Times Advocate, 1989-11-22, Page 13Times -Advocate, November 22, 1989
Page 13
CCAT hosts successful two-day 'Showcase'
CENTRALIA - Attendance at
the annual Centralia College
Showcase may have been harmed
a bit by the slippery weather con-
ditions on Friday and Saturday,
but the open house event still man-
aged to attract at least 560 people
to the college.
Showcase aims at showing off
the skills and talents of the col-
lege's 170 students, as well as pro-
viding thought-provoking presen-
tations and seminars on
agricultural issues.
Helga McDonald, host and orga-
nizer of the event, said attendance
appeared lower than last year's
Showcase, but the numbers con-
firm that about the same number
arrived in Centralia as last year -
y spread over two days instead.
the single day Showcase was
ited to in the past.
Saturday evening's play in the
• recreation centre was sold out,
said McDonald, with over 450
people packing the hall to see Let-
ter from Winfield Farm.
The only disappointment of the
weekend was—the popsicle -stick
bridge building competition.- Only
one entry- was submitted to the
crushing weights of the bridge
tester - and that entry came from
the CCAT staff themselves. ,
McDonald hoped interest in the
bridge project could be revived for
next year's Showcase.
Baked Bean contest
A Ben B e -off was the first
event onaturday's agenda.
Judges Murray Cardiff, Kevin
Stewart, assistant farm editor at
Channel 8, Wingham, and Yvonne
Reynolds, staff writer with the Ex-
eter Times -Advocate looked, stirred
and tasted 17 entries. Each entry
was judged on appearance, texture
and taste,
First prize of $50 went to Jean
Hodgert, Exeter. Sally Lovie, Zu-
rich, won the $25 second prize, and
the beans baked by Linda Russell,
RR1 Exeter, placed third. She
took home $15.
The prize money was contributed
by three Hensall companies,
Cooks, W.G. Thompson and the
Hensall Co-op.
Organic crop production
Larry Lenhardt, president of the
Organic Crop Improvement Associ-
ation (OCTA) led off the Saturday
afternoon lecture series. His associ-
ation has grown from a gathering
around the kitchen table in 1985 to
16 certified members the following
year to a present membership of
123. Enquiries from producers who
would like to join and- be able to
label their products with the OCIA
symbol average about two a day.
Lenhardt summarized the stan-
dards of production contained in a
32 -page book of guidelines. All
applications are reviewed before an
inspection is made to determine
compliance with the standards. On
acceptance, the producer pays a li-
cence fee.
Members must apply, be in-
spected, meet the standards and be
relicenced annually.
Leonhardt anticipates a growing
demand for products that are certi-
fied organic. Products so labelled
now include fruits, vegetables, beef,
lamb, poultry, coffee, grains,
flours, soy products, herbs, cereals
and seeds.
Among the Association's goals
are working to make agriculture
more profitable to the farmers, and
leaving the environment to the next
generation in better condition than
when this generation received it.
"It's your choice. Let's try it,"
was his challenging conclusion.
Cholesterol and health
Kay Spicer, food stylist, cook-
book author and popular Afriter for
Canadian Living, presented a com-
monsense approach to good nutri-
tion.
Spicer noted the changes in eating
habit in the past few decade. At
one time we ate what we were -
steak and kidney pie, perogies,
meat and potatoes - but now we are
what we eat. -
In the '90s, the trend is light and
easy cooking. Fat is out, and fibre
is in.
She endorsed a well-balanced
diet, and spoke against going off
on any nutrition -connected tangent.
"Excesses and deficiencies get us
into trouble," Spicer cautioned.
She recommended following
Canada's food guide daily with
five to six servings off fruit and
vegetables, two dairy products, two
servings of meat, fish, poultry or
such alternatives as four table-
spoons of peanut butter, two -ounc-
es of cheese or a cup of beans, and
three to five servings of bread and
cereal.
Cutting down on butter and salt
lets the natural good taste of the
not in the majority, and could un-
wittingly work on the farmer's be-
half by drawing attention to the is-
sue and freeing more money for
research and development of more
humane ways to raise animals for
food. The fanatics can also draw
the farmer and the welfarist together
to try to find solutions.
She foresees the abolition of
practices that are too stressful or
untenable, singling out .the way
calves are treated to produce white
veal. She believes the public will
also push for changes in dehorning.
debeaking and docking tails, as well
as restricting animals movements
and manipulating their diets.
Lash said the most harmful reac-
tion from the farmer would be re-
sistance, which wouldonly polarize
his position.
"The best way to protect your
business is to put yourself in the
vanguard of change," she conclud-
ed.
Sharipg a laugh - CCAT lecturer Deb Campbell shares a laugh
with guest speaker Kay 'Spicer, famous food stylist and cook-
book author.
•
CCAT Squares - An impromptu speech and skit competition in the Centralia College theatre filled the
hall with students and parents Friday evening. The first of six skits, "CCAT Squares" was a satirical
game show starring Dawn Martin (left), Jamie McKinnon (bottom row left), Murray Needham, Andrew
Boyd, Blair Beuermann (top left), Tony Zondervan and Charles Mills. -
food shine through, and reduces the
calories consumed. One table-
spoon of butter contains 100 calo-
ries.
Eating undercooked meat is a ri-
sky business. Keep hot foods hot,
and cold foods cold to reduce the
risk of food contamination and poi-
soning.
Unrefined foods such as brown
rice, whole grain cereals and breads
are better than their refined counter-
parts.
