Prepared by the Office of Public Affairs Georgia Department of Agriculture Tommy Irvin, Commissioner www.agr.georgia.gov.

Q: I have trouble peeling boiled eggs. I have been told not to use fresh eggs. Is it true that fresh eggs are difficult to peel?

A: Extremely fresh eggs can be difficult to peel, so it’s best to hard cook eggs that have been in the refrigerator for several weeks. Hard cooked eggs will be safe in the refrigerator for seven days. For more information, contact the American Egg Board www.aeb.org/index (847-296-7043) or the USDA Meat and Poultry hotline www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety _Education/usda_meat _&_poultry _hotline/index.asp (1-888-MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854).

Q: What is the forsythia I see blooming now (February 1)? It has dark green stems and is more of a mounding shrub than other forsythias.

A: It is not forsythia; it is winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). Winter jasmine is a popular plant for the winter landscape because it brings bright yellow blooms on even some of the coldest days. It does look like forsythia, but its green stems and mounding, almost weeping habit are distinguishing features. It is a good shrub to choose for cascading over a wall or down a bank.

Q: Someone left the refrigera- tor door open overnight. Is the food safe to eat?

A: If you can’t tell what the temperature is in the refrigerator and the food feels warm, discard perishable items as you would in a power outage. If the refrigerator door was slightly open for a few hours or overnight, the unit was operating and the temperature stayed at 40 °F., all the food should be safe to use. If the door was ajar for less than four hours, the food is probably safe to use. When in doubt, throw it out. A grocery bill is cheaper than a hospital bill.

Q: When should I seed my lawn?

A: It depends on what kind of grass you are trying to grow. The best time to sow tall fescue is from mid-September to the end of October. The second best time is February and March (the earlier the better). Bermuda and centipede can be sown from early April to mid-August. Centipede seed has a hard seed coat and may not germinate for several weeks. Apply water daily to centipede until germination is complete.

If you have questions about services or products regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, visit our website at www.agr.georgia.gov or write to us at 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Room 227, Atlanta, GA 30334; email info@agr.state.ga.us or telephone 1-800-282-5852.