Cook’s Question (Continued from Page Bt) ANSWER Kathryn Heberling, Falls Creek, wanted a recipe to make deep fried whole onions, sometimes called Texas Twisters or Onion Blossoms. Thanks to Mrs. Vere Woods, Edinboro, for sending a recipe that had been printed in hometown paper. Restaurants generally have a machine that turns an onion into a blossom with one push. But this - recipe tells you how to do it by using a cutting board and a sharp paring knife.. Cut one end off a large sweet onion, trim just the beard off the other end, leaving that part of the core, making it fiat enough so it will sit on a plate. Then peel off the skin. Turn the onion with the side that had the end cut off down on the cutting board so it will stay put when you make your cuts. You end up with the core side up. Very carefully take your knife and cut from the core down to the middle of the onion, sort of like slicing a pie. Make about 12 cuts, depending on the size of the onion. Turn it right side bp, and very carefully open up the petals. It should resemble a flower in full bloom. It it doesn’t open suffi ciently, put it into a bowl of cold water until it opens wide. Heat oil in a deep fryer or a heavy pan. Dip the onion blossom in seasoned flour. Suggested is sea soned salt, dash of garlic powder and a little cayenne pepper mixed into the flour, then dip into beer batter. Beer batter: 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 'A teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning 1 egg % teaspoon salt 1 cup beer 1 tablespoon melted butter Mix flour, salt, Old Bay seasoning, baking powder, egg, salt, beer, and butter. If you have a problem with the batter sticking to the onion, refrigerate the batter until for an hour or more. When oil reaches 375 degrees, carefully put the onion into the oil until the onion is completely covered. When it is golden brown, it is done, which varies. The onion petals should be a bit on the crunchy side. Remove the onion from the oil and place on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Turn it upside down so the grease runs out the center of the blossom. Place on a plate and serve with honey mustard sauce or a dip of your choice. Peel off the individual petals and dip into the sauce. This is a delicious appetizer with a lot of eye appeal. ANSWER —Pat Elllgson, Millers, Md., wanted a recipe for a cabbage §law that is combined with a yellow cooked dressing that is creamy. Marlene Heckman from Effort sejigs this one Cook 4 cups shredded cabbage half covered with water until done. While cabbage is cooking make dressing by mix ing together: 2 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1 egg Add: 3 tablespoons vinegar 'A cup evaporated milk, cream, or regular milk Salt and pepper to taste Mix some of the cooked cabbage in the dressing then pour all the dressing into the pot of cabbage and cook until thick ened. Stir constantly. Manufacturers of Dutch Country & Erth-Rite Natural Organic Fertilizers Symo-Llfe,lnc. »•«»•(«)»•« Xd _ PENNSYLVANIA PLANT CO] U] 3507 US 62 Rt. 1,60X102, Gap, PA 17527 Mlllersburg, Ohio 44654 717-442-4171 Onion Blossom - ~J Hot Slaw THE SYMO-LIFE OIL FERTILITY PROGRAM Has More To Offer • CSA Liquid Micro Nutrients All Gardens Great & Small York Co. Horticultural Agei Tom Becker Adding Topsoil To The Garden * All topsoil is not created equal. Purchasing topsoil that is dark, fertile, and friable may not cure all lawn or garden ills. In reality, there are no legal marketing stan dards for purchasing problem-free topsoil. Our Garden Soil often becomes the scapegoat for a multitude of lawn and garden difficulties. Comprised of primarily sand, silt, and clay mixed With varying amounts of organic matter, water and air, soil may differ greatly even over distances of just a few feet Topsoil, as the name implies, is the thin upper layer at the soil sur face. Topsoil is usually darker in color than the subsoil below it because of the addition of organic matter. Virgin topsoils generally range from zero to five inches thick or mote. A more functional definition of topsoil is the depth of soil that would ordinarily be mix ed in normal cultivation practices, in most cases six to eight inches. The word Loam refers to sever al soil textural classes. It refers to the relative amounts of sand, silt, and clay present m 3 soil. A loam ANSWER ,-flJhe Grpene Co. New York Dairy Princess wanted a coffee fudge. Thanks to Anna Martin, Denver, for sending a recipe. 