820-Lancuter Fanning, Saturday, May 22, 1998 Family Living Focus Bucks Co. Extension Agent Kay Hastings KAY HASTINGS Delicious jam on your morning toast need not be omitted when controlling your sugar intake. Fresh or unsweetened frozen fruits can be used with artificial sweeteners to produce jams and jellies as good as any you’ll find on the supermarket shelf. Dietetic jams and jellies must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. They contain no added sugar, which serves as a preser vative as well as a sweetening agent. The natural color and fla vor of diet jams and jellies are best maintained if they are frozen, leave at least 1/2 inch headspace m container before freezing. They’ll keep several months in the freezer, but only 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. JAMS Preparing fruit: To prepare fruit for jam, sort and wash fully-ripe fruit Remove any stems, caps or pits. Peel fruits like peaches and apricots Crush the fruit. Method of thickening: Dietetic jams or jellies may be thickened by adding pectin or gelatin or by concentrating the mixture using the long-boil method. Cooking: When using pectin, the method of combining ingre dients varies with the form of pectin used. Powdered pectin is mixed with the unheated crushed fruit. Liquid pectin. is added to the cooked fruit and sweetener mixture immediately after it is removed from the heat Gelatin is softened in cold water prior to combining with fruit Jams thickened with pectin or gelatin are cooked for one minute at a full boil The full boil stage is reached when bub bles form over the entire surface of the mixture. Jams made without an added thickener require a longer cook ing period This method involves concentrating the fruit until it reaches the desired consistency. Cook the mixture to a tempera ture of 221°. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook products until they reach desired thick ness. Allow for some additional thickening as the product cools Berry And Bees Club The club’s last meeting was April 13. Three people came in to talk. One was Betsy Smith, a master gardener. Mary Shenk spoke to the club about Arbor Day. Nelson Potter talked to the club about tree planting and Jams made without sugar are thinner than those made with sugar. Jams contain fruit pulp or pieces of fruit, which tend to stick to the kettle during cook ing. Constant stirring to prevent scorching is necessary. Strawberry Jam with Pectin (Makes 2 2/3 cups) 1 quart cleaned strawberries 3-4 teaspoons liquid artificial sweetener 1 3/4-ounce package pow dered fruit pectin 1 tablespoon lemon juice Crush strawberries in 1 1 /2 quart saucepan. Stir in artificial sweetener, powdered fruit pectin and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Continue to stir 2 minutes. Pour into freezer containers, cover and freeze. Thaw before serving. Store in refrigerator after opening. 1 tablespoon=s calories Strawberry Jam with Gelatin (makes 1 pint) 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water 3 cups strawberries, crushed 1 1/2 tablespoons liquid sweetener 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid powder Soften gelatin in cold water. Combine strawberries and sweetener in a saucepan. Place over high heal and stir constant ly until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat, add softened gelatin. Return to heat and con tinue to cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; blend in ascorbic acid powder, ladle into clean jars, seal Store in refrigerator or freezer. 1 tablespoon=s calories Strawberry Jam (Long-boil Method) 4 cups crushed strawberries 8 tablespoons liquid sweetener Place strawberries and sweetener in a saucepan. Bring to full boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 221°F Fill containers, seal and process in boiling water bath 5 minutes. 1 tablespoon=lo calories. Reduced sugar jams and jel lies will have a slightly different texture than jams and jellies using traditional recipes. 