In This Issue:
Calendar
Ohio Apples Provide Helping Hand to Hungry Children
Apples are Now Santa's Favorite Snack
January 8-9, 2001: Kentucky State Horticultural Meeting. For more information contact John Strang, University of Kentucky (606) 257-5685.
January 9-10, 2001: Great Lakes Vegetable Growers Convention, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For information and registration for the program contact Dave Smith, Michigan Vegetable Growers Association and program coordinator, at (734) 848-8899. As part of the convention, a "Plasticulture School" will follow the regular meeting and will be offered on January 11. Dr. Ron Goldy, Extension Vegetable Specialist, will be coordinator and contact for the program. Ron can be reached at (616) 944-1477. Please note that pre-registration for the plasticulture meeting will be required.
January 29-31, 2001: Indiana Horticultural Congress, at the Adams Mark Hotel in Indianapolis. The Congress is for participants; let them know what issues you would like them to address. Check the website often for updates: http://www.hort.purdue.edu and follow the link for Indiana Horticultural Congress.
February 7-9, 2001: Ohio Fruit Growers Society Congress, in conjunction with the Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association, Ohio Direct Marketing Association, and The Ohio State University will be held in Toledo at the Seagate Centre and Radisson Hotel.
The Ohio Apple Marketing Program was one of the sponsors for the Ohio Pork Producers Council's 14th Annual "Taste of Elegance". Ohio Apple Marketing Program (OAMP) Consultant Connie Cahill has worked with Robyn Callicoat of the Ohio Pork Producers Council to assist in this event. Several chefs included apples or apple products in their recipes. Many thanks also go to Mark & Shawn Schmittgen with Heartland Orchard for their assistance with this project.
Competition provided the platform for assisting Ohio's hungry children when the Ohio Pork Producers Council and the Ohio Hunger Task Force joined together in a major charity event in Columbus on Thursday evening, November 9th. The 14th annual "Taste of Elegance" highlighted ten of Ohio's elite chefs, who prepared pork dishes, vying for the title of Chef Par Excellence. The OAMP, one of the sponsors, provided apples to the chefs for their presentations.
The People's Choice award of "Cinnamon Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Caramel Sauce & Apple Chutney" was presented to Chef Eric Pfaff of The Medallion Club in Westerville. The state's top award, Chef Par Excellence, was awarded to Chef Gabriel Ybarra of Handkes Cuisine and Catering. Superior Chef was presented to Chef Todd McDunn from Catering By Design for his "Middle Eastern Influenced Classic Pork & Apples" dish. The Premier Chef category went to Chef Michael Braddock of Braddock's of Grandview. Comments from several chefs indicated their pleasure in developing their entries around the natural flavor combination of apples and pork.
Apples play an important function in good nutrition practices as evidenced by recent research from Cornell University. Nutrients found in both the apple skin and the flesh inhibits the growth of colon and live cancer cells. The antioxidants found in apples are playing a key role in providing a natural, healthy solution to food choices.
2 each pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups apple chutney (see recipe)
1 cup caramel sauce (see recipe)
Method:
1) In a bowl, mix the following ingredients: salt,
pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar, granulated sugar and
allspice.
2) Rub seasoning mixture into the pork tenderloin and
refrigerate about 2 hours.
3) In a large skillet, heat oil.
4) Sauté pork tenderloins on all sides for 3-5 minutes.
Place in a roasting pan and roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
Carmel Sauce:
1/3 cup apple brandy
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Method:
1) Using the roasting pan, deglaze with the apple
brandy on high heat.
2) After one minute, add the sugar and vinegar.
3) Cook on high heat until mixture reduces by half.
Apple Chutney:
1 Ohio Golden Delicious apple, cored, diced with
skin
1 Ohio Granny Smith Apple, cored, diced with skin
1 Ohio Rome Apple, cored, diced with skin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 shallot, cleaned and diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Method:
1) In a small saucepan warm vegetable oil.
2) Add diced shallot and jalapeno and sauté for 3-5
minutes.
3) Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar.
Stir well and set aside.
4) Add remaining ingredients, except cider vinegar,
and cook until apples are semi-soft and transparent.
5) Stir in cornstarch-vinegar mixture and stir until
thickened. Add remaining vinegar.
6) Cook on medium heat for 3 additional minutes
before serving.
This just in to the Ohio Apple Marketing Program office from the North Pole: Santa would rather find an apple than a cookie by the mantle this year. The Claus family reports they are focusing on better health, so Santa wants to let kids know he is requesting a new snack -- an apple.
In a recent interview, Mrs. Claus said she and Mr. Claus are eating more healthy foods these days, and wanted to let kids know. "We thought, just think of the example we can set for children! An apple for Santa would be a tasty snack that's healthy too. Plus, apples are nice Christmassy colors - red and green!"
In fact, Santas everywhere are turning to healthier lifestyles. Mall management company General Growth Properties (GGP) reports Santa's helpers in many local shopping malls are exercising more and eating less. And more than half of Santa's helpers surveyed recently by GGP said they'd prefer an apple to a cookie on Christmas Eve.
"The Clauses, like many other families, are realizing they need to watch what they eat," says Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., and president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. "By providing Santa with a tasty, healthy treat, kids can help Santa reduce his risk of diet-related disease and learn healthy eating habits in the process."
Why does Santa want apples this year? The numbers speak for themselves: one medium-sized apple contains 80 calories and no fat, while two regular-sized chocolate chip cookies pack in about 170 calories and 10 grams of fat -- and that's before super-sizing them. According to recent Bureau of Census data, there are about 25 million households in the United States with young children. If only half of those families left Santa two chocolate chip cookies, Santa would consume over 254 million grams of fat and over 1 billion calories -- excessive by even Santa's standards. An unidentified elf said, "He's already having a hard time getting into his suit. Enough with the cookies already!"
Available in a range of flavorful varieties, apples indeed offer a healthy holiday bite. Excellent sources of dietary fiber, apples have no fat, sodium, or cholesterol, and are packed with natural phytonutrients, recently found by Cornell University researchers to provide more disease-fighting power than a 1,500 milligram megadose of vitamin C. Apples also provide potassium, which helps control blood pressure and protects against stroke, as well as boron, an essential trace mineral that may promote bone health.
Santa was exercising on his treadmill and was unavailable for comment.
To munch healthfully this holiday season and all year long, the U.S. Apple Association (USApple) and the Ohio Apple Marketing Program recommends following Santa's healthful guidelines:
For more information about the health benefits of apples, check out the USApple Web site at
To locate a GGP Santa in your area, surf the GGP web site at
Ted W. Gastier
Extension Agent, Agriculture
Tree Fruit Team Coordinator
Ohio State University Extension Huron County
180 Milan Avenue
Norwalk, OH 44857
Phone: (419)668-8210
FAX: (419)663-4233
E-mail: gastier.1@osu.edu
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