The Rural Voice, 1978-02, Page 24the rural
Farnily
Free recipes available
from Agriculture
Canada
Did you find yourself this past fall with a
bushel of pears or tomatoes that went bad
because you didn't know how to preserve
them? Or perhaps you have a recipe in
metric quantities and all your measuring
cups are in ounces.
The information to solve these
dilemmas is only a telephone call or letter
away," says Maurice Tessier, chief of
Agriculture Canada's public information
services.
Most people think of Agriculture Canada
as serving the farming community in
Canada. We certainly do that, but we also
prefare a wide variety of publication of
consumer interest," Mr. Tessier says.
The information Services of Agriculture
Canada distribute pamphlets to the public
on topics from canning fruits to suggesting
what ornamental plants will best suit your
garden. `Last year, the publications most
often requested concerned preserving
foods. We distributed about 36,000 copies
of a booklet entitled Jams, Jellies and
Pickles; 34,000 copies of Canning Canadian
Fruits and Vegetables; and 26,000 copies
of Freezing Foods." Mr. Tessier says.
"Other popular items 'were pamphlets
on metric conversion in the kitchen, on
recipes using Canadian cheddar cheese
and a recipe booklet for salads."
All these publications, and many others,
are free on request. Individuals• may
receive up to 10 free publications a year.
For a list of available publications phone or
write Information Services, Agriculture
Canada, Ottawa, K 1 A 007.
Know your butter
better
Have you noticed all the different types
of butter in the dairy , section of your
supermarket lately? You may be asking
yourself what the difference is in all these
products.
PG. 24. THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY
The composition of the butter sold in
Canada is regulated by federal laws. Milk
fat is the only fat that can be used in the
making of butter; it must contain at least 80
percent fat and at most 16 percent water.
An approved vegetable coloring may be
added, to give the desired color.
Creamery butter is made from cream.
The cream is separated from the milk and
is then pasteurized. After a few hours. it is
churned to permit the fat particles to clump
together. The resulting butter is washed.
salted and mixed to evenly distribute the
salt and obtain a homogeneous 'texture.
Salt is used as a preservative in creamery
butter.
Unsalted butter is also available; it has a
more delicate flavor than creamery butter
but a shorter shelf line. It is also used in
special sodium restricted diets.
Cultured butter, well known in Europe.
has a distinctively acid flavor. It is obtained
by the addition of a special bacterial
culture to the cream before the churning
stage. Cultured butter is higher priced
than creamery butter but can be stored
longer than unsalted butter.
Butter spreads are extended butter
products: they contain about 30 percent
less fat than regular butter and contain
powdered milk and more water. They
supply less calories and are lower priced
than butter, but the flavor is not as rich.
Potatoes a
this year
big bargain
Potatoes are a food bargain this year in
eastern Canada.
"Retail prices for table potatoes are only
about half what they were a year ago in
Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes,"
explains Reg Greene, chief of the fresh
products section in Agriculture Canada's
fruit and vegetable division.
"This makes them a bargain for
consumers this winter but a disappoint-
ment for the farmers who produced them.
Prices paid to potato producers in the
Maritimes last fall were as low as two cents
per pound which is insufficient to cover the
1978.
farmers' costs of production.
Potato prices are expected to remain low
at least until spring. In _1976-77. an
unusually high level of exports boosted
earnings of potato growers. However.
large potato crops in Europe—and the
United States in 1977 have reduced
Canadian export opportunities this year.
"Wet weather at harvest time reduced
the volume and quality of this year's crop
in most of eastern Canada. But. we still
have a crop that is larger than last year's.
While many potatoes had to be culled
because of weather damage, the overall
crop is of good, average quality," Mr.
Greene says.
"Consumers should see few signs of this
year's harvesting problems. Federal potato
inspection and grading standards are
constant from one year to the next. Any
table potatoes that don't meet those
standards are culled for use in processing
or livestock feed."
Consumers can store potatoes for up to
nine months if they have a cool, dark.
well -ventilated storage area. The ideal
storage temperature for potatoes is
between 4.4 and 10°C. For best flavor
and texture, potatoes stored in a cool room
should stand at room temperature for a few
days before cooking.
"If potatoes are kept in a place that is too
cold. they develop a sr:eet taste. If they are
kept at higher temperatures. they may
sprout and shrivel. And. if they're kept in
the light. they will turn green and acquire a
bitter taste." Mr. Greene says.
"Consumers who must store potatoes at
room temperature should buy small
quantities that can be used up within about
two weeks."
Domestic demand for potatoes is
growing, but a large portion of this demand
is for french fries and other processed
products. Sales of fresh table potatoes have
declined in recent years because consum-
ers have switched to more convenient
processed potato products, rice and other
alternative foods.
How sweet now
your choice
Consumers now have a choice of degree
of sweetness in canned and frozen fruits.
Since this past October, government