For the John Hess Fi Farming And Making ice Cream Go Together LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff MAN HEIM (Lancaster Co.) As the weatfier turns warmer, John Hess not only thinks of plowing the 400 acres that he and his dad farm in Manheim but also of making ice cream. As the Pennsylvania Farm Show champion ice cream maker, John wants to defend his title and warm weather is a great incentive to prac tice for the next contest John won the top prize of $3OO for his raspberry ice cream made with his mother’s homemade rasp berry jam. “I was looking in the refrigerator for something to add to the ice cream when I noticed a jar of the jam,” John said. “And, I thought the jam would make good ice cream.” His first batch of raspberry ice cream was too sweet. It took three practices before he found (he right proportions to convince family members that he had a possible winning recipe. “My family likes eating my ice cream experiments and they help decide how I need to adjust the recipe,” said John who is the son of Sue and John H. Hess Jr. He has a sister, Elizabeth, 17. When preparing for the Farm Show ice cream contest, John was so intent on pasteurizing the eggs, that he forgot to dump in the light cream and the vanilla. Despite the mistake, John won top prize for his ice cream. “That was when I learned that my recipe tastes just as good with out the cream and milk,” said John. It was the third contest for the 21-year-old, who previously won an electric White Mountain ice cream freezer for placing third in Farm Show competition the previ ous year. During Ag Progress Days, he also entered the contest, but.did not place. John thinks winning a prize more than compensates for his experiments in preparing for the contest. “You can’t lose,” his mother agreed. “You always have the fun of eating it.” But one time, the family did not enjoy eating an experiment “I had tried making apple crisp ice cream, and the apple crisp turned hard as rock. It was a tooth breaker,” Hess said. John said that he was never able to perfect that recipe, but still tries to figure out ways to keep the apples from hardening when churned. The Hesses have several ice John Hess, champion ice cream maker at the Pennsylva nia Farm Show, churns another batch of his prize-winning ice cream made with his mother’s homemade black rasp berry jam. cream freezers. While John prefers the electric one for home usage, in competition, he uses a 4-quart freezer with a hand chum. He believes a smaller, hand-chum freezer makes better ice cream. John got his start in ice cream competition several years ago. That was when he was a state FPA officer. A meeting was held at his home for all the FFA state officers, and John made them homemade ice cream. Later, one of the guests, vice president Tammy Balthazer, was asked to help oversee the ice cream chum-off at the Farm Show. She remembered John’s homemade ice cream and encouraged him to enter it in competition. Although his freezer broke during the competi tion, John was able to earn a third prize and win a White Mountain ice cream freezer. Since graduation, John is work ing in partnership with his dad on their 63-acre Manheim farm, where they have a farrow to finish hog operation. The Hesses have 60 to 70 sows. “We don’t believe in getting 100 large an operation. We think if we maintain a small sow herd, we can have almost as much profit as a lar ger operation without all the head aches,” John said. The Hesses rent about 400 acres on which they grow com, tobacco, hay, soybeans, and small grains. Since 1983, the Hesses did not cul tivate their crops, but this year, John said, “We’re going back to cultivation. We have had trouble with weed control, especially dog bane, which herbicides won’t kill. We think cultivation will also increase our yield,” he said. The Hesses raise their own com for the hog operation. “But with last year’s drought, we needed to buy com and sell die hogs for 35 cents a pound. That’s tough, but the farms' is the eternal optimist,” John said with a smile. “I have a really good working relationship with my dad. He is open-minded, listens to my ideas, and isn’t afraid to let me try them,” John said. He especially enjoys growing tobacco and now plants eight acres of it. During the winter months, father and son work on fixing up machin ery. Two years ago, they built a shop for their mechanical and painting jobs. “It’s a good thing we enjoy fix ing up old equipment because we can’t afford new,” John’s dad said. Recently, they fixed up the 1959 Edsel convertible that John’s jss Jly Including Napoleon y ig lemade ice cream. Seated are parents Sue and John with children Elizabeth and John. father had as a teen, and a Farmall Manheim Central High School, is H tractor. following her brother’s example John and his dad both partici- by competing in FFA speaking pated in FFA during their high competitions. Recently, she placed school years and find the training third in the county speaking beneficial in managing the farm, contest. As a lifetime alumni FFA mem ber, John has earned his American Farmer Degree, has been vice pies- u ident of the Eastern Region, a state s3* FFA officer, and won many spfcak- ftu4 ing contests culminating in first she g, place during 1 the, state prepared teachers public speaking contest in 1988. forced hn He has shown champion and dent and ht reserve champion steers at the studies. Manheim Farm Show and was The Hesses, president of the Manheim FFA are a strong 4-H Chapter. parents met eack “I wasn’t outgoing until I was in 4-H. FFA,” John said. “Public speaking “I like being brou t did not come naturally for me. It farm. It conveys a woi was something I really practiced.” the way that I’d like to He attributes his success to two family some day,” John ‘Sr Hea "J h ‘ s dad melooking BLACK RASPBERRY JAM told made me compete in public affordable farm to buy in the 3 CUDS ra c n heiries nut thmnah speaking. I won first place in the so that John can live on his c fo^d^mWrc^^si^ first contest that I entered. It really farm. While they are looking f*. y/ 4 CUDS . boosted my confidence. After that, the farm, John is also making plans 1 box fruit nectin I couldn’t -get enough Of public to attend auctioneering school. Stir sucar intnfrnii anH w speaking,” John said. And. of course, he is making plans in V When he first entered FFA, there to win the next ice cream chum- u were only four students in the off. ‘ . pan. Bring to a full boil for 1 aHvknr <s«hcrt Here are the pnze-winmng m i„ ute stirring constantly. At I watched advisor Deb Seibert recipes for the ice cream and the stir mixture into fruit take a class of four and make it homemade jam. Cfl - , grow to the point foat they now ImmSSy ladle into contain mumpeopledownwhowant f Leave 'A -inch space on top. ? ® nter n°t" Sa,A wi l» spiUs. Cover with lids. She was behind me all to way f Let stand at room temperature for Airf Uan tsayeimughabouther. 24 hours. Store jam in freezer, Elizabeth, an FFA member at wmcsiead John’s mother works as a gui dance counselor at Manheim Cen tral High School. Her job, her son said, caused him some distress as a Shidcht atthßsame school, because she got a daily report from his teachers. But the close contact forced him to do his best as a stu dent and helped him to excel in his studies. The Hesses, according to John, are a strong 4-H family because his parents met each other through 4-H. “I like being brought up on the farm. It conveys a work ethic. It’s the way that I’d like to raise my family some day,” John said. He and his dad are looking for an affordable farm to buy in the area so that John can live on his own farm. While they are looking for the farm, John is also making plans to attend auctioneering school. And, of course, he is making plans to win the next ice cream chum off. Here are the prize-winning recipes for the ice cream and the homemade jam. rr£} c H/otfis RASPBERRY ICE CREAM 1 quart light cream or milk 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 cans evaporated milk l!4cups sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla, optional Skim milk, enough to half fill ice cream freezer 5 eggs 12i to 14-ounces black raspber ry jam ’ Heat milk, and sugar almost to boiling point; slowly add beaten eggs. Pour the mixture into the ice cream freezer. Add vanilla, con densed milk, and the light cream. Chum until ice cream is partially frozen. Add raspberry jam and fin ish churning.
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