On Being a Farm Wife (and other hazards) Joyce Bupp It was not the most uplifting way to start a day. My pre-dawn breakfast read ing material was the weekly FAX message on dairy commodi ties pricing, which had come in the previous night. For about the tenth week in a row, cheese prices, basis for the nation’s milk pricing, had dropped. So on the morning news was that we were looking at, again, a several cent drop in every hundred pounds of milk we produce, on top of the $5 per hundredweight drop, which was already begin ning to work it’s way through the pricing system. Turning up next under the FAX papers was a stack of mail unopened from the day before. Containing several known bills and surely a couple of unbudget ed ones as well. And hanging over my head, that weekly dead line, preferably of upbeat and cheerful material. At 4:30 a.m. the correspon dence sprawled over the table did little to uplift or cheer the mood. Then I remembered that the church’s prayer list needed to be updated that morning. With several illnesses, injuries, and a death to add to our week ly list of folks in sickness and pain. A glance at the calendar to confirm the list date flashed a sudden thought: Thanksgiving was just a few days away. The reminder that falling prices and ongoing bills can be dealt with, but failing health is often beyond our human help jolted my gloominess to grati tude. And forced me to rethink things... a little more thankfully. Thankful for both the milk checks and those bills piled up on the stack, representing our continuance in what is an increasingly challenging way to earn a living. Farming. For financial institutions and busi nesses who work with farmers during both good times and bad. Thankful, for the basket of dirty clothes waiting to be laun dered. Because it means we are able to get out of bed. Stand up and walk. And to work. Life is not meaningful without some worthwhile purpose. Cows and newspaper deadlines provide purpose aplenty. Thankful, for the used break fast dishes and milk glasses waiting in the sink and the full bellies they represent (Too full for many of us!) For fresh milk and tasty meat, for broccoli and bananas, for the lingering Early Girl tomatoes hiding under row cover in the garden. For jars of homemade grape juice and jelly made from neigh bor John’s vines hung this sea son with abundant fruit. Not to mention for ice cream, dough nuts and chocolate. Thankful for gritty floors. For handfuls of gravel which gravi tate to the kitchen rug from small toy tractors and mini machinery. For refrigerator mag nets relocated to the dishwasher amidst grubby fingerprints, for forgotten small hats left behind on the table, for cookie crumbs and lost sippy-cup lids which turn up eventually while we Guild Holds Christmas Show LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) During the Holiday Craft Fair being held at the Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster on November 27 and 28, the Pa. Guild of Craftsmen will feature eight authentic craft demonstra tions including clay sculpting, wooden spoon carving, dollmak ing, carousel carving, jewelry making, paper embossing, theo rem painting and old-fashioned spinning. The public is invited to learn about these and other search for something else For having our grandchildren living a half-mile, instead of a conti nent, away Thankful for a family we can still call, visit, invite for dinner and share our lives with And for fond memories of those we can’t For cows which stomp our toes, knock down fences, come down with strange maladies, deliver calves in the middle of the night, visit the neighbors and then turn at milking and lick us in the face in greeting. Thankful for ringing phones which keep us informed and for message machines, which take those calls when we can’t. (Yes, we know you HATE to talk to machines.) For computers and calculators and mechanical aids galore. Thankful for used tractors which still run, for trucks which keep truckin’ despite flat-tire outbreaks, for the combine get ting past the harvest season without succumbing to a death wish. For patient parts people who help located needed auger bearings and hydraulic connec tors and head gaskets. For gifted mechanics with magical air wrenches and miracle socket sets. Thankful to be living in a free country where our citizenry takes freedom so much for granted that many can’t even be bothered to vote to help keep it that way. I asked one of our employees what he was thankful for. He replied that it was for “being here.” 6 Me, too. And for all the blessings and challenges which enrich our “being here.” Happy Thanksgiving! craft techniques and speak witn the actual craftspeople about their training. Unlike other craft shows, The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen are a non-profit orga nization whose purpose and intent is to promote, encourage and develop the crafts through educational opportunities, infor mation services, encouragement and fellowship. More informa tion on the Guild can be found at www.pennsylvaniacrafts.com. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 20, 1999-B9 Cook’s Question ANSWER Many of our readers are requesting recipes to bake in jars and other gift ideas. Here is one that Betty Gilroy, Nanjemsy, Md., requested. A special feature on gifts to make in the kitchen will appear in the Dec. 11 th issue. Thanks to Bob Rumer, Jenkintown, for sending this recipe. Gingerbread Baked In Jars 2% cups all-purpose flour y« cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda Vi teaspoon baking powder Va teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon % teaspoon ground doves 1 cup margarine, softened Va cup hot water 'A cup molasses Preheat oven to 325-degrees for jars. Grease five 12-ounce jelly jars—they must have straight sides, no bulges in the jars. Also, the jars must be sterilized by boiling them in hot water bath for 10 minutes, leave the lids and rings in the water until ready to use, remove the jars and allow them to air dry and cool before greasing. Use a pastry brush to grease jars with shortening. Do not use vegetable oil spray. in large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in margarine, water, and molasses until well blended. Divided equally into five jars. Place jars on a cookie sheet to prevent them from tip ping over. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted deep in center of each jar comes out clean. Have your lids ready hot Take one jar at a time from the oven (using heavy-duty mitts—the jars are hot) Place a lid and tighten with a ring. Allow to cool on counter top. You'll know when the jars have sealed, you'll hear a plinking sound. If you don’t hear the sound wait until the jars have cooled, then press down on the jar lids, they shouldn’t move at all. If you’d like to decorate the jars, wait until they've cooled completely. Remove the ring (the lids have sealed by now) and place a wad of cotton in center or each lid; place a piece of decorative cloth (about 3-inches larger in circumference than jar lid, cut with pinking shears over the cottom. Screw the ring back on. ANSWER Lois Ann Martin, Canandaigua, wanted a recipe to make Parmesan Pepper Chicken Wings. Thanks to Bob Rumer, Jenkintown, for sending a recipe. Garlic Pepper Parmesan Chicken Wings 2 pounds chicken wings (approximately 15) 3 heads garlic, separated into cloves and peeled 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided 10-15 drops tabasco sauce 1 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup Italian bread crumbs Place garlic, 1 cup oil and tabasco in food processor or blender. Process until smooth; pour into small bowl. Combine cheese, crumbs, and pepper in shallow dish. Dip wings in garlic mixture and roll in crumb mixture until thoroughly coated. Brush shallow, non-stick pan with remaining oil. Arrange wings in single layer. Drizzle remaining garlic mixture over wings. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake 45-60 minutes at 450 degrees until brown and crisp. (Continued from Page BS)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers