Varieties, nutritional value, fig facts and simple methods of food preservation so you can enjoy Louisiana figs all year long. (PDF Format Only)

Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who include more of these foods are less likely to have a risk of chronic diseases.

When you see mold on food, is it safe to cut off the moldy part and use the rest? For most foods the answer is no, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Cooks across Louisiana are now making their grocery lists and checking them twice in preparation for those holiday meals. An LSU AgCenter nutritionist says food safety should be high on the list while those preparations are being made.

Harvest has begun in Louisiana for one of our most popular crops – the sweet potato. Louisiana farmers produce about 5 million bushels a year. The total value to the Louisiana economy in 2007 was more than $110 million. Louisiana boasts the only sweet potato research station in the country – a 307-acre facility in Chase. The Sweet Potato Research Station will host a field day Aug. 14.

(Distributed 11/19/07) Keeping our food supply safe was the main topic for speakers and panelists at a recent national conference in New Orleans.

You can fry it or roast it. Just don’t let that turkey or other foods served at the holidays spoil, says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Beth Reames. Learn ways to keep food safe and how to avoid overindulging.

(Distributed 11/13/07) Pecans are nutritious, tasty treats that literally fall from trees. They should be handled properly to ensure that their flavor and quality remain until the next harvest, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. John Pyzner.

(Distributed 11/09/07) “It’s not as unhealthy as it sounds,” says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames about fried turkey, “if you don't eat the skin of the bird.”

(Distributed 11/09/07) The holidays are time to enjoy special desserts you may only make once a year. To prevent getting foodborne illness, refrigerate pies containing eggs and milk, such as pumpkin, custard and cream pies, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.