Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/724518
I'mhavingadifficult time wrapping my head around this documented fact: Experts say that al- most half of all pro- duce grown in the U.S. is thrown out, while at the same time poverty is growing right here in America. I had naively assumed that all U.S.-grown pro- duce makes it to market, and then consumers take it home, and sometimes we let it go bad before we can consume it, and into the garbage it goes. That happens, but it's not the whole story. The truth is that vast quantities of fresh pro- duce are left in the field to rot, become livestock feed or be hauled directly to the landfill because of (get ready) aesthetic stan- dards. Not every potato, watermelon, strawberry or grape turns out to be photo-perfect. Some pro- duce is ugly, and these days that means it does not meet retailer and con- sumer demands for per- fect, blemish-free produce. Just imagine how the re- tail cost of produce might plummet if all that is pro- duced — even the nutri- tious, but ugly produce — were available for sale. I don't know that there's anything we can do our- selves about this matter of retail waste, but I know we can stop the carnage in our homes. According to the World Resources Institute, the average U.S. household of four throws out about $1,600 worth of food that goes rotten every year. Wow. That makes my head spin! Even if that number is far less in your home, consider these three sim- ple ways to stop throw- ing your dollars in the gar- bage. DON'T OVERBUY. The way to do avoid overbuy- ing is to have a good, real- istic plan for the produce you need, and to be cer- tain you will consume the produce before it goes bad — regardless of the great sale price or how beautiful it looks in the store. Buy- ing too much is the No. 1 reason household produce lands up in the garbage. BUY A BLUAPPLE. Blu- apple is a clever gadget (available in discount de- partment stores and on- line) that slows down the ripening process by ab- sorbing natural ethylene gas, which all fruits and vegetables give off as they ripen. Ethylene is a harm- less, odorless and color- less gas. A high concen- tration of ethylene gas in the refrigerator or fruit bowl speeds up the ripen- ing process, which hastens spoilage. The folks at Bluapple es- timate that by placing one in the refrigerator with the produce and another in the fruit bowl on the counter, the typical house- hold can cut its annual food bill by $600. Not bad! The only trick is remem- bering to replace the ethyl- ene-absorption packets ev- ery few months to ensure that your Bluapple is work- ing at peak efficiency. Bluapple works well. If you're interested, I recom- mend starting with the Bluapple One-Year Combo Pack (about $15), which in- cludes two Bluapples (one for the refrigerator, one for the fruit bowl) and six eth- ylene-absorption packets, which is what you need for one full year of Bluapple use. FOODSAVER. A Food- Saver vacuum-sealing ma- chine is the best option for extending the life of pro- duce. Food can be vac- uum-sealed in bags or specific FoodSaver canis- ters. However, my favor- ite method of storing food — everything from straw- berries to tomatoes and everything between — is in ordinary glass can- ning jars. You will need a Jar Sealing Kit (about $25), which attaches to the FoodSaver. Simply fill a glass canning jar (regu- lar or wide-mouthed) with unwashed produce like strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. Set the lid on the jar, and ap- ply the jar sealer. Start the machine, and it removes all of the air from the jar and seals the jar tightly. If stored in the refrigera- tor, the contents will re- main fresh and beautiful for weeks, not days. (Food- Saver prices vary from about $75 to $275 or more, depending on the model.) One last thing: A fairly new company called Im- perfect Produce offers a subscription delivery ser- vice for ugly food. The San Francisco Bay Area-com- pany estimates that about one-fifth of all fruit and vegetables end up in the dump because they don't meet the industry stan- dard of perfection. Imper- fect Produce offers per- fectly healthy and nutri- tious ugly produce for up to 50 percent less than re- tail store prices. At this time, Imperfect Produce only delivers in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you live there, I suggest you check it out. Let's hope for great success and fast ex- pansion. Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Stop the carnage; no more rotten produce in the garbage Mary Hunt Lassen Volcanic Na- tional Park encourages all fourth-graders to visit the park for free this year as part of the Every Kid in a Park program. The program gives fourth grade students, and those accompanying them, free access to more than 2,000 public lands and waters nationwide for a year. Visit www.Every- KidinaPark.gov to down- load the pass and get more information. "There's so much to dis- cover at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and we're excited to welcome fourth graders and their families throughout the year. We hope that our young visi- tors learn and have fun in the great outdoors and de- velop a lifelong connection to our nation's land, water and wildlife," said Superin- tendent Steve Gibbons. Lassen offers families a wide range of fun activities that will turn even a short visit into a family adven- ture. There are more than 150 miles of hiking trails thatrangefromaneasywalk along a lake shore to climb- ing to the tops of volcanoes. The winter months provide an opportunity to learn and enjoysnowshoeingandcross country skiing. The Every Kid in a Park pass, which features a new design for this year's stu- dents, is valid for a full cal- endar year starting Sept. 1. The pass grants free entry for fourth graders and up to three accompa- nying adults — or an en- tire car for drive-in parks — to most federally man- aged lands and waters, in- cluding national parks, for- ests, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries. The