With Thanksgiving Day closing fast and Christmas only 27 days later — meal planning and grocery shopping is well underway in thousands of households.

Helping Iowans and Minnesotans free-of-charge with ideas and safe food preparation and more for time-honored traditions like Thanksgiving and Christmas Day meals are the staff of Iowa State University’s Extension AnswerLine.

Since 1975, the AnswerLine team have answered hundreds of thousands of questions about Thanksgiving and Christmas Day meal preparation, how to safely store leftovers, about table centerpieces and more.

This year, a staff of five professionals headquartered at Lagomarcino Hall in Ames are prepared, said Beth Marrs, of ISU, an AnswerLine veteran.

“Our team is comprised of individuals with expertise in home economics, dietetics and food science,” she said in a recent interview with the Times-Republican. “Each of us has a wide plethora of knowledge in the area of questions we receive. Plus, if we do not know an answer, we can refer the question to other Iowa State Extension and Outreach Specialists who have expertise in those areas”

All one has to do is telephone 800-262-3804, or email answer@iastate.edu.

Telephone lines are open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. However, on Nov. 25-27, telephone calls will be answered over the noon hour to answer last minute Thanksgiving Day meal questions,” said Marrs. “Our email box is always open, and we do our best to respond to questions within one to two business days.”

Marrs said two-thirds of the calls received are food-related – safety preservation and preparation.

“In previous years we have received hundreds of questions about meal planning so foods are ready when guests arrive, how to best use oven space when preparing meals and how to store foods when guests must cancel last minute due to illness or bad weather,” she said. “We have received questions about how to make recipes gluten-free.”

AnswerLine is available year round.

“Summer months are quite busy helping 4-H members prepare their food and nutrition exhibits for fairs and from others about canning,” Marrs said. “We also answer questions related to cleaning, stain removal, textile and more.”

Marrs emphasized that AnswerLine is completely independent, and the office does not endorse or recommend specific products.

Chelsea Llewellyn, program coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach Marshall County in Marshalltown, said the local office refers many callers throughout the year to AnswerLine.

“We receive questions about Thanksgiving and Christmas Day meal preparation and food safety or storage and refer them to AnswerLine,” she said. “We also refer many callers who have questions about safe canning pressure and other related canning questions during that season. AnswerLine is a tremendous resource.” For more information, visit www.extension.iastate.edu