84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 12, 1992
On being
a farm wife
mf
Joyce Bupp '*".•
-And other
hazards
Farm wives have traditionally
“worn many hats.”
Wife, mother, cook, maid,
nurse, chaeuffer, gardener, truck
driver, lawn mower, milker,
young-stock raiser, vet assistant,
accountant, cowboy (cowgirl?),
marketer, go-fer (go ’fer this and
go ’fer that), equipment operator,
computer operator (a newer hat)
etc, etc.
We’ve added another “hat” to
our personal collection: chicken
doorman.
I never set out purposely to
become a chicken doorman. It
wasn’t like I crawled out of bed
one morning and announced,
“Today I’m going to work as a
chicken doorman.” No one plans
that kind of job.
But, see, our one lone remaining
hen is amazingly spry and spright
ly despite her age of several years,
a testimony perhaps to the benefits
of scratching for a living in the
country. And, being the sole reci
pient of the attentions of our three
roosters (a male-female ratio way
out of whack, it was inevitable that
she would once again hatch a batch
of fluffy chicks.
Some of you may recall that,
despite the wisdom that usually
comes with age, this hen is not the
brightest bird in the neighborhood.
This time she nested in the middle
of the front hay mow, empty when
she began but now stuffed with a
couple of tons of baled alfalfa.
Pushover for pets that he is, The
Farmer moved her to the side and
stacked bales protectively around
her.
A few days later, a half-dozen
fluffy yellow, brown and black
balls were spotted running around
the bam floor. Our mother cats
took out a couple of the chicks and
I rescued and returned one that fell
through a hay hole before the old
hen finally settled on a safer haven
for the surviving three.
She’s claimed a spacious comer
pen in “pallet city,” temporary
quarters for our seasonal overflow
of calves. Wooden pallets fastened
against the sides of the roofed
wagon shed make comfortable
pens for the baby calf overflow.
Mother Hen herded her trio
through a comer crack between
•two pallet walls, past the resident
calf and settled up under the old
floor of the grain storage along the
shed’s side. A choice spot. Fairly
safe from cats and from the foxes,
while dry, warm and soft with bed
ding sawdust.
Except that the calf inside took
note of the crack between the pal
lets and was halfway up the road
before being retrieved. The comer
gap between the wooden walls was
quickly tightened.
Two days later, amazed that the
chicks were still there, I realized
that the chicken family was impris
oned and “re-cracked” the cor
ner a big. Momemnts later, our
feathered family was outside, the
mother clucking, chattering and
creating a noisy fuss as her babies
scratched for tidbits.
“Stuck in there all this time by
these overgrown two-legged mon
sters!” she seemed to be grum
bling. “How’s a mother to tend to
her family? Over here’s some tasty
com and pieces of grain. Stop your
fighting over that fly. Share!
“Here, you can get a drink where
this bucket overflowed. Junior,
stop pecking your sister!”
I exited the scolding in a
‘fowl’ mood to go retrieve the
escaping calf.
Before long, the family was
back in the shed, hunting a way
back into their favorite comer. I
Honey Queen Represents Beekeepers
MOUNTVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Amy Spahn, 1992 Penn
sylvania Honey Queen, knows all
about bee keeping and cooking
with honey. She has three beehives
near her home in Exton and loves
honey.
Amy, the daughter of Carol and
Don Spahn, is completing her third
year of the physical therapy pro
gram at Philadelphia College of
Pharmacy and Science.
As the Honey Queen, Amy
promotes honey and beekeeping
throughout the slate. She is avail
able for speaking engagements. In
January 1993, Amy will compete
at the American Honey Queen
contest held m Kansas City, Mis
souri.
For a brochure containing
Amy’s favorite recipes and hints
for cooking with honey, send a
self-addressed stamped busincss
si/.cd envelope to Becky Fisher
Gerhart, Honey Queen chairper
son, Pa. State Beekeepers’ Associ
ation, 66 S. Manor St., Mountville,
PA 17554.
