Taste and sea

If you make mean mussels or luscious lobster, you should enter the Maine Lobster Festival Seafood Cooking Contest. All full-time Maine residents are eligible (except food pros), and the recipes can include any Maine seafood, fresh, frozen or canned. Cash prizes of $150, $100 and $75 will be awarded to the first-, second- and third-place entries. The deadline for entries is July 25, and finalists will prepare their dish in a cook-off at the Rockland festival on Friday, Aug. 6. For information, call the Rockland-Thomaston Chamber of Commerce at 596-0376 or visit www.mainelobsterfestival.com.

Hot stuff

Grilling is thrilling, but food safety at barbecues is a meaty matter. When you invite friends over for a backyard bonanza, you should follow the “grillertaining guidelines” set by the American Dietetic Association and Con Agra Foods Foundation. For starters, remember the one-hour rule: in temperatures 90 degrees F and above, perishable food items shouldn’t sit out for more than an hour. If you’re taking your picnic to the park, keep perishables in a cooler packed with ice, so that items are refrigerated below 40 degrees F. When grilling, always use a meat thermometer to assure a safe internal temperature; be sure to scrub the grill with hot, soapy water before each use; and by all means, don’t use the same brush to marinate raw and cooked meats. For more information, visit www.homefoodsafety.org.

Can-tastic

Blueberries could be the perfect fruit: delicious, nutritious and packed with antioxidants. But a study by the Canned Food Alliance with the Oregon Health and Science University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that a good thing can get even better. How? The can. Canned berries have a higher flavonoid count and antioxidant level than their fresh or frozen counterparts, which makes them even better at fending off oxidative damage, which is a key link to many age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, among others. Dr. Daniel Hatton, associate professor at the Oregon Health and Science University, has an explanation for the higher levels. “Since canned fruit is processed immediately after harvest, canned blueberries offer a year-round source of antioxidants with higher levels than fresh or frozen blueberries.” And that’s berry good news, indeed.

Tidbits is hungry for news about local food products and events. Send your Tidbits by mail to Bangor Daily News, attn: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329; by fax to 941-9476; or by e-mail to kandresen@bangordailynews.net.