Anne Marie Histon serves her Sweet ’N Sour Lamb Cubes to Judges, from left are
Edith Miller, Barbara Mullen, and Karen Sowell.
Radden Takes Grand Prize In Maryland Lamb Cook Off
KAREN BUTLER
Maryland Correspondent
WEST FRIENDSHIP, Md.
Lamb shanks, lamb casserole, cur
ried lamb balls, sweet and sour
lamb cubes ... there was some
thing for every taste at the Mary
land Grand Lamb Cook-Off. And
three lucky judges had the envi
able job of selecting the champion
entree at the 13th annual contest
here recently. The mouth-water
ing challenge took place at the
Howard County fairgrounds here
in conjunction with the 25th
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festi
val.
After an invitation to submit
Lancaster County Delivers
The Goods To Philly’s
Downtown Farm Market
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
PHILADELPHIA—NestIed in
between 12th Street Cantina,
across from Giunta’s Pork and
Poultry, bordered by Salad
Express and just in back of Ama
zulu Handcrafted Jewelry ... is a
man who wears suspenders and
straw hat by the name of Benuel
Kauffman.
Kauffman operates a 50-foot
long fresh produce stand in the
“Lancaster County” section of the
Reading Terminal Market at 12th
and Arch Streets near the Philadel
phia Convention Center.
He provides a taste of Lancaster
County to the thousands of visitors
a week from one of the busiest sec
tions of downtown Philadelphia.
Kauffman, Christiana, was
working the stand, overflowing
with tomatoes and spinach, with
his wife, Emma, and son, Amos, 6,
on the day Lancaster Farming
stopped by.
Kauffman also has help from*
daughters Mima, IS, Elizabeth, 21,
and two other sons, Daniel, 20 and
Jonathan, 16.
Reading Terminal Market is
home to about 10 separate farm
families featuring treats that Lan
caster County is known for.
“My busiest time of year is July,
when I have peaches, com, blueb
erries, squash,” said Kauffman. A
few weeks ago he was selling
bright red greenhouse tomatoes.
Other produce during the season is
purchased regularly from Leola
Produce Auction in Leola and the
Kirkwood Produce Auction in
their favorite recipes using a mini
mum of one pound of any cut of
American lamb, seven finalists
were selected this year to prepare
their dishes in front of the public
on stoves set up in the food build
ing. The cooking area was roped
off. but the aroma of lamb wafted
through the building and even out
side, drawing throngs of people
who had come to attend the festi
val. Samples of each dish were
made available to the public.
Stoves were in use as early as
8:30 in the morning as each con
testant began preparing his or her
entry. Cooking times were stag
gered so each dish would be ready
Kirkwood.
Kauffman’s driver, Ernest Col
well, New Castle, Del., said that
early in July, the stand sells “loads
of com,” about 5,000 ears a week.
One weekend stood out in Kauff
man’s memory 4,200 ears sold
to happy customers in three days.
Colwell, who has been driving
Kauffman from Lancaster County
for about five years, leaves his
home about 4 a.m. and arrives at
Kauffman’s house at S. He then
travels with the Kauffman family
to arrive at the Reading Terminal
Market about 6:20 a.m., readying
the stand to open officially at 8.
Colwell said, “The people here
are real nice. That makes it
worthwhile.”
Colwell noted that on
weekends, particularly Friday and
Saturday, the stand business can
vary—but is generally busy. Col
well said he often brings wife Joy
ce on Saturdays.
Colwell drives a 5-ton IC-2
truck. It's not refrigerated but
does carry a refrigerator for perish
able items.
Kauffman operates the stand
from Wednesday through Satur
day from April to New Year’s.
Homestead
Notes
to serve at the time designated by
the judges.
And the winner was ... Mon
golian Lamb and Scallions served
with Lamb Stuffed Dim Sum
Dumplings, accompanied by
homemade hot sauce and dipping
sauce. If you think that’s a mouth
ful, you might like to try a bite of
this wonderful dish created by
Timothy J. Radden of Stow, Ohio.
Radden says his prize-winning
recipe was adapted from research
he has done in Oriental cooking.
“There are a lot of onions, mush
rooms, stuff you’d find on the trail
going from one area to another.
And the dumpling recipe, that was
Amos Kauffman, 6, son of Emma and Ben Kauffman, Christiana, checks out the
fresh greenhouse tomatoes at the Reading Terminal Market. Photo by Andy Andrew*
“It’s a fun thing,” said Colwell
as he was preparing spinach for
sales on opening day to the stand
recently, “It’s not really a job. I
have fun meeting and talking to
people.”
Produce is not the only thing on
the sales counter at the bustling
Reading Terminal Market
Alvin Beiler, Gordonvillc, oper
ates Beiler’s Bakery, which adver-
Maryland Lamb and Wool Princess Megan Rynarzewski
presents first place honors In the Lamb Cook Off to Timothy
J. Radden of Ohio.
one I just kind of dreamed up.” he
said modestly.
Radden, an elementary school
art teacher, says he enjoys the
“latnby” taste associated with the
meat. “I like cooking with lamb,”
he said, “A lot of people think
they don’t like it But if you know
how to prepare it everyone will
love it” He says cooking the meat
over fire will remove some of the
trademark flavor, but says he him
self likes that flavor.
This was the second year Rad
den entered the Grand Lamb
Cook-Off. He said he comes to the
Sheep and Wool Festival each
year because his wife, Karla Kel-
tises its homemade sticky buns and
dinner rolls “made right here” on a
big sign above the lamps. The bak
ery is open four days a week from
Wednesday through Saturday at
the market.
The stand is one of the longest
running at the market, open now
19 years. Alvin has worked the
stand for 13 years, once operated
by Esh Egg Farms. Working
behind the stand on the day of the
Lancaster Farming visit were
Emma Stoltzfiis, Linda Stoltzfus,
and Lavina Stoltzfus.
“Fresh killed chicken” is bright
ly advertised at Diemmer’s Lan
caster County stand. The stand, in
operation for 20 years, is open
Wednesday through Saturday all
year around. Woiking the stand
recently were Sam Diemmer,
lenbcrgcr, is a spinner and enters
items in the spinning classes at the
festival. Last year he took home a
fifth-place prize for a lamb recipe
he adapted from his grandmo
ther’s recipe. “I decided last year
as I was cleaning up what I would
make for this year’s recipe,” he
said.
In addition to Radden, other
placings for the Maryland Grand
Lamb Cook-Off were as follows:
2. Dawn Carrier: Lamp Chop
Packages; 3. Anne Marie Histon:
Sweet ’N Sout Lamb Cubes; 4.
Colleen Histon: Lamb Casserole;
S. Esther Blum: Ground Lamb
(Turn to Pag* B 14) ,
Roger Blank, and Linda Fisher.
The Diemmer’s live in Narvon.
Next to Diemmer’s is Lancaster
County Dairy. Juices and Drinks.
The popular stand is known for its
fresh, homemade lemonade and
orange juice, grapefruit, and other
products, including raw goat milk.
At the counter helping customers
was John King.
Sam Esh operates the Dutch
Eating Place, which advertises
homemade hot soups, chicken pot
pie, real mashed potatoes, and
fresh-cut fries. The stand operates
Wednesday through Saturday ail
year long. Helping at the stand
were Barbie Stoltzfus and Priscilla
Zook.
Esh noted that a big part of the
(Turn to Pago B 3)