Spicer oxploded some myths by
stating that there isno proof diet
changes will reduce cholesterol,
and that no one can get rid of a
cold by taking megadoses of Vita-
min C.
Animal welfare
Marietta Lash, public interest rep
from the OMAF Animal Care
Committee, warned her audience
that the humane movement' will
increase. She gave a number of
reasons. More and more of the
general population are concerned
about the humane treatment of ani-
mals, and people nowadays have
more leisure time to devote to fa-
vored causes.
Farmers must understand that
many diverse groups want to cat
meat with a clear conscience.
"Don't confuse the fanatic with
the welfarist trying to make things
better, for the animal," she advised,
adding that the radial element is
Judges - MP Murray Cardiff and Channel 8's assistant farm edi-
tor Kevin Stewart were two of the judges in the Bean Bake -0N at
CCAT on the weekend. The third judge was Yvonne Reynolds,
staff writer at the Times.4dvocate, Exeter.
Animal welfare - Marietta Lash, who lectured on "Animal welfare
and the farmer", was introduced by Dr. Ralph Topp, chair of the
animal care committee for research at Kemptville, Ridgetown and
Centralia Agricultural Colleges.
Trophy winners - Winners in some of the competitions held in conjunction with CCAT's 1989 Showcase were (left) Phyllis Klumpers,
winner in the food section of the photo contest; Ruth Anne Osgood, winner of the campus life category in the photo competition; Nor-
man Hyde, best bridge; Mike Pratt, double winner for rutabaga carving and skit presentation; Karen Schluetr, partner with Kim Clark in
producing the best video, and Cindy Wiersma, winner in the dog obedience contest. Missing: Marlene Albers - impromptu speech and
Christina Dunnick, exceptional skit presentation.
Food irradiation considered safe
CENTRALIA - The first of six
guest speakers at Centralia Col-
lege's Showcase told her audience
that the 'ministry of health and
welfare is thus fat in support of
the irradiation of food.
Stephanie Charron, from the
ministry's Scarborough office, said
.there arc many public misconcep-
tions surrounding food irradiation.
In fact, she said these misconcep-
tions may be so prevalent that
food processors may never be
willing to risk using the proc e-
dure.
While many other countries use
irradiation on a regular basis and
Canada has approved its use for
such foods as potatoes, Charron
§aid there is no current use of irra-
diation in Canada, except for the
sterilization of medical supplies.
"it's not something new and
hairy," said Charron. "it's been
around for 40 years."
The main concern the public has
is that food becomes radioactive
after exposure to the gamma rays
most commonly uscd in food irra-
diation. This is not the case. The
electromagnetic beam passes
through the food, changing the
molecular structure of bacteria and
mold, and killing pests.
"Re ardless of the source used
Stephanie Charron
to irradiate foods - no radiation is
imparted to the food. It's impor-
tant to keep that in mind," said
Charron.
Another common concern re-
garding irradiation is that it some-
how destroys the nutritional value
of the food. Charron said the min-
istry has determined that irradia-
tion does not affect proteins, car-
bohydrates or the fat content of
food in any way. Most vitamins,
arc tett intact; some are affected,
but to a lesser extent than other
food preservation methods in
present use.
A 1981 international committee
determined food -irradiation has no
toxic effects on food.
Canada currently permits the irra-
diation of potatoes and onions,
Wheat flours, and spices and sea-
sonings. Nevertheless, no Canadi-
an food processors are making irse
of irradiation, mainly because the
equipment needed costs between $5
and $13 million. -
Advantages of food irradiation
include the extension of a product's
shelf life without the use of pesti-
cides, preservatives or fungicides in
current use. The ministry is even
investigating the possibility of ex-
tending the shelf life of meat with
irradiation through its ability to de-
lay the growth of salmonella bacte-
ria.
Wether or not irradiation catch-
es Min Canada, Charron said the
consumer will be aware of its use,
even in imported products. As of
March this year, all irradiated foods
are to carry an international symbol
and markings describing the irradi-
ation process.
"We will know whether a food
has been irradiated, and we, as con-
sumers, can decide to buy it or
not," said Charron.
Because 55-65 percent of the Ca-
nadian population arc undecided if
they support the use of food irradia-
tion, Charron said potential public
resistance makes food processors
cautious about its future use.
"I think it's going to be a fair way
down the road and may never be, •
but the provision is there for it,"
said Charron.
Best beans - Jean Hodgert was the winner of the Bean Bake -off
held during CCAT's Showcase. She received her prize, a $50
cheque, from Charles Broadwell, manager of the Ontario Bean
Producers Marketing Board.
Jean Hodgert's Prize Beans
2 cups white beans, in large sauce pan. Cover with boiling water; boil
hard for 2 or 3 minutes'
Add 1/2 tsp. baking soda and continue to boil 2 or 3 minutes. Drain off
water. Cover with boiling water.
Allow to boil up for 3 minutes. Stir well. Drain, to rinse beans.
Cover beans with boiling water. Allow to boil, then set at simmer. Re-
quires at least an hour to cook beans to "soft" stage.
Fry 5 slices of bacon in large skillet. Cut each slice in 5 or 6 pieces -Drain
off fat, but add 2 tablespoons back into skillet.
To the bacon, add: 6 tbsp. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard pepper
2 cups chili sauce 2/3 cup. catsup
Allow to boil gently for 1 minute.
Tiansfer to a 2 litre casserole. •
Garnish with bacpn.
Bake at 375°F for 20 min. or until bubbling.
Ham, wieners, or meat of your choice may be used. Sege hot.
Jean Hod -
o ggert
' {.
•