34 —Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Dec. 7, 1974 Helping Others Is Her Motto Mrs. J. Harold (Ann) Ranck, 1717 Hans Herr Drive, Lancaster, is a very talented and generous person who keeps the Christmas spirit all year long by doing things for and giving to others. She is an excellent cook and is never happier than when preparing a meal for her friends and relatives. Mrs. Ranck makes most of her own Christmas tree ornaments. A couple years ago she started making colored felt animals and dolls for their tree. Included were deer, cats, lions, elephants, monkeys, seals, turtles, dogs, pigs, ducks, horses and horse head coverings for candy canes. Her imaginative details make them most in teresting. She decorates styrofoam balls for the Christ mas tree and makes leopard and tiger puppets which can also be used as pot holders. She makes animals from styrofoam meat trays for her Sunday School class members to decorate for their classroom tree. Ann delights in making some sweet breads, walnut kisses and dolls for her friends and neighbors for Christmas. And when Easter rolls around she makes stuffed toys to fill egg shaped containers to give to the neighbor children. She also decorates eggs and makes an egg tree at Easter time to decorate her home. This season of the year she is busy attending Advent and Christmas teas, entertainments and taking some of her specialty foods such as party mints. Another craft she enjoys doing and sharing is covering facial tissue packets with cloth and decorating them with felt flowers. The Rancks are members of Willow Street Church of Christ where Ann has taught the third grade Sunday School class for twelve years. She always thinks of the nice little extras to do for her class. Besides having a decorated Christmas tree in the classroom she takes a small bouquet to class each Sunday in the summer and each time a different child gets the bouquet to take home. November 23rd the men’s Sunday School class held then 1 20th annual ham and oyster supper with Abe Harnish in charge. The women baked pies and cakes and prepared the oysters. The women’s Loyal & Faithful Sunday School class had a bazaar in connection with the supper. They had a display table and a food table where they sold baked goods, canned goods, sandwiches, crafts, crocheted, knitted and handmade articles. Mrs. Ranck made pies, sticky buns, dolls and Christmas decorations for it. The Youth Fellowship sold cards. Ann is a member of the Loyal & Faithful class which meets six or eight tunes a year. She also belongs to “Church Women United” which makes bed pads for two church homes. They usually sew twice a year. Mrs. Ranck has been a member of Farm Women Society 22 for 20 years. Twenty eight of their members attended the meeting at her house in October. Their present membership quota is 35. Ann says “I help where I Mrs. J. Harold Ranck, 1717 Hans Herr Drive, Lancaster, makes all kinds of stuffed felt animals and dolls for Christmas tree ornaments as well as animal puppets or pot holders which she gives as gifts or donates to church bazaars. Ann Ranch vi Mrs. c Charles jk McSparran Farm Feature can.” She was corresponding secretary a couple years ago and is now on the program committee. She cut the stencils for their program booklet the past two years. This Farm Women group had a 240 page cookbook, “Dinner Bell”, published three years ago. 7000 copies have been sold and they put 2000 more copies together this year. Ann has several of her recipes included in the book and helped to assemble the books. Society 22, together with another Farm Women scoiety, takes a treat to Conestoga View each year. Ann is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Witmer of Lampeter. Witmers have a 15 acre farm. Mr. Witmer had a small peach orchard there as well as on his farm near Kirkwood when he owned it. Ann says, “I grew up in the trees.” She graduated from West Lampeter High School where she took the Academic course. She also graduated from Lancaster Business College. She did secretarial work at the Lancaster County Agricultural Soil Con servation office in the Post Office Building in Lancaster for two years, at the Penn Casualty Company, George Bard Real Estate Company and at Household Finance Company. Harold, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Wenger Ranck, grew up on their farm located on Hans Herr Drive, now owned by Mowry Fry. Harold raised pigs and steers and helped on his parents’ farm until he started working for the Pennsylvania Railroad 33 years ago. He was a brakeman at first but has been an engineman for many years. Rancks have a large garden and grow fruits on their property. They have 8 apple, 3 cherry, 3 pear, 2 apricot, 1 plum, 3 peach, 3 black walnut and 3 English walnut trees plus raspberry bushes, strawberries and Concord, white and red grape vines. They grow all the fruit and vegetables they can use, also for canning and freezing and sell some apples, peaches and plums. Ann says “In summertime I like to be out in the garden” and she also helps with spraying the trees and mows the lawn. Rancks have three grown children. They all graduated from Lampeter-Strasburg High School. J. Harold Jr. took a two year Agri-business course at Penn State University and received an associate degree. He was in the U.S. Marines four years then took a business course at Slippery Rock State College. After graduating from there he took a position with The Ford Motor Company at Plymouth, Mich. He married Diane Aument, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Aument of Drumore Township and they live in Ann Arbor, Mich. Suzanne took an accounting course and graduated from Penn State University. She lives at Marietta and is a cost accountant in the office of the Armstrong Carpet Plant. She has a half year in sewing in high school and makes a good many of her dresses. Rose Mary also had a half year of sewing in high school. She is living at home and commuting to York where she is attending the York Academy of Arts. Another of Mrs. Ranch’s hobbies is sewing. She makes most of her own dresses and sewed for the girls when they were small. She engages in different types of fancy work. She crocheted rag rugs, has made a half dozen or so crewel pictures and patched a quilt last winter. When she was first married she made a very lovely heirloom ap pliqued quilt in the “Bird and Wreath” pattern. Aim grows begonias, geraniums and impatients plants indoors in winter and in the summer has a number of annuals, mint and shrubs. She enjoys baking and exhibits baked goods, especially bread and rolls, and some canned goods at the West Lampeter Community Fair each year. The recipes for some of her favorite dishes are given here: Ann Ranch’s hobby is baking. Here is a raspberry pie she baked for her mother’s birthday. One of her crewel pictures is on the wall. Date and Nut Balls 1 cup chopped dates Va cup butter 2 eggs 1 cup sugar Mix together in saucepan and cook about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool and add: 2 cups Rice Krispies l k cup chopped nuts Butter hands, form into balls and roll in fine coconut. Neat Party Mints Vz stick butter or margarine (Vs lb.) . 1 lb. 10X sugar 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (not oil of peppermint) Va teaspoon salt Va (scant) cup not water Melt butter and add to sugar, salt, water and flavoring in bowl. Beat well. A few drops of food coloring may be added. Roll in ropes then cut in bite-size pieces or press through small cookie press. 2 packs dry yeast Va cup lukewarm water Va cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt Vz cup shortening 1 cup scalded milk 2 eggs 4 to 5 cups flour Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Put sugar, salt and - shortening in large bowl and pour scalded milk over them. " Cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 cups flour. Add eggs and stir. Add yeast and stir again. Add more flour and stir, keep adding flour until dough is no longer sticky. Roll out on floured cloth and knead about two minutes. Wash bowl and grease. Return dough to bowl and cover with’ wax paper or tea towel. Let rise until double in bulk. Roll out on floured cloth and shape in desired shapes. Place in pans and let rise again until double in bulk. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned. Scalloped Potatoes 6 medium potatoes 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 3 cups milk 1 teaspoon salt Va teaspoon pepper chopped l parsley paprika Pare potatoes, slice thin and prepare white sauce of butter, flour, milk and seasonings. Put Vz the potatoes in greased casserole. Add Vz white sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Bake at 375 degrees until potatoes are tender, approximately 1 hour. Grated cheese Sweet Yeast Rolls (Continued On Page 35]
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