B2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 28,1984 (Continued from Page B 18) “You have to create your own market,” she said. “You have to let them know you’re out here.” Selling the flowers from the bam proved to be a very time comsuming method of marketing their flowers, Marilu said. People came to the house at all hours of the day, and sometimes came on Sundays, even though a sign out front said “Closed Sunday.” Each year, they have sold more of their flowers to wholesalers, which has proved to be a much easier method of marketing their flowers. Marilu said that selling a large amount to one company gives her more time to spend to spend with her two-year-old daughter, Krissy. Wholesalers are eager to buy from local growers because they can avoid shipping costs and the plants arrive in good condition. When plants are shipped, they are often crushed, forcing the buyer to spend time and money steaming them open, Marilu explained. While she could make more money selling her product to in dividual flower shops, Marilu doesn’t believe it’s worth the hassle. If this year proves to be as successful as they think it will be, Marilu said they plan to rent more land and plant even more flowers next year. “It looks very promising,” she said. “As we can afford to buy more plants, we’re buying them.” Even though flowers are now their main product, Marilu said she will keep her herb garden and will continue to provide fresh herbs to a few people. Now that herbs aren’t a top priority, she will be incorporating vegetables into her herb garden like early German gardeners did, Marilu said. She explained that years ago common people kept herb gardens because they could not afford to buy the herbs they needed for cooking and for medicinal purposes. The wealthier people, she said, kept them for decorative purposes, like many people do today. Marilu said her grandmother and mother always had herbs and she created the demonstration garden “to get people a little closer to nature.” She encourages her customers to use herbs in place of salt to season their foods and says that adding herbs to prepared foods is a good way to add variety. Herb vinegars are simple to make, Marilu explained, and taste great on fresh salads. To make her vinegars, Marilu said she pours white vinegar over the herbs, and GARAGES AND STORAGE BUILWNGS CALL COLLECT Please contact me with APr ~- rL (717) Additional Information A RED 738-4248 /' ROSE BUILDING SYSTEMS Windhaven Farm lets the mixture sit for about one week. The vinegar should not be kept in the sunlight because it takes the flavor out of the herbs. Marilu recommended tarragon, salad bumet and purple basil for producing good vinegars. A rose geranium added to apple jelly gives the jelly a rose color and adds a different flavor. Adding herbs to butter or margarine and molding it is a simple way to add a touph of elegance to the table, Marilu suggested. To create a natural snack for Krissy, Marilu makes mint sherbet by putting mint in three cups of boiling water until the water tastes minty. She then strains the mint from the water, adds two cups orange juice and a drop or two of green food coloring and places it in the freezer. To give the sherbet a grainy texture, she stirs the mixture once before it is com pletely set. For adult tastes, she suggests adding a cup of sugar while the water is still hot enough to dissolve it. Marilu suggests that beginning herb cooks pick up a copy of “Hildy’s Herb Recipes,” which gives many practical and simple recipes. One of the book’s best features though, is the index, which lists recipes according to the herbs they use. This feature makes it easy to find a way to use a specific herb, Marilu said. As in any other activity, greater skill comes with experience. “You become a better cook with herbs by cooking more with herbs,” Marilu said. No matter what she grows - herbs, flowers or vegetables - Marilu enjoys working in the soil. Her grandparents have a dairy farm near Newark, Delaware, where their ancestors have been farming for 200 years. Although she did not grow up on the farm, Marilu said she spent her summers there bringing in the cows, digging potatoes and doing other chores. When she moved to Lancaster from her home in Bucks County she said found that family and church are more important here than anywhere else she has lived. “You don’t appreciate what you have here until you leave,” she said. 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To date, however, most of these ex change visits have been limited to male farmers.” Block said the purpose of the trip is for the delegation members and the people they meet to achieve greater understanding of each other’s agricultural systems and philosophies; provide an educational experience for Slate County Phone (Area Code) Ag women to visit Europe : . t^' or4 ' Construction Oriented • Experienced Construction Supervisors On The Job Site • Quality Materials From Reputable Manufacturers • Quality Carpentry Instead Of “Corner Cutting" Service Oriented • Client And Contractor Interaction From Time of First Contact To Job Completion • Customer Satisfaction AFTER Job Completion • Trouble-Shooting of Existing Ventilation Systems Custom Builders of Dairy, Swine, Poultry, Horse, Storage Buildings And Light Commercial Buildings! delegation members m relation to the EC trade Situation; provide for a cultural exchange between American farm women and their EC counterparts; and assist in developing the leadership potential of the delegation members. Surplus food distributed HARRISBURG - Penn sylvania’s needy families received $16,667,351 worth of federal surplus foods during the April distributions across the state, according to State Agriculture Secretary Penrose Hallowell. Hallowell said the month marks the first quarterly distribution of cheese and butter under the state’s new surplus food distribution plan approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in late January. “With the recent regularity of allocations from USDA, the relative stability of a two-year program and a commitment of federal funding through the Dole Bill, the local agencies and the state have an opportunity to in crease efficiency and better meet ♦fc? needs of ou r needv families,” Triple H Construction Co. 14 N. Church Street Ephrata, Pa. 17522 717-738-2142 The Farm Building Specialists A 50 Jersey Cow, Tie Stall Dairy Barn Contact Triple H Construction For Your Building Needs Because We Are... Delegates will be chosen by farm organizations and commodity groups. The trip will be sponsored jointly by USDA and the Dwight Eisenhower People to People International Organization, Block said. he said. The plan has also revised the eligibility requirements to insure that the most needy families receive these free commodities. A family can be identified as needy if it participates in the state’s Public Assistance (cash assistance) Program, the Food Stamp Program, Medicaid Program, or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. USDA has projected that Penn sylvania will receive more than $4B million worth of cheese, butter, dry milk, honey, cornmeal and flour through Sept. 30. 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