Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of On Ohio’s Table. This quarterly newsletter will feature timely articles, recipes from Ohio farm families, and recent media coverage regarding food topics. Have a suggestion for something you’d like to see in the next edition? Click here to email us. Happy reading!

USDA replaces Pyramid with MyPlate

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid that many Ohioans grew up with recently got tossed and replaced with a more user-friendly dinner plate icon sliced by food groups.

The USDA's new guide, “MyPlate”, is designed to remind individuals to eat healthfully. MyPlate illustrates the five food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins, with a side of dairy — using a familiar mealtime visual, the dinner plate. Omitted from the new plate are references to sugars, fats or oils, and what was once a category called “meat and beans” is now simply called “proteins.”

Additionally, even though the plate is divided into four sections, the serving sizes vary depending on each person’s nutritional needs based on age, health, activity and other factors.

For more specific information and sample menus, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.

Fire up the grill one last time for Labor Day weekend cookouts

As Labor Day weekend approaches and grilling season winds down, many Ohioans will celebrate with family and friends at picnics and barbecues. To ensure a pleasant experience for all, food safety should be a priority.

Ohio farmers encourage consumers to follow four simple tips: clean, separate, chill and cook.

Clean

• Wash hands, cutting boards, counters, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water before and after handling food

Separate

• Keep raw meat and poultry away from ready-to-eat foods such as fruits and vegetables
• Use a separate cutting board for raw meat products and ready-to-eat foods
• Avoid using utensils that have touched raw meat to cut up raw vegetables or other uncooked foods
• Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat or poultry

Chill

• Set your refrigerator or insulated cooler to keep food at 40° F or colder. The freezer should be kept at 0°F
• Chill any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than two hours — or one hour if temperatures are above 90° F

Cook

• Cook foods according to USDA recommended temperatures

Great news for pork lovers: cooking temperature is lowered

Pork lovers, rejoice! The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released new guidelines for cooking pork. Pork chops, roasts and tenderloins can now be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal cooked temperature of 145° Fahrenheit. Previously, the recommendation was to cook pork to 160°.

After pork reaches 145°, it should be allowed to rest for three minutes while its temperature rises a few more degrees. The result is juicier and tenderer meat. Home chefs should be aware that the pork may be pinker than they are accustomed to, but is perfectly safe to serve to their families.

For more information on the new guideline, please click here.

What’s on the grill?

At the next cookout you attend, will you consider where all the foods you’re eating come from? Buying local foods has become an increasing trend as we all think more about the foods we eat.

If you’re looking to have your food questions answered, visit OurOhio.org. Our Ohio is an extension of Ohio Farm Bureau, created to appeal to the large group of Ohioans interested in local foods, cooking and gardening. Connecting is easy! Register for a free Our Ohio monthly e-letter, connect on Facebook and Twitter, attend a hands-on Grow & Know event, and find local farmers selling homegrown products through the statewide Buying Local Directory, providing listings for consumers to connect with hundreds of local growers and producers.

OurOhio.org offers hundreds of articles, cooking and gardening tips and recipes. Find grilling tips and a recipe for grilled vegetables featuring local ingredients to prepare at your next cookout.

For more information, visit Ofbf.org or OurOhio.org.

Easy back to school breakfast ideas

The beginning of a new school year can be a busy time for families, but it’s critical to take time to start the day off right with a healthy, nutritious breakfast.

Studies have repeatedly shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and children who eat breakfast perform better academically, are less likely to become overweight, are absent and tardy less often, and have fewer discipline problems.

A high-protein breakfast has shown to keep students feeling full longer. Coffee Cup Scramble, Ham and Cheese Muffins, and Breakfast Beef Burrito are delicious, quick and easy dishes to prepare. Don’t forget to wash it down with a big glass of low-fat or fat-free milk!

The Ohio Livestock Coalition, formed in 1997, is a statewide trade organization consisting of diverse agriculture organizations and individual farmers committed to advancing environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable livestock farming practices.