The LSU AgCenter leads with the world’s most popular and best-tasting sweet potato, the Beauregard. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the introduction of this variety, way back in 1987, the sweet potato industry probably wouldn’t exist today in the state. In 2006, the most recent figures, the contribution that sweet potatoes made to the Louisiana economy was more than $100 million.

The holidays abound with tasty treats such as eggnog, cream pies and other dishes containing eggs. Eating raw or undercooked eggs invites foodborne illness, cautions LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.

As American families and friends gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, cooks head to the kitchen to prepare bountiful meals. One item not on the grocery list, but that should be in the kitchen, is food safety, says LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.

(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.

(Distributed 11/09/07) If you’ve been confused in the past about the temperature you needed to cook your holiday turkey, you now need to remember only one temperature, 165 degrees. Past food safety guidelines recommended higher temperatures for some poultry products, including 170 degrees for chicken breasts and 180 degrees for whole birds.

(Distributed 11/09/07) When Louisiana cooks shop for their Thanksgiving meal, they’ll find the cost of the basic dinner items will average $36.31 for 10 people, according to an LSU AgCenter survey of Baton Rouge-area prices. That’s down by $3.50 from last year’s average of $39.81 – a 9 percent drop.