Put your video making skills to work

SuDocQueen@evpl — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:35:00 GMT

I don't want to false advertise; this opportunity won't sound glamorous to a lot of people, but if you like making YouTube clips, know something about healthy eating, and like the idea of a contest with cash prizes, this might be for you. The USDA is sponsoring a contest called MyPlate Fruits and Veggies Video Challenge. They have three video categories with first prizes in each category of $1,500 with additional $1,000 dollar second place awards and $500 People's Choice awards. The winning videos will showcase how you're economically adding fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. Hum, I wonder if you could win first place and people's choice for a whopping $2,000 dollars? Probably not, but you could always ask. Right now the odds of winning a prize look pretty good. For example, the Tips for Kids category only has three videos after three weeks of submissions.

The contest started September 26th, but entries will be accepted through November 15th. Still, I'd hurry and get your entries in so your friends, family, and strangers have time to vote for your video. Public voting is taking place simultaneously with the submission time period. So, if you wait until November 15th to enter your video you won't have much opportunity to garner People's Choice votes.

Even if you're not interested in making a video, you might want to take a look at the site. Click on the "Video Gallery" tab to see the current videos. The tips are interesting, and free registration gives you the opportunity to vote for your favorites.

Crunch!

wag.mado@evpl — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:45:00 GMT

It's that time of the year when the refrigerator is filled with an abundance of fresh produce. So, it wasn't a surprise that I received a reference question regarding the best way to keep celery fresh and crisp in the refrigerator. My first thought was to wash and cut the celery and put it in a glass pickle jar with a lid and a little water in the bottom, since that's the way my mother always kept her celery fresh. However, I soon discovered something I wasn't expecting - there are many opinions regarding proper storage of celery.

There's the plastic bag without perforations method, the wrap in aluminum foil process, the layer with damp cloth and/or perforated bag technique, and an airtight container approach (plastic or glass). There's wash and do not wash, AND any combination of the above mentioned. In fact, there are so many variations to choose, I soon understood how someone would ask for assistance with this baffling task. There are even conflicting ways to revive limp celery. Is it in ice water, or in lukewarm water? Of course, there are also different types of celery. I don't even want to go there!

So, if anyone out there has a definitive answer, please let the rest of the world in on it. Celery is a tough vegetable to figure out.

Happy crunching!

Research Blog : vegetables

Put your video making skills to work

Crunch!