KAJ has announced that any and all raisins are off limits due to incredible levels of bug infestation. Wow, that was a kick in the pants. The USDA has a list of permitted “defects” allowed in food stuff. Read bugs and the stuff they leave behind as “defects.”

Obviously, the level of defect in kosher certified raisins is within halachic limits. However, the statement by KAJ said that all raisins are now no good.

Other authorities have said that hechshered (certified kosher) raisins are fine.

What is interesting is that KAJ wrote that if you have food in your house with raisins, it is ok to eat it. Weird, no?

From time to time, people ask us about sites for finding all sorts of special kosher stuff.

Here are some sites we especially like:

http://www.naturesflavors.com/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=fd3114153253

d44172eae1014ad954b8&categories_id=&inc_subcat=1&keywords=kosher&x=0&y=0

http://www.sweetservices.com/Kosher_C208.cfm

http://www.hersheys.com/products/kosher.asp

This is a very interesting site:

http://www.kantrowitz.com/chocolate/

Finally, someone asked us where to find bricks of caramel. Here is a good place:

King Arthur Flour Company sells Kosher Carmamel in blocks – 18 oz and 5 lbs. Here’s the URL.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/list.jsp?pv=1233149867243&select=C201&byCategory=C296

So many people (but not the people on this blog) commented that they missed the old hard copy edition of the Kosher Nexus Newsletter, that we decided to bring it back!!

Go to: www.utj.org and print it out for yourself.

Many rabbis put it out in the shul foyer. If so, you are in luck. You will have something to read during the rabbi’s sermon (just kidding).

Next print issue will be the Pesach issue.

Ever wonder what the numbers on canned goods mean? Well, wonder no more.

If the first three numbers are either 690, 691 or 692 the canned goods come from China.

If the first two numbers fall in the 00 to 09 range, the stuff comes from either the USA or Canada.

Numbers 30 to 37 mean the goods came from France.

40 to 44 means Germany.

Japan gets one number: 49

England also gets only one number: 50

So, now you, too, can be a canned goods secret agent!

Sunday, we attended the wedding of Michael Herrera to Samantha Phelps- two wonderful, Jewish young adults very much in love.

What made this so special is that Michael’s parents are Alex and Andrea Herrera.

Alex is the UTJ’s cyber rebbe, responsible for our presence on the internet. Alex is also a major source for material for the Taking the MTV Challenge curriculum.

Andrea is a former editor of the Kosher Nexus, and contributer, and probably the person most responsible for its very existence. Andrea took the acorn and planted it and it became this blog with over 350,000 hits per year. In addition, Andrea gave the Nexus its name. When we began as a small, hard copy newsletter, the original name was the Kosher Crusader. Andrea hated that name and came up with the Kosher Nexus.

The wedding was wonderful. Catering was done by Andrea herself- and what a show of food she put on!! Michael and Samantha were beaming at each other the whole time. All in all, it was a wonderful affair to remember.

Mazal tov to all the families and to Michael and Samantha.