(Distributed 05/20/08) If you're one of the many people who is buying and freezing foods in quantity to help combat rising food costs, don't let freezer burn defeat your efforts, advises LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.

A team comprised of faculty at the LSU AgCenter and the Southern University Ag Center were instrumental in training individuals in the food service and food recovery industry to reduce the spread of foodborne illness. For this effort, they were awarded the 2007 Denver T. and Ferne Loupe Extension Team Award.

Varieties, nutritional value, fig facts and simple methods of food preservation so you can enjoy Louisiana figs all year long. (PDF Format Only)

Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who include more of these foods are less likely to have a risk of chronic diseases.

Cooks across Louisiana are now making their grocery lists and checking them twice in preparation for those holiday meals. An LSU AgCenter nutritionist says food safety should be high on the list while those preparations are being made.

You can fry it or roast it. Just don’t let that turkey or other foods served at the holidays spoil, says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Beth Reames. Learn ways to keep food safe and how to avoid overindulging.

(Distributed 11/13/07) Pecans are nutritious, tasty treats that literally fall from trees. They should be handled properly to ensure that their flavor and quality remain until the next harvest, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. John Pyzner.

(Distributed 11/09/07) “It’s not as unhealthy as it sounds,” says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames about fried turkey, “if you don't eat the skin of the bird.”

(Distributed 11/09/07) The holidays are time to enjoy special desserts you may only make once a year. To prevent getting foodborne illness, refrigerate pies containing eggs and milk, such as pumpkin, custard and cream pies, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.

(Distributed 11/09/07) If you’ve been confused in the past about the temperature you needed to cook your holiday turkey, you now need to remember only one temperature, 165 degrees. Past food safety guidelines recommended higher temperatures for some poultry products, including 170 degrees for chicken breasts and 180 degrees for whole birds.