Keystone-K appreciates that our sister agencies generously share their knowledge base. The following are a number of alerts that may be of interest to you:
It is recommended that corn on the cob should be unhusked and washed well before cooking, microwaving, or grilling.
Pick your own and organic blueberries have a higher rate of infestation than regular store-bought blueberries. These blueberries should be washed very well with dish detergent, rinsed with a powerful spray, and then rinsed and inspected for signs of worms etc. We also recommend checking the last rinse water with a thripe cloth. This procedure should be used for all strawberries – even regular store bought strawberries. Regular store-bought blueberries that show no signs of infestation just need an ordinary washing and then they can be eaten. Thripe cloths can be purchased from Rabbi Eisemann, and may be reused numerous times.
When you pick your own fruit, it must be ascertained that fruit trees have reached their fifth year (since planting/transplanting) because of the laws of “orla” and revai”. No benefit may be derived from “orla” and “revai”. Please see our archived article for a more in-depth explanation on this topic – including the difference in halocha between fruit grown in Israel and other localities.
Joy Cone products that appear to be Parve, but bear the Star-D symbol (Baltimore) were produced on Dairy non-Cholov Yisroel equipment.
The Star-K has sent an alert that the Letter of Certification from Zhejiang Zhonga Technical from China is a forgery.
