Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • October 20, 2010 Home Improvement This year, be sure to winterize your pantry (ARA) Summer is gone, and it’s time to prepare for the annual battle against the inconveniences of winter. While modern technology has minimized or eliminated many of winter’s challenges, some preparations are best left to a more traditional solution. The practice of keeping a pantry -- a cool, dry storage area for food -- goes back to ancient civilization. Before the advent of refrigeration, frozen food, and food preservatives, families faced a much more difficult challenge in maintaining their food supply through the harsh winter months. Crops and gardens were harvested in the summer, and curing, pickling, salting, or stockpiling in dry cellars or “pantries” helped preserve food throughout the winter. Maintaining a well-stocked pantry was once a life and death issue, noted Chef Bridget Charters of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Seattle. Chef Charters, like many Americans, remembers her family pantry organized like a food library, with neatly stacked and labeled cans and jars of meat, fruits, and vegetables, stockpiled to provide sustenance throughout the winter, and rotated for freshness and to minimize waste. Today, modern conveniences have made “out-of-season” a thing of the past, and it’s possible to avoid the effort of maintaining a pantry altogether. However, childhood obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases associated with diet are at an all-time high in America. The luxury of having access to out-ofseason fruits and vegetables is increasingly offset by concerns over where those products come from, and how they got to your grocery store or table. In addition, factors like transportation, chemical preservation, and the wages and conditions of worldwide agricultural workers make it difficult to determine the actual cost and consequence of the food consumed. Maintaining a well-stocked pantry is an excellent way to manage your family’s diet; and by following a few simple guidelines, you can ensure you have made a responsible choice for your family and for your community. Chef Charters recommends setting aside a dry, unlit area in your kitchen or basement that is easily accessible, but out of the way of daily family traffic. She recommends keeping a stock of frozen items, and suggests blanching vegetables before freezing, freez- Fall Improve Your Driveway’s Appearance And Protect It At The Same Time Driveway E-Z Stir Asphalt Filler/Sealer • Easy to stir • Fills surface cracks up to 1/8” • Dries to touch in 4 hours. Can be driven on in 24-48 hours under normal conditions • 4 year warranty Mon-Wed 7:30-6 Thurs & Fri 7:30-8, Sat 8-5 Put On A Winter Coat Today! ing hearty soups in small containers, or “bullet freezing” chunks of rhubarb or whole tomatoes to add to the pantry. “Place your tomatoes on a tray and freeze them whole,” advised Chef Charters. “When you’re ready to use them, drop them in a vat of warm water, and the skins will peel right off. Then use them just like fresh tomatoes!” Chef Charters also recommends: • Blanching greens and freezing in bags for soups. • Making basic vegetable soups and freezing, adding meat or pasta later. • Bullet freezing berries whole. • Making pesto and other sauces for freezing. • Making freezer jams. • Grating zucchini and freezing on sheet pans. "By harvesting your own garden and stocking a pantry for the winter you not only save money at the supermarket, but you're reducing your carbon footprint, and making a healthier choice for your family," Chef Charters added. Of course, not every home maintains a garden, but creative shopping, like visiting the local farmers market, is an excellent way to discover what is in season, connect with your community, and ensure your family is eating healthy throughout the year. Chris Rubino of Monrovia Growers will discuss new plant offerings for 2011 at the next meeting of the Master Gardeners of Bergen County on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. The group will meet at One Bergen Plaza, Hackensack. With The Golden Age of Plant Exploration, breeding, and propagation upon us, there are many new genera and improved cultivars available to the American gardener. Rubino will discuss these plants and will highlight the best new products in the industry. Master Gardeners learn about plant offerings A Cornell University graduate with a degree in environmental horticulture, Rubino has gained experience at The Cornell Plantations, American Rose Society Test Garden, and Walt Disney World Epcot Center Land Pavilion; and through retail nursery sales and landscape installation. Master Gardener meetings are open to all gardeners and are free of charge. Refreshments are served at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Tracey Fraser at (201) 768 1856 or visit www.mgofbc.com. PLEASE TAKE MY HUSBAND ! Need someone to help tackle the honey-do list ? Mature local resident can work on anything from cars to faucets. No job too small. If you are looking for a responsible individual to help you around the house … OPEN SUNDAY 9-3 Propane Filled 7 Days A Week 27 Franklin Tpke. • Waldwick • 201-652-5666 www.homehardwaresupply.com PLEASE CALL MIKE AT 201-327-3255 FALLhomeimprovement The Villadom TIMES is giving you the opportunity to present your quality services and merchandise in a special Fall Home Improvement & Decorating Guide. In The Villadom TIMES, you’ll get the exposure you need in 56,300 homes right in your market area. And, as always, your Villadom TIMES advertising message is conveniently delivered each week by US mail to every residence in the ten affluent Bergen County towns listed below. Publication: Deadline: &decorating WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27 YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSPAPER Call The Villadom TIMES today to place your advertisement. 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