newly expanded Ev- ery Kid in a Park website has links to educational ac- tivities, trip planning, field trip options, the down- loadable pass, and addi- tional information in both English and Spanish. Af- ter completing a fun edu- cational activity, the child can download and print a pass. The paper pass can be traded for a more du- rable pass at participating federal sites nationwide. Every Kid in a Park is part of President Obama's commitment to protect our nation's unique outdoor spaces and ensure that ev- ery American has the op- portunity to visit and enjoy them. The program, now entering its second year, is a call to action for chil- dren to experience Ameri- ca's spectacular outdoors, rich history and culture. Every Kid in a Park is a crucial component of a multi-pronged approach to inspire the next generation to discover all that our na- tion's public lands and wa- ters have to offer, including opportunities to be active, spend time with friends and family, and serve as living classrooms to build critical skills. The Every Kid in a Park program is an Administra- tion-wide effort between the Department of the In- terior, the Department of Agriculture, the Depart- ment of the Army, and the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration. The program continues each year with the then- current group of fourth graders. After 12 years, every school-age child in America will have had an opportunity to visit their public land and waters for free, inspiring the next generation to be stewards of our nation's shared nat- ural and cultural heritage. For more informa- tion, visit www.everykidi- napark.gov and follow the program on Twitter @ev- erykidinapark, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. For additional information about Lassen Volcanic Na- tional Park, visit www.nps. gov/lavo. LASSEN PARK Second year of Every Kid in a Park pass launched Jason Marshall, of Cottonwood, has been awarded a 2016/17 Califor- nia Grocers Association Educational Foundation Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. Marshall graduated from West Valley High School in Cottonwood. He will attend The Ohio State University this fall and ma- jor in Supply Chain Man- agement. Marshall's accomplish- ments include making honor roll throughout high school and the dean's list throughout college. He has volunteered at the Red Cross helping those in need. His career aspiration in- cludes managing school, work and four volunteer positions. Foundation scholarships are awarded annually to college students who are either employees or depen- dents of employees of Cali- fornia Grocers Association member companies, such as Raley's. College scholarships are awarded on academic merit, evidence of out- standing character and leadership potential. Appli- cants must enroll at an ac- credited college or univer- sity in the United States in the fall of 2016. EDUCATION Marshall earns grocers association scholarship The Sierra Club, Yahi Group, is hosting the fol- lowing events for Sep- tember. Unless otherwise noted, trips are free and open to the public and be- gin at the trail head. If you have any ques- tions or want further in- formation about specific activities, call Wayland Augur at 519-4724 or write to wba@acm.org. • Saturday, Sept. 17 — Mt. Brokeoff climb in Las- sen Volcanic National Park Enjoy beautiful views in all directions on this 7-mile round trip with an eleva- tion gain of 2,500 feet. From the top the group should be able to see the Sacramento Valley, Mt. Lassen and much of the surrounding area. Bring lunch, water and carpool money. Leader: Alan, 891- 8789 or ajmendoza777@ comcast.net. • Saturday and Sunday, Sept.24-25—BackpackTwin LakesinLassenNationalPark From Summit Lake the group will pack in 4-5 miles to Twin Lakes and set up camp. Elevation gain and loss of only 500 feet with optional swim- ming in the lake or a short day hike on Saturday. The group will pack up and re- turn on Sunday and drive home. Individual commis- sary. Bring standard back- packing supplies; food, stove, tent, pad, sleeping bag and warm clothes. Bear canister now required in Lassen National Park. No campfires allowed in Lassen Park. Leader has extra backpacking equip- ment if you are missing anything. Call leader in ad- vance to reserve your spot and get more info. Leader: Alan, 530-891-8789 or aj- mendoza777@comcast.net. • Sunday, Sept. 25 — Outings Leader Training Get valuable training to become a Sierra Club leader. This is a free 4-hour training class, which is re- quired to lead outings for the Sierra Club. There are no obligations for taking this free course and you will be provided with a pamphlet containing in- formation on how to plan, organize and lead differ- ent types of outings. This class fulfills the Sierra Club requirement for cer- tification or re-certifica- tion as a Sierra Club Out- ing Leader. The class will start promptly at 9 a.m. at the Sierra Club California Conference Room, ring the buzzer for entry. There is free street parking on Sun- day. For more informa- tion and to sign-up, write to Kathy at SierraKat@ comcast.net or sign-up at https://www.meetup.com/ Sacramento-Sierra-Club/ events/233235132/. Leader: Tony Loftin, 909 12th St., Ste. 202, Sacramento. SIERRA CLUB September activities planned for Yahi Group CONTRIBUTED Visitors enjoying Lassen Volcanic National Park. Professional Personal Convenient •PremiumDigital Hearing Aids for every budget • FREE hearing evaluations • Service/Repair, all makes and models • Batteries & accessories • Preferred provider for most insurance plans: Including PERS, Carpenters, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, etc. • Low monthly payment plan available • Trial Period/ Satisfaction Guaranteed AskaboutourOpenFitTechnology Discreet and Comfortable Limited Appointments CALL 1-800-488-9906 Performedforproper amplificationselectiononly. RedBluff Community Center 1500 So. 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