Here arc some recipes from the
brochure.
HONEY BUTTER SPREAD
'A cup honey
1 cup butter
Keep ingredients at room temp
erature for several hours to soften.
Mix together with electric mixer.
Serve on English muffins, toast,
walllcs, or biscuits.
HONEY LEMON ICE CUBES
'A cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups hot water
Blend together and pour into ice
trays. Frcc/.c. Serve in your favo
rite beverage a perfect addition
to ice tea or lemonade.
propped the pallets just far enough
apart to allow the hen to slip
through, and hoped the calf
wouldn’t notice the opening. It did.
After two days of this chicken
doorman bit, I tied the tops of the
pallets together, fastened a feed
bag over the upper part of the
opening and wedged the bottom
apart. The calf would find its exit
visually blocked at her eye level,
while the feathered family could
ome and go at theirs.
This chicken is dumb like a fox
—probably why she’s still around.
I may take this job and stuff it.
Bread filling would be
appropriate.
GOOD FOOD OUTLET STORES
See Our Original Line Of Golden Barrel Products Plus All Kinds
Of Beans, Candies, Dried Fruit, Snack Mixes, Etc. At Reduced Prices
* CORN SYRUP
* PANCAKE SYRUP
* PURE MAPLE SYRUP
* SORGHUM SYRUP
* TABLE SYRUP
* COCONUT OIL
* CORN OIL
* COTTONSEED OIL
* PEANUT OIL
* VEGETABLE OIL
* CANOLA OIL
* HIGH FRUCTOSE
SYRUPS
* LIQUID OR DRY
SUGAR
Processors Of Syrups, Molatses.
Funnel Cake Mix, Pancake
& Waffle Mix ft Shoofly Pie Mix
GOOD FOOD OUTLET
Located At Good Food, Inc.
W. Main St., Box 160, Honey Brook, PA 19344
215-273-3776 1-800-327-4406
Located At L & S Sweeteners
388 E. Main St. Leola, PA 17540
717-656-3486 1-800-633-2676
- WE UPS DAILY -
.nnsylvanla Honey ieen Amy Spahn promotes bee
keeping and the use of honey.
OVKN-FRIED CHICKEN
WITH HONEY BUTTER
SAUCE
1 whole trying chicken, cut up
'/« cup lemon juice
A cup butter
'/• cup honey
Seasoned bread crumbs
Wash and pat dry chicken. Melt
butter, add honey and lemon juice
and heal to near boiling. Dip chick
en into honey mixture. Then into
seasoned bread crumbs, and place
in pan, skin side up. Bake at 350
degrees for one hour or until skin is
lightly browned.
If your local stoic
does not have it,
SEND FOR
FREE
BROCHURE
BEES IN THE
HERB GARDEN DIP
1 pint dairy sour cream
6 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
V* km spoon salt
'A teaspoon white pepper f
2 to i spoons rosemary
1 teaspoon each chervil and ’
basil
2 tablespoons undiluted orange
juice
2 teaspoons cream-style
horseradish
'/ teaspoon garlic powder
Combine all ingredients; mix
well lulligcralc, covered, several
hours to'blcnd flavors. Stir before
usiny Makes about I'A cups. Use
as a i p and a dressing.
SPECIALS FOR THE
MONTH OF SEPTEMBER
GOLDEN BARREL BLACKSTRAP
1 Gallon - Regularly $5.59
now $4.99
LIGHT CORN SYRUP
32 oz. Comparable To Kero
Regularly $1.99
now $1.49
GOLDEN BARREL CORN OIL
V 4 Gallon
Regularly f 53.19
now $2.69
* BAKING
MOLASSES
* BARBADOS
MOLASSES
* BLACK STRAP
MOLASSES
* HONEY
* PEANUT BUTTER
* FUNNEL CAKE MIX
* SHOOFLY PIE MIXES
* OLIVE OIL
* PANCAKE & WAFFLE
MIX