Our Organic Northwest

Food Scientist Dr. Stephanie Clark on Dairy Processing

(Dr. Stephanie Clark) 

Intro:

Recently, Northwest Public Radio aired a profile about a family dairy as part of a series on the Northwest economy.  It resulted in a flurry of comments from representatives of the dairy industry, and it spurred questions about the practices of pasteurization and homogenization. Mary Hawkins took the opportunity to speak with leading dairy expert, Stephanie Clark.  Formerly with Washington State University, Dr. Clark is now an associate professor at Iowa State University, specializing in food science with a focus on dairy foods. She shared her views on common perceptions and misperceptions about the dairy industry and the processing of milk.

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Food Fight: Eating as partisan politics Edible Idaho Feature

Food has the power to draw people together like no other human activity — think Thanksgiving. But food can also divide. In the past presidential campaign opponents frequently used food to divide voters down party lines — think “those arugula eating liberals.”

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In this installment of Edible Idaho, correspondent Guy Hand looks at eating as partisan politics. For more on this story or to listen to past Edible Idaho programs, go to northwest food news dot com.

FDA Approves Microwave Preservation Process for Prepared Foods

PULLMAN, WA - In next few years, you can look forward to a greater variety of prepared foods that don’t need refrigeration at the grocery store. The Food and Drug Administration has approved an alternative to the traditional canning process. It was developed at Washington State University.

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Coeur d’Alene Indians Celebrate Water Potato Harvest

(Photo: Coeur d’Alene tribal members dig up water potatoes in the fall. It’s one of their traditional foods.)

COEUR D'ALENE, ID - Coeur d’Alene tribal members are finishing the harvest of traditional foods that their ancestors relied on to stay alive. In the fall, they dig up small tubers known as water potatoes.

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Washington, Oregon Ask for Federal Help for Dairy Farmers

The Washington and Oregon state agriculture departments are asking the federal government to buy massive amounts of milk and cheese. Washington has lost 39 dairy farms this year and Oregon 16 as milk prices have fallen sharply across the nation.

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The Crush Part 3: Using Celebrity to Sell Northwest Wines

(photo: Kyle MacLachlan and Eric Dunham sip some Baby Bear wine straight from the barrel. The L.A.-based actor and Walla Walla winemaker have teamed up to make high-end wines.)

If you want to see stars outside of Hollywood, head to a Northwest winery. Across the region winemakers are increasingly courting rockers, artists and movie stars to help market premium wines. In the down economy, they hope a little rub of star dust will add some cache to the fermented juice.

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The Crush Part Two: New Business Plan for Walla Walla Wineries

(photo: Gilles Nicault, a winemaker for Long Shadows out of Walla Walla, WA, inspects his grapes on Red Mountain. He makes high end wines which face a tough economy.)

WALLA WALLA, WA - The bad economy has hit the Northwest wine industry hard. That’s especially true in the market for high-end wines. In the last 20 years, Washington alone has added 600 new wineries. Now, signs of stress are leaking out in one of the region’s wine hubs, the Walla Walla Valley.

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The Crush Part One: Eastern WA Vintners Set Up Shop West of Cascades

(photo: Walla Walla is known as Washington's wine capital. But as the economy has faltered, Eastern Washington winemakers are heading West and opening tasting rooms far from the vineyard.)

WALLA, WALLA, WA - Walla Walla is known as Washington's wine capital. But as the economy has faltered, a trend is emerging. Eastern Washington winemakers are heading West over the Cascades. They're opening tasting rooms in Woodinville wine country, near Seattle, to be closer to their customers. This week, as winemakers process their latest grape harvest, we're looking at how the wine industry is adjusting to the new economy.

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A Guide to Toxins and Fish Consumption

Here's a handy guide from Washington's Department of Health.

   

Reduce Toxin Exposure Through Careful Fish Preparation

By: Stephanie Teien

State health departments recently issued more fish consumption advisories across the Northwest based on updated reports of high contamination levels in lakes, rivers, and oceans.   Proper cleaning and trimming can eliminate up to 50 percent of some toxins including PCBs and PBDEs (no amount of cleaning will eliminate mercury).

• Eat smaller fish.

• Eat the fillet and no other parts; most contaminants accumulate in the fatty areas of fish. Mercury is the exception: it accumulates in the muscle of the fish, so that you can't avoid contamination if you consume mercury-ladened fish.  

• Fillet, clean and cook fish properly (see the above diagram from the Washington State Department of Health).  Remove the skin, cut away the darker-colored fat which accumulates under the skin and in the belly.

• Check for local fish consumption advisories.

For detailed information about fish consumption advisories in Washington go to: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/fish/

In Oregon: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/envtox/fishconsumption.html

In Idaho: http://www.Idahohealth.org

In Montana: www.dphhs.mt.gov/fish2005.pdf