BlB*Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Juna 13, 1998
Benefit Sale Offers Items
‘To Make A Memory’
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
Items to enhance family together
times will be auctioned to raise
money for Ephrata Mennonite
School on Friday, June 19-20.
It’s the 14th annual auction for
the school, which will offer plenty
of traditional benefit sale items in
addition to theme items.
A pig roast supper and ice cream
sundae bar will kick off the auction
on June 19, starting at 4:30 p.m.
The auction will begin at 6 p.m.
with certificates sold at 7:30 pan.
and Winross trucks at 8 p.m.
Saturday begins with a breakfast
buffet served from 6:30 a.m. to 9
a.m.
Auction begins at 9 a.m. and
will include certificates from local
businesses and restaurants to be
sold at 10:30 a.m. and again at 2:30
p.m.
Quilts and wallhangings are to
be sold at 1 p.m.
Some of the special items
include pedal tractors, play house.
Consuming
Thoughts
by
Fay Strickler
Penn Slate Extension Home
Economist For Berks Co.
When a fine summer after
noon makes everyone think
about going on a picnic, you
could find yourself organizing
one.
Never fear. Find the picnic
basket and the cooler, then
thumb through these warm
weather food care hints before
you head to the store.
When grocery shopping by
perishable products last. Be
sure to take them right home to
the refrigerator, or put them in a
portable ice chest or insulated
bag you’re taking on the picnic.
Never leave perishables in a hot
car while you run other errands.
For quick use, perishable
products can be kept in the
refrigerator for a few days. If the
store wrap on meat and poultry
is clean and not tom, leave it on.
Otherwise, rewrap products in
clean plastic or aluminum wrap.
Make sure the refrigerator is
cooling food to 40 degrees F. or
lower.
For longer storage, freeze
food. Wrap items tightly in
heavy freezer foil or bags. Make
sure your freezer registers 0
degrees F. or lower. Remember:
mayonnaise-based meat, poultry
and fish salads don’t freeze
well—nor do tomatoes and let
tuce.
Contrary to common practice,
it’s not safe to thaw meat and
poultry on the kitchen counter.
Bacteria can multiply danger
ously in the outer layers before
inner areas are thawed. Instead,
allow plenty of time for larger
cuts to thaw, take meat or poul
try out of the freezer and put it
on a refrigerator shelf a night or
two before you need it. Small
cuts will usually thaw in the
refrigerator over-night
But if the meat is still par
tially frozen when you’re ready
art work, air-tire tricycle, limited
edition H.O. scale train set with
local business cars, and hand
crafted wooden furniture.
Auction items related to the
theme will be sold beginning at 2
p.m. Some of these items include
games, sports equipment, camping
and picnic supplies and accesso
ries. certificates for family enter
tainment, and so forth.
Food, including barbecued
chicken, is available throughout
the auction.
The sale will be held at the
school located at 598 Stevens Rd.,
Ephrata. Take Route 272 North
from Ephrata to the light at
Schoeneck Rd. Turn left onto
Schoeneck Road, approximately
one half mile to the school on the
left, at the comer of Schoeneck and
Stevens roads.
For more information, call the
school at (717) 738-4266 or Aaron
Weaver at (717) 336-6042.
to leave, no problem. Just cook it
a bit longer at the picnic. And
cook everything thoroughly.
Hamburger patties, pork chops,
and ribs should be cooked until
all the pink is gone; poultry
until juices run clear. Fresh fish
should be cooked till it “flakes”
with a fork. Steak 9 If you like
your steak rare or medium-rare,
just remember that there is a
chance that some food poisoning
organisms can survive short
cooking times.
For safety sake, use a ther
mometer when cooking meats
and poultry and use the follow
ing recommendations:
Fresh ground beef, veal,
lamb, pork, 160°F; beef, veal
lamb-roasts, steaks, chops medi
um rare, 145°F; medium 160°F;
Well done, 170°F; fresh pork
roasts, steaks, chops, medium
160°F; well done, 170°F; ham,
cook before eating, 160°F; fully
cooked, to reheat, 140°F; poul
try, ground chicken, turkey,
165°F; whole chicken, turkey,
180°F; breasts, roasts, 170°F;
thighs and wings, cook until
juices run clear.
If there’s no water faucet
available, use disposable, wet
handiwipes to clean your hands
before working with food.
Keep bacteria on raw meat
and poultry from spreading.
Wash your hands again after
working with raw meat or poul
try and before handling other
food.
And use clean utensils and a
fresh serving plate to pick up
cooked meat and poultry. To pre
vent cross-contamination, don’t
re-use utensils, plates, or bowls.