4-H HAPPENINGS compost. The club members will help at the Beekeepers stand at the York Fair. Club members picked up strawberry plants they ordered. The next club meeting is Tuesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at the 4-H Center. f^JIHAPPENINGS Hoofs In Clover Model Horse Club Hoofs in Clover Model Horse 4-H Club met on March 2. After discussing a few things, the members made racing saddles and blankets for their Breyer horses. The members have sta- ble colors and even made up their own unique brands. Born To Show Dairy Club A meeting of the Born to Show Dairy Club was conducted March 13. The club discussed upcoming 4-H activities: 4-H Awareness Week March and 4-H teen night. New officers are president, Ben Hibbard; vice president, Ray Woods; secretary, Hilary Gesford; treasurer, Shana Mack; historian, Justin Garner, and callers, Amanda Hoover and Sara Oliver. Hoard’s Dairyman judging contest was completed. New 4-H Quilting Club Forms The Nimble Thimble 4-H Club will conduct its first meet «ll Allis mill scrips U We start by giving you four versatile models to choose from the 70 PTO hp 8745, 85 PTO hp 8765, 95 PTO hp 8775 and 110 PTO hp 8785 They all combine sophisticated technology and design with something no other tractor has That's the heritage of Allis Chalmers, a name that goes back nearly 100 years And, thanks to our history of innovation, look what we can offer • The good looks and visibility of sleek, low profile styling • Clean-burning AGCO Allis 4-cylmder and 6-cylmder, liquid-cooled diesels • Transmission options for simpler, smoother operation • Advanced hydraulics and electronic 3-pomt hitch Come in for a test drive, details on our unbeatable 4-year, 4,000-hour warranty and a closer look at the AGCO Allis 8700 Series tractors After that, the choice will be easy SEE YOUR DEALER TODAY! MANOR MOTORS On Rte. 553 Penn Run, Pa. 724-254-4753 HERNLEY’S FARM EQUIP., INC. Elizabethtown, Pa 717-367-8867 ing, April 24 at the home of Genevieve Corwin, 6 Hinds Street, Montrose, from 10 a.m. until noon. This new club is planning to meet every second and fourth Saturday and is open to any interested youth 8-18 years of age. Parents/guardians are encouraged to attend all meetings, and will be required to attend the first meeting to complete enrollment forms. The Nimble Thimbles have already received contributions of materials and supplies from Chitra Publications, the “Lathrop Street Kids,” members of the Crazy Country Quilters Club, and the Small Folk Quilters 4-H Club of Wyoming County. Anyone interested in know ing more about this opportunity may call Genevieve Corwin at (717) 278-2800 or Joanne Bledsoe at (717) 278-3131. Locust Hill 4-H Club The March 23 meeting was conducted in the home of leader We Have A History Of Making Your job Easier. NICHOLS FARM EQUIP. Bloomsburg, Pa, 570-784-7731 B.H.M. FARM EQUIP. INC. Annville, Pa. 717-867-2211 B. EQUIP., INC. Waynesboro, Pa, 717-762-3193 Sue Colwell. President Greg Colwell opened the meeting at 7 p.m. Under old business the club discussed community projects. Colwell will contact the appro priate person about assisting in the Caring Cafe which offers free meals to the community and finding a date for this. She will also contact the Newman’s Cemetery caretaker about help ing with spring cleanup and get the date for this. Under new business the club discussed fund-raisers. They decided to have a bake sale at the People’s National Bank, Hallstead on May 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Other discussion included merchandise catalog sales but no decision was made. Colwell is going to look into the Red Cross Safety Course as a possible club event. It will depend on the cost and person nel available. The officers will begin meeting separately at the end of the evening at the next meeting this will be to discuss responsibilities as well as to work on the officer’s books. Kenny Krug, game leader, had members write as many compound words as they could in five minutes time. Winner was Mike Keiser with 16 words. • HOPS platform or roomy climate-controlled cabs with convenient controls • A choice of 2WD or AWD with a front wheel steering angle as tight as 55° on AWD models • Independent PTO with 540 and 1000 rpm GRUMELLI HOLTRY’S FARM SERVICE EQUIPMENT Quarryville, Pa Roxbury, Pa. 717-786-7318 717-532-7261 WERTZ FARM & POWER EQUIPMENT, INC PA Rt. 516, Glen Rock, Pa. 717-235-0111 BUILDING ON TRADITION C.J. WONSIDLER BROS. Quakertown, Pa. 215-536-7523 New Tripoli, Pa. 215-767-7611 Oley, Pa. 215-987-6257
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers