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.
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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.