For a relaxed, worry-free pic
nic, keep your perishable
foods—ham, potato or macaroni
salad in an ice packed cooler.
Let’s Make A Memory is the theme for the 14th annual Ephrata Mennonlte School
Benefit Auction to be held June 19-20. Picnic supplies and accessories will be auc
tioned to encourage families to make family times special and treasure the moments.
Here George and Eileen Heller with children Brlenna, 10; George, 8; Sabrina, 5; and
Paul, 3, are making a memory.
(Continued from Pago B 16)
four-square garden, and a biblical
herb garden.
“Give me enough time, and I’ll
have nothing left to mow,” Fred
joked at the many requests his wife
makes for additional flower beds
complete with curves and
indentations.
Of the many flower beds, Carol
said, “Weeding can be a pain in the
neck, but hob gardens are wonder
ful to work in. The aroma is won
derful and the colors so beautiful.”
The advantage of buying herbs
where someone knows something
about the plant are many.
Carol said that she always
insists on finding at least three
references in agreement when
researching plants.
“When it comes to herbs, you
can’t trust one authority. You can
look at three difference references
and find them conflicting,” she
said.
She can help customers select
the right plants to attract hum
mingbirds to gardens or butter
flies. She can help arranging hang
ing baskets with herbs.
According to Carol, scented
geraniums work as well as the
highly touted mosquito plant to
repel mosquitos and is less expen
sive. Tansy repels ants.
She knows the botanical names
of plants and encourages custom
ers to learn the correct name since
common names often vary from
area to area.
When customers browse herb
gardens, she encourages them to
brush against the leaves to smell
the aroma. Pinching off leaves and
nibbling on them is not a safe idea,
especially if gathering them along
roadsides where pesticides might
have been - sprayed or where
exhaust fumes contaminate plants.
The Herrs grow everything
organically.
Folklore has it that costmary or
Bible leaf was grown in which the
leaf was placed in Bibles, when
taken to church. If the service was
long, parishners stuck a leaf in
their mouth to nibble on to keep
them awake.
Herbs can grow in the house if
planted in full sun, but they need to
go through cold period in winter or
they will fizzle out
When using herbs in cooking,
Carol suggests using three times as
much fresh as that used when
dried. A dried herb is more con
Sassafras Farms
Numerous herb and flower beds are strategically placed
in the yard. A kitchen herb garden Is right off the kitchen
porch. Plans are in process for a dye garden, a German four
square garden, and a biblical herb garden.
centra ted because the water has
been evaporated from it
Sassafras Farms is located at
Route 222 south, one-half mile
past Penn Grant Rd. Turn right on
Fieldcrest Dr. The farm is two
tenths of a mile on the right at 633
Fieldcrest Drive. Hours in June are
Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7
p.m„ and on Saturday, 10 a.m. to S
p.m. During July, August and
September, hours are 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. on Friday and Saturday, or
call ahead to arrange an appoint
ment
Call (717) 464-1915 for more
information or to arrange herb and
gardening classes.
ROSE GERANIUM CREAM
A cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Several rose geranium leaves
4 ounces cream cheese
Mix cream, sugar, tod rose ger
anium leaves in a heavy pan. Heat
slowly until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and allow to
cool. Remove leaves and discard.
Combine cream mixture and
cream cheese. Beat with electric
mixer until all lumps are gone.
Chill. Serve over fruit
PINEAPPLE SHRUB
Heat one cup unsweetened
pineapple juice and one cup sugar
until sugar is dissolved. Add V* cup
basil vinegar. Pour V* cup syrup
over ice in a tall glass. Add V* cup
ginger ale. Stir and serve.
SWEET MARJORAM
CHICKEN
4 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves, cut into V* -inch
thick strips
A cup flour
'/ teaspoon coarse black pepper
/* cup butter
1 onion sliced
1 green pepper, thin sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8-ounce can crushed pineapple
with juice
V* cup ketchup
V* cup white wine
'A teaspoon dried thyme
'A teaspoon dried marjoram
4 cups cooked ripe
Mix flour and pepper in ziplock
bag. Add strips of chicken, a few at
a time, and shake to coat. Melt 2
tablespoons of butter in a large
skillet Add chicken strips to pan
saute until lightly browned.
Remove chicken from pan and
place in an BxB-inch baking dish.
To the pan that the chicken was
cooked in, add the remaining 2
tablespoons butter. Saute onion
and peppers until translucent Add
garlic and saute a few minutes lon
ger. Do not brown. Spread this
vegetable mixture over chicken.
In the same pan, stir together
pineapple, ketchup, wine, thyme,
and marjoram. Bring to a boil.
Pour over chicken. Cover baking
dish and bake in 350 degree oven
30 minutes. Serve over hot rice.