The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Readers have asked for more information regarding food labeling and what it means. As of today, conventional grown fruit stickers have four digits. Organically grown have five numbers, which start with the number 9, while the notorious genetically engineered foods have five numbers, starting with an 8.

Other food labels to watch for: USDA Certified Organic: diary, eggs, meat, and poultry. The USDA ensures that foods with the certified label USDA Certified Organic come from animals that have never had antibiotics.

The label American Grass-Fed Certified: beef, lamb and dairy, guarantees that the animals were never given antibiot- ics. (In contrast, "100% Grass Fed" that may be fed a lifetime diet of 100 % grass and forage but does not exclude antibiot- ics.)

The label Certified Humane Raised & Handled: diary, eggs, meat and poultry. This certification (not to be confused with American Humane Certified) is endorsed by several animal-welfare and food safety organizations, including the ASPCA. Animals may be raised on a diet without antibiotics, but if sick, animals under this program can be treated with antibiotics with a veterinarian's supervision.

The meat label "Natural" is unregulated. The USDA ap- plies this claim only to fresh meat when nothing has been added on the butchers table like color. The cow, pig or lamb could have been raised on an antibiotic diet.

It may be easier knowing where your food comes from when you ask the farmer how their food has been raised. This dialog is best started at your local farmer's market and cattle ranch.

What to do with all those cucumbers? Try a cool crudités plate mixed with handmade kosher pickles, succulent young vegetables, kalalmata olives and thin slices of an aged Jarls- burg Swiss cheese. Here's a quick pickle recipe to tantalize taste buds. I suggest a pairing of winemaker Holly Turner's 2011 Three Rivers Sauvignon Blanc, a beautiful pale, crisp white wine rippling in creamy rich notes, just $12 a bottle in the winery tasting room; 5641 Old Highway 12, Walla Walla.

Quick Kosher Pickles - 6-8-quarts

20-cuke's washed, well sliced into spears or rounds

1-crushed clove of garlic per quart jar

1-cup fresh dill

1-teaspoon red pepper flakes

½-coarse salt

3-quarts water

1-quart cider vinegar

1-fresh-cut grape leave per quart, Concord will due

In clean jars stuff grape leaf, garlic and cuke' cuts. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil, ladle brine over jar ingre- dients to within 1-inch of jar rim, quickly tighten rubber lid-screw top; let cool and burp for 24 hours. Store pickles in refer' or dark cupboard. Self-life: 6-months.

For recipes, color photos or Moveable Feast Catering ideas:chefjduithhenderson.com.