Posted on 07/21/2008 9:18:21 PM PDT by JimPrevor
The FDA continues its habit of making mountains out of mole hills. The discovery of a single jalapeño with Salmonella Saintpaul at the warehouse of a tiny distributor named Agricola Zaragoza on the McAllen Produce Terminal Market simply doesnt mean very much.
...Once again, needlessly and with reckless disregard for the rights of innocent people, the FDA has destroyed an industry.
...Dr. Acheson thinks that it is within his authority to destroy the fortunes of innocents.
...Repeating the words public health as a mantra, though, does not make it true. The bottom line is that the risk for healthy people of eating fresh jalapeños was always inconsequential and, at this date, is de minimis.
...these recommendations are based on nothing other than Dr. Achesons personal metric of risk aversion.
...If the FDA thinks it can just shut down a New Jersey jalapeño farm on the odd chance that maybe it has something to do with something, then we are no longer a government of laws, we are just at the mercy of men like Dr. Acheson.
(Excerpt) Read more at perishablepundit.com ...
Jim, the simple fact is that most bureaucrats don’t care about the economic impact of their actions. And if they do, they don’t always understand it.
The career bureaucrat has never had to make a payroll or worry where his own paycheck is coming from. Not at all unusual to find that he is of a completely different mindset than the the business owner.
Thanks Gabz.
Thanks neverdem.
[”A fresh jalapeno pepper grown in Mexico and processed in Texas”]
Tests Positive for Salmonella
ABC | July 21, 2008 | Kate Barrett and Lisa Chinn
Posted on 07/21/2008 4:31:02 PM PDT by Scythian
Edited on 07/21/2008 4:42:34 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2049068/posts?page=137#137
Thanks for the ping!
Gardening/canning question here, and I know you both do a lot with peppers/canning. Hubby wanted salsa, so I made some. He wanted his jalapeno peppers in it. I told him—meaning cut the seeds out—that the seeds were the hot part. He misunderstood and left them in. As a result, the “mild” will make your mouth hurt. Can this batch be salvaged by adding A LOT more tomatoes, or should I just pitch it and chalk it up to lessons learned?
It's not exactly helping American pepper growers, either. Look what happened to the US tomato growers because of the overblown hysteria caused by stupid bureaucrats and their media lackies.
If you haven’t processed it yet I would say add lots more maters. And some lemon or lime juice.
If you have processed it, give it to someone who like hot salsa!
I second Gabz’ response. If not processed yet, I’d try adding some of it to a new batch for flavor. If already processed, it is what it is. ;-)
Thanks, Ladies! I’m supposed to pick up a bushel of maters from the local farmer’s market after work this eve. That stuff is so hot, I don’t even know if that will help. I think I might just pitch it and start over. I was thinking about freezing instead of canning. Any tips or suggestions?
This is just my personal opinion, but I would not attempt to freeze salsa except maybe one or two containers as an experiment. The flavors are so distinct in salsa that I doubt it would retain much after the first month or so. When all else fails though, I consult the Ball’s Blue Book of Preserving, which covers freezing tomatoes alone but not in a salsa. Canning is the only method of preserving mentioned for salsa. Good luck!!!
Yup, good point. They get it TWICE. :-/
Thanks again. Sigh. That’s what I get for trying to take shortcuts!
Do you have any particular recipes you use for canning salsa? Half of them make it sound easy and the other half scare you to death about keeping the quantity of ingredients and vinegar to the right proportions.
Thanks for the ping, but it’s not my thread.
I do have recipes and I will get them to you tonight. Have to run for the moment ...
Thanks! No hurry. I’m not doing anything until tom. I’m beat. It was only about 90 here today, but the heat index was around 110. I was inside but still... Had to water the greenhouse and plants outside.
One of the originals has corn and black beans in it and lots of herbs. I think I can salvage most of that one. The hotter one... Not sure. :)
Jalalpeno Salsa
3 cups chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes
3 cups chopped jalapeno peppers
1 cup chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 teaspoons oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 cup cider vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim of jars and apply two piece caps, tightened only until there is resistance, careful not to overtighten. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Fiesta Salsa
7 cups chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes
2 cups chopped, seeded and peeled cucumbers
2 cups chopped and seeded banana peppers
1 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped, peeled, roasted Anaheim peppers
1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup minced cilantro
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh jarjoram
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim of jars and apply two piece caps, tightened only until there is resistance, careful not to overtighten. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Salsa is one of the most varied sauces and is easy to adjust to your personal tastes. Don’t be afraid to increase or decrease any of the ingredients or throw in another spice or ingredient. It is hard to go wrong (unless, of course, your husband leaves all of the seeds in the peppers and the results will melt steel) ;-)
Have fun and let me know if you run into any questions!
Whoops, plastered that into the wrong topic, sorry. :’(
Mr. Prevor is the fourth generation of his family to be active in the food business in the United States. Prior to launching his own company, he served as a director of his family's company, which was an importer, exporter and wholesaler of foodstuffs, including produce, deli meats and cheeses, fresh eggs and frozen eviscerated poultry. At various times, the business also included supermarkets and convenience stores, a restaurant chain and various farming operations.
I guess we all have our agendas.
Thanks so much! I’ve always been an “add what you want until it tastes good” type of cook, and that’s pretty much waht I did with the salsa. Then I looked up canning salsa and some of the sites were just adamant about not changing the ratio of stuff and vinegar. I figured I better ask someone with some experience.
One of the older ladies I talked to yest said she doesn’t even process hers. Said she just cooks the veggies until done, hot packs hot jars with hot lids and lets them set on the counter. Said that they will seal jsut fine. Don’t know if I want to go that far or not! although I’ve eaten a lot of stuff this woman has fixed and so have many, many other local people and no one has ever gotten sick!
Told hubby I was going to pitch the really hot stuff. He had a fit, so I’m going to add maters and can it. I’ll probably end up throwing it out next time I need jars. Two years ago, he wanted pickled okra. I put it up, and noticed he wasn’t eating any. ??? It’s too salty. OOOkkkaaayyyy. This from a man who literally coats everything with salt. I put 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp salt in each jar. Go figure. Good thing I love him! LOL
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