Touched by Kari

On Sundays I blog about things I am grateful for. This week I was touched by the short-lived life of Kari. She was the daughter of a local cardiologist who works for the same health system that I do. Please visit Kari's site http://www.karisheartfoundation.org/

Here are some recent pictures of my family, which I am ALWAYS grateful for!

On Easter:

Celebrating Michael's 40th birthday:

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April is Donate Life Month

This is what I learned this week: {well, it is ONE of the MANY things I have learned this week} IT IS DONATE LIFE MONTH. I am an organ donor. I hope that you will consider this yourself. Please, if you choose to donate life, let your wishes be known to your family, fill out an organ donor card, and identify that you are an organ donor on your driver's license.

For more information:
http://organdonor.gov/get_involved/donatelifemonth.htm

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Why Wood?

I've been doing Internet reading about wood vs. plastic cutting boards. Why wood? Our simple answer is: It's natural. On the contrary, plastic is "synthetic" or "semi-synthetic" per Wikipedia. We choose to prepare food that our family eats on natural, wooden cutting boards.

How sanitary is a wooden cutting board? Just as sanitary as a plastic one, if not more sanitary! Studies have shown that for some reason (my guess/reasoning is Mother Nature), bacteria do not multiply on wood like they do on plastic. You might reply, "But isn't plastic easier to clean than wood?" Studies have shown that on a smooth surface, yes, plastic is easier to clean. But what are we doing on a CUTTING board? Cutting! And the same study shows that after using a knife on a wooden cutting board and a plastic board "more bacteria are recovered from a used plastic surface than from a used wood surface."

Clean your wooden cutting board with kosher salt or sea salt. It is naturally antibacterial. It not only cleans, but also removes stains and odors. Rub salt into your cutting board, add hot water making a paste, and then rub clean with a sponge.

Still can't get past the fact that you can't throw your cutting board into the dishwasher or soak it in hot water? Then do as this chef does:

I branded a small “V” on one side and an “M” on the other. V for veggies and M for meat. ALWAYS prep your RAW vegetables first, and then flip it over to prep your meats. Then, of course, sanitize when both sides when you’re finished prepping. You should never have to worry about cross–contamination if you use my method. - Hope this helps others! (4/28/08) John PaaProduction ChefWhole Foods Market (Harbor East)Baltimore, MD

Or better yet, buy TWO wooden cutting boards--one for your veggies and one for meats! Visit our Etsy shop http://ripperarts.etsy.com/ to view our various sizes, wood species, styles, and prices of our HANDMADE WOODEN CUTTING BOARDS!

Online sources:

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm
http://whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-should-i-choose-between-a-wood-and-plastic-cutting-board.htm

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