergus County MSU Extension Agent, topics include beneficiaries, wills, avoiding probate, trusts, power of attorney and many more....
This article is not meant to bring more doom and gloom to the current situation we all are managing. However, given what we are experiencing and seeing around the world, nation and state, some may have had these thoughts. The “what if” thoughts surrounding becoming ill, possibly terminal, and how would my family and medical providers know what my health care wishes are. I have written articles on this before, however, a new publication has become available. MSU Extension Specialist, Marsha Goetting, along with legal and health care par...
Questions and concerns regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) being transmitted through food or food packaging have been raised. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are not aware of any reports at this time where takeout or drive thru meals will increase illness. In fact, it is the best option for high risk and elderly groups because of the reduction of the number of times it is handled. Just to be safe, after handling food packaging, handwashing...
There is an abundance of information coming at us at a rapid rate surrounding Coronavirus. This may bring many different emotions or feelings. You may also find these emotions or feelings change just as rapidly as the information you are receiving. One piece of information I received this week stood out to me, so I wanted to share it with you. The article starts out by discussing how we as human beings react to the unknown. It is normal to feel stressed during a time when we do not feel we have control over our own safety or not knowing what...
Does this sound familiar—your spouse asking you where you put that IMPORTANT receipt which they need in order to get the taxes done? Tax season can be stressful finding the necessary records from a year ago. Have you sworn to yourself every year during this time you will keep better records for next year? But, it never really ends up the way you hoped? There are also the questions of “How much and how long do I keep the records?” or “What records are necessary to keep?” Just like other important records such as health information, keeping f...
If you are someone who checks clothing laundering labels, have you noticed how many different symbols there are? And, if there is no wording with the symbols do you understand what is means? Many reading this are likely saying they never check the laundry label. What is the big deal? Not all fabrics are made for laundering in the washing machine and could be ruined if the laundry care label is not read or you do not understand what the label is saying. If you have certain items in your wardrobe which you may have invested a bit in or they are...
