10/30/2022
“On the last night of October,
Comes the mystic Halloween.
The night when ghosts and witches,
By mortals can be seen”
-- Whatever you'll become when night falls, enjoy the evening, these fun facts, and … of course, food safety tips for parents.
* Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic end-of-harvest festival of Samhain. Because of the belief that phantoms walked the earth on the night of Samhain, people would dress up in costumes to repel the spirits.
* According to Irish legend, a man named Stingy Jack who fooled the devil, and in turn, was forced to walk the Earth with just a lump of burning coal in a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. The Irish called him "Jack of the Lantern."
* Orange signals the harvest of autumn, while black symbolizes darkness and death.
* The mystical rituals of earlier times evolved into today fun and games. For example, the somewhat heavy concept of connecting to the dead was replaced with the “love and fate” game: bobbing for apples. Apples were pre-assigned to potential love interests. If it took a young woman only one try to grab the apple, it meant the young couple was destined to be together. If it took her two tries, it meant that her beloved would pursue her but ultimately their relationship was fated to fizzle out. Three tries? Don’t even think about it :-)
* Though many would argue that candy corn tastes like chicken feed, that's not how it got its original name. This candy was called "Chicken Feed" and the box was marked with a colorful rooster because the shape of candy corn looks like corn, and corn was used to feed chicken.
* Chances are the pumpkin pie filling we enjoy comes from the Land of Lincoln, With more than 15,000 acres devoted to gourd growing, Illinois farms grow more than 300 million pounds of pumpkins annually –producing up to five times more of this fruit (a type of squash) than any other state.
* Potatoes were the first "pumpkin." In Ireland, where the jack-o’-lantern was first created, people used potatoes since they were more readily available. Americans are the ones who changed it to pumpkin.
Food Safety --
FoodSafety.gov offers a number of simple food safety tips to ensure children enjoy their collectible treats, including the following:
Snacking -- Children should not go trick-or-treating on an empty stomach to minimize the temptation of indulging the loot before inspection.
Safe treats -- Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.
Food allergies -- If a child has a food allergy, check the label to ensure the allergen isn't present. Do not allow children to eat home-baked goods they may have received.
Choking hazards -- For very young children, remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.
Bobbing for apples -- Bacteria can cause foodborne illness while playing the popular game: reduce the number of bacteria that might be present on apples and other raw fruits and vegetables by thoroughly rinsing them under cool running water. As an added precaution, use a produce brush to remove surface dirt.
For Halloween house parties, keep the following tips in mind:
• Unpasteurized juice or cider can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella. To stay safe, always serve pasteurized products.
• No matter how tempting, don't taste raw cookie dough or cake batter that contains uncooked eggs.
• Keep all perishable foods chilled until serving time. These include finger sandwiches, cheese platters, fruit or tossed salads, cold pasta dishes with meat, poultry or seafood, and cream pies or cakes with whipped cream and cream-cheese frostings.
• Don't leave perishable goodies out of the fridge for more than two hours (one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees).
If you are among the thousands in Hollywood on this night, leave “Silly string” at home. Deemed as a public safety hazard and environmental threat, it is banned. Wishing all a fang-tastic, full-of-fright night … and a bag full of delights.
Stay safe.
