814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 15, 1999
Early To Bed, Early To Rise Is April Cober
GAY BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
MEYERSDALE (Somerset
Co.) April Coberly, at age 17
isn’t even a farm kid, but if she
wasn’t in bed by 9:30 p m and
up again at 5:00 a.m., she would
never get everything done that
adds up to a super-busy, but very
productive schedule
Her 4-H projects are many.
They take a chunk of time for
the Meyersdale Area High
School junior now preparing for
a summer sojourn in Costa Rica
with the Spanish Club.
She has this habit, which oth
ers love, of never being able to
say “no,” when she is asked to do
something
You could say, as well, that
she cooks in three tongues -
English, Spanish and French
“My Spanish teacher thinks
that I am going to be the next
Martha Stewart,” she said,
laughing
It seems that when some
thing must be celebrated, April
is never afraid to tackle a tempt
ing concoction for the club’s fies
ta even if she never made it
before.
Her Creme Brulee, a French
custard, won the Desserts cate
gory last year at the county 4-H
April Coberiy is ready to Christen a new flower pot that
has a plastic drain piece to put in the bottom.
April and her mother Patricia Coberly share a love for gardening. Mrs. Coberly
says there is no place more suited than a garden for heart to heart talks. Nobody
else wants to pull the weeds so there are no intruders.
Foods Revue. The Club was
thrilled to hold the event at the
Oakhurst Tea Room. It was 4-H
members’ first experience hold
ing the event in a real restau
rant.
“I really like that,” April said
of Foods Revue, “because you get
to see kids from around the
county.”
April also makes the Spanish
counterpart called Flan
When April was 14, she and a
teammate did a winning pie
demonstration in a county con
test. They got to repeat the exer
cise at 4-H State Days.
En route to the bus connec
tion in Somerset, while Coberly
was holding the finished pie on
her lap that she was taking for
the competition, a mishap
occurred A dog ran onto uhe
highway The driver managed to
stop, but someone else wasn’t so
successful and the force of a
minor collision was sufficient to
smash the pretty pastry.
April and her teammate
courageously continued. At Penn
State they simply showed the 9-
mch disaster and explained
what had happened. One
delighted onlooker was more
than happy to take it home,
April said.
April Coberly is pictured with tulips about to bloom and a row of trees trans
planted from her grandfather’s woods.
She has adored posies ever
since she was quite small, even
the early spring dandelion, the
golden blossom most folks usual
ly take for granted.
The young woman is hooked
on horticulture. But then so is
her mother, Patricia Coberly, one
of two horticulture leaders in
the White Oak 4-H Club.
Mrs Coberly, carrying on a
family tradition is a devout gar
dener with a big plot in the back
yard where her two offspring
can be occupied pulling weeds.
When she was little, April
had a flower garden before she
knew about the ABCs.
“I always had fences out real
ly early,” she said. “After some
thing was planted, I checked
every day to see if it came up.”
At first she even plucked off
the blossoms on pumpkin and
squash vines That didn’t go on
long, naturally. She learned that
the flower could not be disturbed
if she wanted to see a vegetable
grow in its place
Last year, April did a horti
culture demonstration on spring
planting. After winning at 4-H
State Days, she pursued the
opportunity to attend the
National Junior Horticultural
Association Conference in
Memphis, Tennessee,
Many who were there were
college students.
“Thinking on the spot was the
worst,” she said, about questions
from the judges, who grilled her
about soil quality and other
technical information.
But she made a tiny cut in
the tough nasturtium seed to
encourage an earlier sprouting
of the plant, to illustrate a pro
cedure called scarification.
She also used the water soak
ing procedure for a field corn
variety that was covered with
pink poison to prevent diseases
and discourage mischievous
birds.
“Water soaking gives it a
head start,” she said. “You put
them in a jar of warm water and
allow' them to stand overnight
before planting.”
She also used a potato, peony
bulb, and a pine tree in the
demonstration.
At home, in the midst of her
own planting, April brought out
one of the new flower pots that
saves anyone with a green
thumb the worry of adding
drainage materials.
Even though April says you
should always put small rocks,
peat moss, or gravel in the bot
tom, pots on the market nowa
days come drainage-ready.
“The newer pots are equipped
to take care of this problem,” she
reported, showing the model she
was about to fill with potting
mix.
An interesting hint turned up
during the research Coberly did
for the project. Apparently, sty
rofoam packing peanuts will
also work in the drainage capac
ity
She knows a course of action
to follow if her planting effort
flops When the seed company is
reputable, call and report the
date and lot number stamped on
the packet A failure may result
from bad seeds instead of any
mistake the person made, she
said.
The green beans she raised
and canned certainly didn’t have
a problem. Instead, when she
entered them at Somerset
County Fair last year they
earned first prize. She won the
Ball award.
Applesauce, peach jam, and
pickles all passed under the
judge’s eye
Mrs Coberly has discovered
over the years that the family
garden is an ideal laboratory for
administering other therapy, as
well It’s the safest place in the
world for heart to heart talks
s Exercise
between mothers and daugh
ters.
“My mom and I used to have
our best talks in the garden,”
she reported, adding humorous
ly, “You always had privacy
because nobody was going to
come to the garden and (offer to)
pull weeds.”
April’s 4-H projects include
beef, swine, dog, rabbit and cat
as far as animals. Then there’s
photography, sewing, cooking, of
course, and plants.
Add track, chorus, drama
club, the Future Business
Leaders of America and presid
ing officer of her 4-H Club
April is the fulfilled young
woman you see
Billy Coberly is her dad and
Norman is her younger brother-
April shares the following
recipes.
Flan
4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Caramelize sugar in small
skillet until a .light brown syrup
forms. Spread on sides and bot
tom of six custard cups, immedi
ately. Scald milk in large
saucepan. Stir in eggs, sugar,
salt and vanilla, gradually.
Blend well. Pour into custard
cups. Set cups in pan of hot
water. Bake at 350 degrees for
30 minutes or until knife insert
ed in center, comes out clean
Loosen custards; invert Chill
before serving.
Creme Brulee
1 pint heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup light brown sugar
(packed)
Pour cream into top of double
boiler; cook, covered, over hot
water for five minutes, or until
just heated through. Remove
from heat. Add sugar, stir until
dissolved. Beat yolks well, beat
into cream Add vanilla; stir
well Pour into 8-mch square
glass baking dish, set in pan of
water Bake at 300 degrees for
50 minutes or until set Cool,
chill well. Sprinkle brown sugar
over custard. Broil 6-inches from
source of heat just until sugar is
melted Cool, refrigerate Tap
caramel to break before serving