HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: I eat apples daily, and I’m aware that pesticides are necessary to make a beautiful, delicious apple. So, to clean my apple, I use a small amount of dishwashing detergent, scrub the apple using my hands and rinse carefully under flowing water from my faucet. Is this the best way to clean the apple skin?
— E.W.S., Willis, Texas DEAR READER: Yes, as long as you wash the apple thoroughly and rinse well. Dry with a clean paper towel.
DEAR HELOISE: We love fish. Aside from my husband being a fisherman, I buy salmon at the store. I’d like to know how long fish can be frozen.
— Tina D., Texas DEAR READER: Fish will not maintain the same flavor, texture or quality forever. There are, of course, time limits: fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, should not be frozen more than two to three months; lean fish, like cod or catfish, should not be frozen longer than six months. Just make certain that you run water over the fish first, then wrap it very tightly with two or three layers of wrap.
DEAR HELOISE: My doctor told me to eat more fish, especially salmon. What’s so great about salmon?
— Linda Y., Albuquerque, N.M. DEAR READER: Salmon is considered one of the best sources for:
Omega-3 fatty acids: You must get this from food because it’s impossible for your body to manufacture them.
It’s a terrific source of protein.
Salmon is high in B vitamins, which repair your DNA and aid the functioning of your brain and nervous system.
It’s a good source of potassium, selenium and astaxanthin, and helps fight inflammation.
DEAR HELOISE: Most of the vegetables I eat are grown in my backyard. After planting the garden with seeds, I’d sometimes forget what exactly I had planted, or in which row it was planted. So, I asked my doctor for 12 tongue depressors, wrote the name of a vegetable on a tongue depressor and stuck it in the ground at the head of the row. It was easy, cheap and tidy-looking.
— Carol F., Pukalani, Hawaii
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email