—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Sept. 11, 1976
58
4 Polynesian Ham Dinner 9 top dish at state fair
TTMONIUM, Md. - The
judges ignored the fact that
it was tiie Maryland State
Fair here at Timonluxn and
chose a Claymont, Dei.,
woman’s “Polynesian Ham
Dinner” recipe as the first
place dish in the sixth annual
Maryland Porkecue Cookoff
recently.
For Flossie Cushing it was
a sweet victory, since she
was the only entrant from
Delaware and was returning
to the contest for the second
lime after spending the past
year perfecting her recipe
and cooking technique.
The Maryland Porkecue
Cookoff, sponsored by the
Maryland Pork Producers
Association, in cooperation
with the Maryland Depart
ment of Agriculture, drew a
record number of entiles this
year from which the 10
Canning ignorance shown
HYATTSVILLE, Md. - One
out of three American
families canned fruit and
vegetables at home in 1975,
many of them using
questionable procedures,
according to a national
survey conducted by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
About one out of two
households canned less than
50 quarts, while one out of
four canned more than 100,
and one out of 10, more than
200 quarts. Tomatoes were
the most popular, with three
out of four households
canning this food, and one
out of two households can
ning other vegetables,
pickles, and fruit.
Twice as many households
canned fruit and vegetables
in the West as in the Nor
theast, and two to three
times as many in rural areas
as in large cities. Four out of
five who canned in 1975 also
canned in 1974, and only one
out of 20 do not plan to can
this year. Six out of 10 home
canners said they got in
formation on canning from
friends or relatives.
The survey revealed that
many people were not
following procedures
recommended by food
scientists of USDA’s
Cathy Brubaker
(Continued from Page 57]
classes in high school was
“tailoring.”
Besides 4-H and home ec
projects, Cathy has done a
large amount of sewing on
her own. She has six brothers
and one sister, and has had a
hand in making the gowns
and outfits for several of the
weddings in the family. Plus,
there are the run-of-the-mill
requests heard by every
seamstress.
“My brothers keep
hounding me to make them
shirt’s and jackets,” she
says.
At the present time Cathy
has a full-time job to save
money for college. She’s not
sure what her major will be
when she does attend in a
year or so, but she “likes the
farm a lot,” so this will be
sure to influence her
decision. As a farmer’s
daughter, she has helped her
father, Glenn Brubaker,
work on the land they farm.
finalists were chosen for the
cookoff. A crowd of several
hundred persons, many of
them lured by the tempting
aroma of cooking pork,
viewed the contestants as
they prepared their dishes
over gas grills.
Finishing second was May
Brown of Salisbury, Md.,
who prepared a dish titled
“Pork Sub Surprise”; third
place honors went to WEAL
Radio (Baltimore) talk show
host Alan Christian, who
cooked up some old
fashioned western style
“Frontier Pork Ribs;”
fourth place went to
Rosabelle Anos’ “Phillipine
Oriental Native Barbecue”
(Baltimore): and fifth place
was awarded to Ocean City
Convention and Visitors
Bureau executive director,
Agricultural Research
Service. For example,
although most households
used jars designed for home
canning, one out of three also
used peanut butter, coffee,
and other kinds of jars,
contrary to USDA recom
mendations. Most canners
used two-piece lids with new
flat metal disks; one in 10,
however, were reusing some
flat disks, a practice also
contrary to USDA recom
mendations.
The open-kettle method of
canning, recommended only
for jellies and as an initial
step in preparing jams
before water-bath
processing, was used by
nearly half of those canning
fruit and pickles, one third of
those canning tomatoes, and
one out of seven canning
vegetables. Also, many
home canners were filling
jars too tightly, a practice
that can result in un
derprocessed foods.
In addition, contrary to
USDA recommendations,
one out of five households
were serving home-canned
vegetables with no further
beating.
Most home canners
seemed to be aware of signs
indictating spoilage in
Crops they raise are tobacco,
barley, com, and wheat, plus
they run a beef and pig
operation.
This summer, however,
there has been little time in
Cathy’s routine for helping
out. Between work and her 4-
H activities, she’s had a tight
schedule. And, right not, she
has her thoughts oriented to
November 26 and Chicago.
As was mentioned, she mil
be judged on her 4-H career
as a whole at the national
convention. Just a few of the
activities she will have listed
are: co-president of Lan
caster County 4-H Council,
exchange delegate, meats
judge, secretary of the Red
Rose Baby Beef Club, past
president of the Landisville
Sewing Club, and teen
leader. And, that’s only
naming a few.
With this reputation
behind her, Cathy will
represent the county well in
November
Gary Fischer, who cooked a
“Pork Feast”
The special “Chefing
Award” for style and
cooking showpersonship was
won by a Montgomery
County, Md., woman,
Kathleen May of Kensington,
who prepared a “Grilled
Stuffed Pork Chops” dish
without soiling or ruffling
her crisp pink and white
cooking station and en
semble.
The award winning pork
recipes were;
POLYNESIAN
HAM DINNER
1 thick (1-2 inches) ham slice
- small canned ham
maybe used
115-ounce can yams or sweet
potatoes
1 13-ounce can pineapple
chunks with juice
canned foods - bulging lids,
leaks, spurting liquid when a
container is opened, off-odor,
and mold. Although deadly
botulinum toxin may be
present in improperly
canned foods without any
visible signs of spoilage, two
out of five home canners
thought there would always
be some obvious signs if the
food were spoiled.
About a fourth of those
surveyed reported they had
spoilage in home canned
fruit and vegetables. While
the survey did not reveal the
actual causes, three out of
four households thought it
was due to lids that failed to
seal properly.
ARS officials stress the
need for home canners to
follow reliable instructions
to reduce the risk of spoilage
and avoid illness. Such
instructions are found in
USOA home canning
publications:
HG-8 - “Home Canning of
Fruits and Vegetables”; HG
-56 - “How to Make Jellies,
Jams, and Preserves at
Home”; HG-92 - “Making
Pickles and Relishes at
Home”; HG-106 - “Home
Canning of Meat and
Poultry”.
Wine Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup Apricot wine-f
-% cup peach halves or pieces
% cup seedless raisins
Melt butter in small
saucepan, add cornstarch
and remove from heat. Stir
until smooth; then, add other,
sauce ingredients. Place
ham on large piece of foil
(large enough to fold over
and seal around ham). Pour
wine sauce over ham. Place
yams or sweet potatoes
around ham and pour
pineapple chunks and juice
over top of ham. Fold foil
over ham and other
ingredients and seal so juice
cannot seep out. Place
package on grill or in 400
degree oven and cook for 30
minutes until the ham is
good and hot. Serve with hot
biscuits, mint peas, white
rice and Apricot wine.
Serves 4-6.
+Peach wine may be
substituted for apricot if
available.
XXX
PORK SUB
SURPRISE
1 pound lean pork
2 sub rolls (small)
Lettuce leaves
Marinade Sauce:
one-third cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon red table wine
(dry)
Vi teaspoon Accent (MSG)
Salt and Pepper
Cut pork into one inch
cubes. Combine sauce
ingredients, or mix in a
blender. Pour over pork
cubes and let marinate about
6 hours - overnight is best.
Thread cubes on skewers
leaving small space between
each cube. Cook over
medium heat on grill. Baste
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