812-Lancast»r Firming, Saturday, May 22,1993
Prince Is popular with children who come to Tracey’s Orchard. His favorite snack
is apples, of course, said Franklin County Apple Queen Heidi Martin.
Heidi Martin
Franklin County
BONNIE BRECHBILL
Franklin Co. Correspondent
GREENCASTLE (Franklin
Co.) Franklin County’s Apple
Queen finds fruit-growing to be a
family affair. A fifth-generation
member of the family who oper
ates Tracey’s Orchard, Heidi Mar
tin, 18, has been involved with
fruit all her life. She is the daugh
ter of Randy and Sandi Martin.
Her grandparents, Ralph and
Connie Tracey and their two sons,
Edwin and Denny, run the or
chard. Heidi’s mother, who is the
Traceys’ daughter, helps with the
bookkeeping. The daughters-in
law and grandchildren help as
needed. The orchard was original
ly purchased by I.C. Barr, Connie
Tracey’s grandfather, in the
19305.
Apples, peaches, pears, cher
ries, plums and nectarines grow on
86 acres. Some of the apples arc
wholesaled to Knouse Foods;
everything else is sold retail at the
sales shed from June through
Christmas. The operation includes
a 2,000-bushcl cold storage build
ing.
Heidi has helped to sell the fruit
ever since she was a child. She
now also works at Klein’s Gro
cery Store in nearby Shady Grove,
and enjoys waiting on many of the
same customers at both places.
A senior at Greencastle-Antrim
High School in the business curri
culum, Heidi is as yet undecided
about her future plans. She would
like to either go on to school or en
ter the secretarial Held. She is tak
ing a class on Lotus computer pro
gram basics because “the business
field is changing fast, and if you
don’t know what you’re doing,
you’re ancient,” she said.
No matter what she does after
high school, she plans to continue
her involvement at the orchard.
“This is my second home here,”
she said. “They always find some-
Growers
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Pennsylvania vegetable pro
ducers approved the referendum
to continue the Vegetable Market
ing and Research Program by a
vote of 374 to 246. The approval
ensures the continuation of the
program for the next five years.
An impartial teller committee
counted the ballots in Harrisburg
recently. A simple majority
among the state ; s vegetable pro
ducers who use one or more acres
of farmland or 1,000 square feet or
Reigns As
Apple Queen
thing for you to do.”
“We always enjoy having an
extra hand,” her grandmother add
ed. The grandparents lived in the
farmhouse across from the sales
shed until last January, when they
switched houses with Edwin and
his family.
Heidi is not the first in her fami
ly to wear the crown of apple roy
ally. Her cousin Brandi served as
1992 Apple Princess. The girls
had agreed years ago not to run
against each other in the pageant.
Brandi is older, so she ran last
year. Now both girls are encourag
ing Brandi’s younger sister Lori to
enter. Another cousin, Edwin’s
daughter Megan, 7, is already
talking about entering, according
to the family. Both Brandi and
Heidi were sponsored by their
grandparents in the apple queen
competition.
Heidi had been looking forward
to competing in an Apple Queen
pageant for several years.
“Ever since 1 was little, we al
ways got dressed up and went to
the Queen banquet it was the
thing to do,” she related. “The
contestants were always asked the
question, ‘What is your favorite
apple?’ and I would sit and think,
‘What will 1 say?”’
In preparing for the 1993
pageant, Heidi did more than de
cide upon her favorite apple; she
read up on the latest technology in
the industry, such as new spray
materials and storage techniques.
She has heard her grandfather and
uncles talking about the new tech
nique of taking oxygen out of the
apples to stop the ripening pro
cess, and decided to become in
formed about it. She visited the
Penn State Fruit Research facility
in Biglcrville to learn about it. Af
ter the removal of the oxygen, the
apples are stored in a carefully
Approve Referendum
more of greenhouse area to grow the Pennsylvania Agricultural
vegetables for sale in Pennsylva- Commodities Marketing Act
nia was needed for approval. (PACMA), the program has pro
state Agriculture Secretary vided more than $70,000 to sup-
Boyd E. Wolff accepted the port 36 research projects. The
results of the Teller Committee’s program has also reached more
ballot count. “Research to than 7 million people through its
improve productivity and promo- news releases and has created
lions to increase market share will point-of-purchase kits and matcr
continue under this program,” ials, the “Know Your Vegetables”
Wolff said. “Our producers still consumer brochure, and the “Pick
have a powerful tool in their 5. Get 10%” vegetable sale prom
comer." otion at 100 farm markets across
Since its creation in 1988 under the state.
controlled environment. Later,
oxygen is pumped back in to re
start the ripening process.
She also read up on Johnny Ap
pleseed, and will use some of what
she learned about him when
speaking to children. Johnny Ap
pleseed went west ahead of the
settlers planting apple trees so that
the fruit would be ready for the
immigrants to eat. A very reli
gious, simple man, he was also a
missionary to the Indians. “Al
most everyone had heard of him,”
Heidi said, “and there was never a
bad word said about him.”
Heidi will be speaking to a
Brownie troop later this month.
She will tell them about the many
different varieties of apples and
impress upon them that it is “fun
and interesting to have an apple as
a snack,” she said.
Heidi’s favorite apple recipe is
Fresh Apple Cake. “This is very
moist; the butterscotch and the ap
ples enhance each other,” She
said. Although Heidi makes this
recipe often, she asked her grand
mother to make it for her birthday.
“Grandma makes it the best,” she
explained.
FRESH APPLE CAKE
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
2'/i cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups Finely chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts
1 package butterscotch chips
Beat sugar and eggs together;
add oil. Sift dry ingredients. Add
apples and nuts. Mix all together.
Pour batter into greased and flour
ed 9” x 13” pan. Sprinkle butter
scotch chips over batter and bake
at 350* for 45 - 50 minutes. Can
also be made as muffins.
See your nearest
NEW HOLLAND’
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and
ENNSYLVANIA
AnnvUle, PA
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RDI, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Carlisle, PA
RAW Equipment Co.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
DavMsburg, PA
George N. Gross, Inc.
R.D. 2, Dover, PA
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown, PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc.
Rt. 283 - Rheem's Exit
717-367-1319
Halifax, PA
Sweigard Bros.
R.D. 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
Honey Brook, PA
Dependable Motor Co.
East Main Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honey Grove, PA
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682-
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
MARYLAND
Frederick, MD
Ceresville
Ford New Holland, Inc.
Rt. 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MD,
800-331-9122
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton, N.J.
Leslie G. Fogg, Inc.
Canton & Stow Creek
Landing Rd.
609-451-2727
609-935-5145
Woodstown, NJ
Owen Supply Co.
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308
Hughesvtlle, PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
New Holland, PA
A.B.C. Groff, Inc.
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
day, PA *
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 2
215-987-6257
Pitman, PA
Schrefller Equipment
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Quakertown, PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 1
215-536-1935
Tamaqua, PA
Charles S. Snyder, Inc.
R.D. 3
717-386-5945
West Grove. PA
S.G. Lewis & Son, Inc.
, R.D. 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
Washington, NJ
Smith Tractor &
Equip., Inc.
15 Hillcrest Ave.
201-689-7900