816-Lancaatar Farming, Saturday. Novambar 8, 1997 Fay Strlckler, extension home economist, shows how to fold napkins In a turkey form for the ThanksfllvlnQ table. Sandra Stief shows how to make a tree from wild vines. CONCR • Agricultural • Retaining Wal • Manure Pits • Footers LANCO CONCRETE WALLS, INC. CONTACT Steve, Petersheim, LANCO TE WA Commerc >vedVVoii(»,Quality Workm&^hti po bo; 56, Bird-In-Hand, PA 17505 LS, INC. L i V al • Residential • Bunker Silos • Slatted Floor Deep Pits • Flatwork (717)291-4585 ■ FAX (717)291-4686 Christmas (Continued from Pag* B 14) Walnut Torte 12 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 6 tablespoons flour 'A pound walnuts, ground fine Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add sugar gradual ly. Add the walnuts and flour and mix thoroughly. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whiles. Bake in three well-buttered 8-inch layer cake pans for 30 to 3S minutes in 3SO degree oven. Filling: 'A pound walnuts, ground fine 1 cup powdered sugar A cup sweet cream Mix well and spread between layers of cake. Frosting: Make your favorite recipe for white butter cream icing and frost top and sides of torte. Holiday Vines With Preserved Decorations Sandra Stief, master gardener, demonstrated making trees from wild vines. She used an upside down tomato cage covered with wire fencing to form a tree shape. Choose only live pliable vines no larger than V* -inch in diameter for the tree. Do not shorten the length of the vine, but cut off any side shoots. Save the thinner side shoots and vines for the top. Start wrapping the vines at the bottom of the fenced cage by securing the end inside one of the 1-inch fence openings. Wrap the vine tighly around the cage, being sure to avoid gaps between wraps. Secure .. ***??* * or *®**le •®ttlngs for Thanksgiving and for Christmas war© on display during th© Create Holiday Traditions’ offered at the Berks County Extension on Nov. 4-5. end of vine inside 1-inch fence opening. Continue to wrap vines around cage, working to die top. To finish off the top of the tree, insert four two-foot arches of vines across the top of the cage. Then finish by wrapping the vines around the arches. Check the tree for gaps and fill in with extra vines. Decorate with some of the following: ribbons, cinnamon sticks, dried fruit, rose hips, miniature lights, and Christ mas ornaments. Drying Fruits For Decoration “Drying times are affected by the size of the load, thickness of the sliced produce, humidity, temperature of your home, alti tude, the moisture content of the food itself, and how many trays are in use. Times may vary greatly from one area of the country to another, or even from day to day,” Stief said. Spread fruits in single layer. Usual drying temperature is 135 degrees. Apples: pare, core, and cut into 'A -inch rings, and dip in pretreat ment of sodium bisulfate or a com bination of ascorbic and citric acids to prevent discoloration. A dip into pineapple or lemon juice will often be all that is needed for satisfactory results. Dryness test finished when pliable. Time 4-15 hours. Oranges: Do not peel. Cut % -inch circles. Navel oranges work best Dry S-1S hours. Pantry Gifts For the person who enjoys cook ing, Debbie Weaver and Debbie Hartman, both master gardeners, share recipes and hints for prepar ing gourmet gifts and ideas for packaging the gifts. Here are some ideas: Cranberry Mustard 'A cup brown sugar 'A cup Dijon mustard V* cup fresh or frozen cranber ries, finely chopped 'A cup molasses Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for S minutes, stirring occasionally. Pack into hot sterilized jars. Wipe jars clean, adjust two-piece caps, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about IV4 cups. Can be used as a glaze for chicken, turkey, ham, or a sand wich spread. Pecan Praline Syrup 2 cups dark com syrup ‘A cup dark brown sugar % cup water VA cups pecan halves 'A teaspoon vanilla Combine syrup, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil one minute. Reduce heat; stir in pecans and vanilla; simmer 6 minutes. Ladle hot syrup into hot jars, leaving 'A -inch headspace. Wip jar mouths clean, and adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. Yield: 3 half pints. Good served on ice cream, pound cake, bread pudding, etc.