2 cups sugar 1 cup coffee 2 tablespoons light Karo syrup V* -'A cup chopped English walnuts Over medium-low heat, dissolve sugar in coffee, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. When mixture begins to boil, add Karo syrup and allow to boil 15-20 minutes without stir ring. Test periodically by droppin a few drops in cold water. When this forms a soft ball that you can hold between your fin gers. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Cool 15-25 minutes. Mix with mixer until the candy becomes light tan and dull. Add nuts and pour into buttered pan. Cool and cut into squares. If candy becomes too stiff to pour into buttered pan, dig it out and pack it in. Cover and allow it to “ripen” for one to two weeks. Keep in cool place, this candy will keep for months. is technically a soil with 7 to 27% clay, 28 to SO% silt, and less than 52% sand. The term loam may be modified further to sandy loam, sandy clay loam, etc. As you can imagine, topsil var ies greatly across Pennsylvania soils range from heavy clay soils to sandy loams. Most often, the soil mistaken for clay actually contains a large amount of silt These soils may have a blue-gray color, extreme hardness, cracking, slow drainage, and difficulty in cultivation. Most of the purchased topsoil comes from local sources. Some times, the soil you obtain is not significantly different from soil already present on your property. Before purcashing topsoil, inspect its source. The soil should be free of trash, stones and other debris. Assess the soil’s texture. Unlike a soil’s fertility that can be increased by lime and fertilizer, a soil’s texture is not readily subject to change. To estimate the texture of a soil, moisten a small handful. Rub the soil gently between your thumb and forefinger. Use the following chart to determine the soil’s tex tural class. Coffee Fudge CALF KENNELS p, * lywoo^ Feed Bins, Horse, Sheep & Hog Shelters, Kennels With Door & Feeding Alley. Open Shelters. Made To Order. Truck & Trailer Beds & Side Racks Repaired EZ Calf Hutches, Horse Barns wATack Room Stored and Round Locust Posts • Fence Boards Delivery Available Baler Twine $19.50 JT STOLTZFUS WOODWORK Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 5, IW7-M 613 White Horse Rd. - Gap, PA 17527 717-442-8972 Loamy sand: Harsh, gritty feel; very slight tendency of the moist soil to stick together when pressed. Sandy loam: Gritty; may be pressed into a soft mass, if moist. Fine sandy loam: Mellow and only moderately gritty feel; may be pressed into a firm mass, if moist Loam: Mellow, moderately smooth feel; moist soil may be rolled into firm rods; not percepti ble sticky. Silty loam; Smooth and ‘floury’ feel; moist soil only slightly stick y; readiliy rolled into firm, slender rods. When buying topsoil, a precon ceived notion is the darker the soil, the better. While an increase in darkness is often associated with an increase in organic matter, soils which are very dark or gray ish may have been dredged from wetter or swampy areas. These soils are usually very finely tex tured, acidic, lacking in nutrients, and best avoided. Purchased topsoils may require lime, fertilizer or both. A soil test kit purchased at the Extension Office can determine the frequen cy necessary to fertilize your pre sent lawn and garden. A soil’s condition can greatly be improved by the addition of compost or organic matter. Aside from increasing and the nutrient and water holding capacity of the soil, organic matter also improves drainage and promotes aggrega tion of soil particles. As these tiny particles are bound together, a more granular, manageable struc ture results. Two or 3 inches or organic matter tilled to a depth of 6 to 8 inches is the usual recom mendation. Sources of organic matter include compost, peat, manure, leaf-mold, rotted saw dust, and cover crops. Although it is tempting to add sand to a ‘heavy’ soil, organic matter will ultimately give the best results. Any questions regarding the above article can be addressed to Tom Becker, Penn State Coopera tive Extension at (717) 840-7408.