04/02/07 Celebrate Easter with Ham

I'm a big one for tradition and with Easter coming up this Sunday, what is on the menu for Sunday brunch. Pam Johnson, Director of Consumer Communications with the National Pork Board says ham is a great choice. JOHNSON: It's one of those no-hassle products and meals that you can put together very quickly whether it's a special occasion or just a weeknight meal. Johnson tells why ham has been the traditional Easter meal. JOHNSON: In those days before we had refrigerators and it's when the farmers we out there getting their provisions ready for winter and would set a fresh leg of pork to cure and it would become ham by springtime. So it was kind of that meat that they waited for all winter and were ready to dive into it in Spring so it was always ready right about that Easter time. The Pork Board has made it easy for cooks to come up with great meals. JOHNSON: Oh we always put together recipes for ham at Easter time. It's something that we know consumers are out there looking for and so we develop some new recipes each year. We are also making sure that basic ham information, you know how to buy a ham; what kind of ham to buy; how to carve it is available to them so we do have a website  theotherwhitemeat.com that we have lots of folks coming to about this time of year looking for that type of information. Johnson says though that Easter isn't the biggest season for ham. JOHNSON: Easter is right up there. Actually we see ham being just slightly stronger at Christmas time at the stores but Easter is right there behind there, in fact it's almost double the usual sales of ham during the year. 2007 is the Chinese Year of the Pig and Johnson says they have developed a recipe in honor. JOHNSON: We kind of developed a nice Asian inspired glaze for a ham which it's a sweet and sour plum sauce. You can find that again on our website but it's a very nice blend of that tangy plum and fruity taste with the sweet and savory with the ham. Personally I have a soft spot for the old-fashioned ham sandwich. JOHNSON: We've actually put together a brochure called the Ham 365 giving you lots of recipe options and tips for how you can add ham to any meal. You could make that sandwich you mentioned, there are lots of folks that have shared with us over the years some stews and soups that they make. Tossing cubed ham into their scrambled eggs in the morning. Ham is quite lean and low in calories and Johnson recommends choosing a ham with natural juices and less water for the best flavor. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.