Grocery items may be infested with weevils

Dear Heloise: It seems in the past several months that I’m finding more and more weevils in my flour, cornmeal and biscuit mixes. Is it my housekeeping, or am I bringing them home from the grocery store? I don’t have room in our freezer/fridge for these staples. What can I do to ensure clean flour and grain products? I end up wasting so much! Claire in Phoenix

Chances are, you’re bringing the weevils home from the grocery store. It’s best to check every dry-goods bag or box when you first bring it home. If you see any bugs, return the product to the store for a refund. If you don’t see any evidence of infestation, you can either put the dry goods in the freezer for four days or, if freezer space is an issue, put them in the oven at 150-160 degrees for 30 minutes. This will kill any unseen weevils and their eggs, which are too small to see.

Because weevils have been a problem for quite a while now, you should scrub the pantry shelves with hot, sudsy water, then spray with an insecticide (one that’s safe to use around food) before replacing any food on the shelves. Store all grain products in glass jars or tightly sealed plastic bags so you can see if the weevils make a comeback. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Let’s check your Heloise apple hint IQ. About how many pounds of apples does the U.S. produce every year?

A. 1 billion.

B. 5 billion.

C. 10 billion.

Tell me, do you “C” the right answer? If you chose 10 billion, then you earned an apple! Enjoy! Didn’t get it right? Well, let’s try again. What state in the U.S. produces the most apples?

A. Texas.

B. Colorado.

C. Washington.

What do you “C”? Washington state produces half of the apple crop in the U.S. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Microwave ovens get caked with dried food if not properly cleaned. I have found an easy, quick way to clean it up. Use hot water, a cleaning agent (an all-purpose cleaner) and a cloth. Quickly wet down the inside of the microwave. As you are wiping down the area, grab the dried food with the cloth and shake it out into the trash. By the time you go to the sink and re-wet the cloth with more hot water and cleaner, the remaining dried food has softened. Usually the final wipe-down of the area is easy and the job is done! It is better than scrubbing and scrubbing and getting exhausted! Jeannie Clark, Boerne, Texas

Dear Heloise: I took a job in which I take a lunch. The first day I filled my box with goodies, including two sandwiches sealed in zipper bags. To my dismay, at lunchtime I found that the ice had melted and the sandwiches were soaked. To remedy this, I purchased two plastic organizer trays for the sandwiches. Now the ice is separated from the food. Joshua, Elk City, Okla.

X Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate