Q: I am interested in starting a new food business. Where do I begin?

A: While it may seem simple to put your favorite salsa or jelly in a jar to sell it for profit, it takes a lot of planning to get your home business up and running and produce a safe food product.

The Kansas Department of Commerce Agriculture Marketing Division can help entrepreneurs in developing their food business. Contact the Agriculture Value Added Center specialist, Becki Rhoades, at (785) 296-1847 or brhoades@kansascommerce.com.

You must have a properly equipped, licensed facility separate from your personal-use kitchen to make food for the public or for wholesale. Contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture at (785) 296-3511 for details.

For help on developing a business plan, a good resource is the Kansas Small Business Development Centers located in several areas across Kansas. Learn more about this program from the First Stop Clearinghouse business representative, Janice Millburn, at (785) 296-3803 or jmillburn@kansascommerce.

com.

For help with developing a food product, labeling and production, contact the Kansas Value Added Foods Lab director, Dr. Fadi Aramouni, at (785) 532-1668 or faramoun@ksu.edu.

The From the Land of Kansas trademark program also offers business assistance to Kansas producers, helping them make their companies viable. The Agriculture Marketing Division provides educational opportunities, marketing consultation and business development assistance to help participants grow and prosper. Financial assistance is available through the Business Enhancement Grant for companies seeking to expand their businesses. See the Kansas Department of Commerce Web site for this program at http://tinyurl.com/yg2flh.

Q: I attended the Family and Community Education Fall Festival. Could you share the brunch recipes that were served?

A: Yes, I have the recipes for the egg casserole and the fruit cups; however, Aliene Bieber, a Kanwaka FCE member, made all of the Swedish Tea Rings, so I don’t have that recipe at my fingertips.

Has Brown Egg Casserole

6 cups (30-ounce package) shredded frozen potatoes

1/2 cup butter, melted (or less, if desired)

2 pounds mild sausage, browned and drained

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups (8-ounce package) shredded mild cheddar cheese

5 large eggs

1 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Thaw potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Press into a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over potatoes. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Mix together sausage, green pepper, onion and cheese. Spread over potatoes. Beat eggs and add milk, salt and pepper. Pour over all. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let set 10 minutes before cutting.

Frozen Fruit Cups

1 (20-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 cup granulated sugar

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained and discard juice

1 (16-ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and chopped

1 (16-ounce) can apricot halves, drained and chopped

1 (16-ounce) package frozen strawberries in sugar

1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate

3 bananas

Note: Use all of the juices except for the mandarin orange juice.

Drain juice from pineapple. In a saucepan, combine pineapple juice and the one cup of sugar. Bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Combine all of the fruit (including juice, except for the juice of the mandarin oranges). Pour the pineapple juice over all of the fruit. Add bananas and orange juice concentrate; mix thoroughly. Put equally into 20 small containers and freeze.

Q: Who inspects restaurants in Kansas?

A: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment inspects restaurants, school food service operations, senior meal sites, mobile food units and all lodging facilities. The Kansas Department of Agriculture inspects grocery stores, restaurants in grocery stores, convenience stores, food wholesalers and warehouses, food processors and food manufacturers.

Q: How much weight is gained during the holidays?

A: A study was conducted in 2000 by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The study followed 195 volunteers and collected weight measurements and other health information. From September through early March, the average weight gain was 1.05 pounds. Not surprisingly, participants who were more active had less weight gain. Even though this may not seem like as much of an increase in weight as you may have expected, this weight is typically not lost during the rest of the year.

– Susan Krumm is an Extension agent in family and consumer sciences with K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County, 2110 Harper St.