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.
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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
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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.