Y’all Share! – Page 15

FIFO

Here’s another helpful little tip for y’all from the pro food world. It’s called FIFO and in any restaurant of quality, it’s practiced throughout each and every day.

It stand for
First
In
First
Out

Get it? It’s how you organize your stuff so that things don’t go to waste. Now, you’re probably thinking, ‘OK, but I’m not a restaurant, so why would I need this?’ That’s a rhetorical question though, right? Lemme answer it with a few questions of my own.

Do you throw out what could and should be good leftovers out ’cause they didn’t get used in time?

A couple/few times a year, do you go through your fridge and freezer and cabinets and shelves and chuck a bunch of stuff that didn’t get used in time?

Do you have a bunch of sauces, spices, herbs and whatnot that are way past their prime, maybe even downright off?

Can you afford all that waste?

If you answered too yup, yeah, yes, and no, then it’s FIFO time in your house. A little discipline will go a long way toward correcting those problems.

In restaurants, every time we prep, open, use or otherwise handle food, we slap a label on them that says what it is, when we opened or made it, and how long it’s good for. If you have a food waste problem, here’s a big part of the solution. This simple manifestation of FIFO at home is so often not done, it’s scary; how often have you looked at a leftover and asked ‘When did we make that; is it three days or seven?’ Sound familiar?

The easy fix is to label it every time and it’s problem solved. Use a non-permanent marker on storage containers in the fridge. Use a permanent marker in the freezer and in your shelves. Get some little stick on labels for anything else. Do it with spices, herbs, and stuff from your dry storage that tend so last a long time.

The next manifestation is to physically FIFO your fridge, freezer and cabinets; oldest stuff goes to the top or the front and gets used first, before it goes bad and before anything newer is opened or bought. You spend a bunch of money, time and effort on food and cooking; spend a little more an incorporate FIFO practices in to your menu planning. If you don’t menu plan, start. There’s simple, easy, smart food management. Get your family involved so the effort isn’t wasted.

Do you buy stuff in bulk like we do? Do you sometimes cook a bunch more of something than you need for than next meal, to save time and energy? Does it always get used in time when you do that? If not, think about it and start FIFOing your leftovers. If you did a bunch of chicken and it needs to be used in three days or so, stack that container front and center where it can’t be missed. If you don’t want to eat chicken for three days straight, portion and freeze what won’t get used right away. Food and money not wasted = good practice.

Again, we do this in the cafe every day without fail; it’s how we keep you well fed and safe. Do the same at home and you’ll save money and eat better.

Vas-y!

Make Yourself Heard

OK, gang; time to do a little reading and decide what’s OK with you and what’s not. GMOs are a hot button issue for many; if they are for you too, here’s something that needs your attention, pronto.

Here’s the news from the Organic Consumers Association.

Dear Organic Consumer,

Congress could vote this week to extend the Monsanto Protection Act for another three months. Unless we stop them.

Please call or write your Congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives today. Ask them to vote NO on the Monsanto Protection Act.

The Monsanto Protection Act is a rider that prevents the federal courts from enforcing injunctions on genetically modified seeds even if those seeds have been deemed unsafe. Earlier this year, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) slipped the Monsanto Protection Act into the Continuing Resolution, a bill to fund the U.S. government through September 30.

Now, Congress is about to vote on a new Continuing Resolution (H.J.RES.59) in order to fund the government for another three months. And despite public outrage and hundreds of thousands of signatures on petitions, House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) has slipped the Monsanto Protection Act into the new bill.

The Monsanto Protection Act is nothing but a gift to the biotech industry. It’s an affront to farmers and consumers. It gives the biotech industry a free pass to grow crops that have not been adequately safety tested. It also threatens farmers who potentially could be shut off from markets abroad when their non-GMO crops are contaminated.

To call your representative, click this link.

We need every representative to hear from us today. You can say:

“I am very opposed to extending the Monsanto Protection Act for another 3 months and I want my representative to vote ‘No!’ I understand Congress needs to pass a bill to fund the government, but this shouldn’t involve special favors for big business. The Monsanto Protection Act is wrong. Genetically engineered food should be safety tested before they are on the market. Even the American Medical Association supports mandatory pre-market safety testing.

But, right now, U.S. law only requires a review of whether new GMOs might pose a ‘plant pest risk.’ This doesn’t address human health. But it’s still important, especially because genetic contamination can seriously harm organic and non-GMO farmers, especially farmers with markets abroad. We’ve seen this recently in Oregon, and now Washington, with the contamination of wheat and alfalfa by unapproved GMO seeds.

The Monsanto Protect Act takes away the small amount of regulation we do have for GMOs. The Monsanto Protection Act prevents the federal courts from reviewing U.S. Department of Agriculture approvals of new GMOs. Even if the USDA fails to follow the law and approves a new GMO illegally, the Monsanto Protection Act says that the potentially dangerous new GMO must be released into the environment anyway.

Please vote NO on the Continuing Resolution unless the Monsanto Protection Act is removed.”

To write your representative, click here.

Thank you for taking this important action today!

-Alexis, Melinda and the rest of the OCA Team

Organic Consumers Association