Jack's Harvest

Jack’s Harvest went through the long and arduous exercise of getting our HACCP certification last year before we were accepted on the shelves of Whole Foods.  It is a lengthy process and required us to examine every aspect of our manufacturing procedures.  Now you’re thinking, that’s great, but what does it have to do with me??  A lot actually as you run a kitchen of your own with lots of little people running around and getting their little hands into everything.  Here are some things we have found work really well in our kitchen and will work great in your kitchen as well!

• Soak all your produce that has skins in a clean sink full of water filled for 5 minutes.  According to the University of Virginia food sciences department this kills more germs and bacteria than any of the washes on the market!
• Regularly go through your refrigerator and check the expiration dates on perishables – throw them out once they are expired – yes, even sour cream and yogurt can go bad!
• Keep cold food cold and hot food hot – room temperature is not your friend but it is the friend of bacteria everywhere.
• Keep a separate cutting board for meat and poultry and label it with a sharpie so everyone is aware that this is not to be used for veggies.
• Wipe down all surfaces whenever you switch from meat or poultry to anything else.
• I wear my food prep gloves in my home kitchen anytime I handle meat or poultry.
• Use a thermometer to test the temperature of your meats and poultry you do not want to just “eye” this!  Below is a great chart that you can print and put up in the kitchen for safety guidelines.