Consuming Thoughts by Fay Strickler Penn Slate Extension Home Economist For Berks Co. Making Jams, Jellies and Preserves Anyone can successfully make jams, jellies, and preserves with a few simple pieces of equipment, reliable modern tested recipes and a little know-how. Basically these products are much alike; all of them are fruit preserved by sugar. Their indi vidual characteristics depend on the kind of fruit used, its prepar ation, the proportions of ingredi ents and the method of cooking. Use Four Essential Ingredients In Correct Proportion: LOST STREAM MAR The STREAM MAP OF PENN SYLVANIA was completed in 1965 after a thirty-year effort by Howard Higbee, a former Penn State Professor. The map is also known as the LOST STREAM MAP to some anglers. Professor Higbee succeeded in creating a map of the highest detail possible...a map that shows every stream and lake. He painstakingly plotted by hand, the location of 45,000 miles of streams onto a 3 x 5 foot map. The map sold extremely well - until it was lost several years later. Incredibly, the printer entrusted with the original drawing and printing plates declared bank ruptcy, then carelessly hauled Higbee's 30 years of work to a landfill. The few remaining dog-eared copies became a prized fisher man's possession. Professor Higbee was offered $4OO for one of his last maps. And state agencies were forced to keep their copies under lock and key. Experts told Professor Higbee that reprints were impossible, because the maps were printed in non-photographic blue. Then, in 1991, at the age of 91, Howard Higbee's dream came true. Computers made it possible to reprint the map. Holding an updated map, Howard said, "I never thought I'd live to see this day." • Fruit for flavor and pectin and acid required for successful gels. • Pectin helps the product gel. Most fruits have some natural pectin, others require additional pectin. It comes in two forms, liq uid and powdered. Most people prefer to add to low pectin fruits because it cuts down on cooking time and result in a fresher tast ing product. Added pectin prod ucts are also of more consistent quality. • Pectin should be stored in cool dry place and should not be 11 is estimated Dial 10% of all (he fishermen caleh 00% of (lie lish. Regardless of which group you fall into... (here's a sure way (o up your odds... simply (rv new fishing waters. Fish where few fishermen ever fish. (C&. A o/mot tybto* ® Professor I ligtx-c's Stream Maps arc the lirsl and only highly detailed maps of their kind... showing virtually all of the streams, rivers and lakes in each slide. RAVE REVIEWS ‘lt is amazingly detailed and names some creeks In the Mohawk Valley that can't even be found on topographic maps." John Pitarres OBSERVER-DISPATCH-Utica "If you're looking for the most definitive maps ever created depicting every single creek, river, stream, pond and lake then "Professor Higbee's Stream Maps" are without question the finest Howard Brant THE NEWARK STAB-LEDGER “It is in showing where to find out-of-the-way trout streams that makes the map such a treasure to the fisherman Joe Gorden TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT- Johnstown “The map is the most comprehensive charting of waterways we've ever run across " Dave Henderson THE ITHACA JOURNAL used after the expiration date on the package. It is possible to make jams and jellies without sugar. It can help dieters and persons on a low sugar diet add the luxury of jellied products to their meals. Keep in mind, how ever, it will not taste exactly like “grandma’s homemade jam.” Again, follow the recipes exactly as indicated with the gel forming product. Do not double the reci pe or alter the recipes, which might cause the product to be runny and not gel properly. • Acid is needed for flavor and gel formulation. Since acid con tent of fruits vary, some may not need additional acid. Lemon juice or citric acid are commonly used in making jellied products: • Sugar helps form gel forma tion, contributes to the flavor and serves as a preserving agent. It also has a firming effect on the fruit. Equipment And Containers Needed: • A large kettle for cooking the product is essential; eight or ten quart size with a flat bottom is best. Stan MAPS o( fmsjtaia, NewM,Nmteey ManlandMttare Why every fisherman needs these maps A guidebook is included FREE with each state map. It will pinpoint the“select waters" for specific species of fish in each state. Locate STREAMS and LAKES both alphabetically and geographically. ORDER YOUR COLOR STREAM MAPS' Available rolled or folded ALSO AVAILABLE in heavy gauge LIFE TIME GUARANTEED, glass-like dear-lamination, wnte-on wipe-off 1 surface, with brass eyelettes for easy hanging I PA-3 FT by 5 FT ROLLED map(s) postage paid al $23 75 ea I PA -3 FT by 5 FT FOLDED map(s) postage paid al $23 75 ea I PA 3FTby 5 FT LAMINATED map(s) poslage paid al $43 75 ea I NY 35FT by 4 SFT ROILED map(s) postage paid al $23 75 ea NY-3 5 FT by 4 5 FT FOLDED map(s) postage paid at $23 75 ea NY-3 5 FT by 4 5 FT LAMINATED map(s) postage paid al $43 75 ea NJ--2 5FTby 3 FT ROLLED map(s) postage paid at $lB 75 ea NJ 25FTby 3 FT FOLDED map(s) postage paid al $lB 75 ea NJ 25FT by 3 FT LAMINATED map(s) postage paid al $33 75 ea MD/DE-2 5FTby3 5 FT ROLLED map(s) postage paid al $lB 75 ea MD/DE-2 5FTby3 5 FT FOLDED map(s) postage paid al $lB 75 ea MD/DE-2 53 FT by 3 5 FT LAMINATED map(s) poslage paid al $33 75 I Check or money order enclosed $ SHIPPED PRIORITY MAIL I ROLLED AND LAMINATED MAPS SHIP IN A STURDY STORAGE TUBE I Name I Address City i LANCASTER FARMING , i Dept. Map , i 1 East Main St., P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522 , ' Payable: □ Check Enclosed □ Visa □ Mastercard □ Discover | Card # - - - I Exp Date FREE GUIDEBOOK! Stale Zip Signature • For jelly, a commercial jelly bag or several thickness of firm unbleached muslin will work best. • If you choose to make a jel lied product without adding commercial pectin a jelly, candy or deep fat thermometer will be helpful. • For processing jellied prod ucts you will need a large kettle with rack in the bottom, deep enough to hold jars with about one inch of water to cover jars. A boiling water bath canner is ideal. • One-half pint or one pint canning jars with two piece lids are recommended for jellied fruit products. Be sure jar tops are perfect with no chips or cracks on the sealing surface. The insert portions of two piece lids should be used only once and purchased new lids each year. Old lids tend to dry out and the sealing com pound can become ineffective. • Other useful equipment in cludes tongs, a wide mouth fun nel, long handled wooden spoon, measuring cups, a quart glass measure and a clock with a sec ond hand. Making And Storing Jellied Fruit Products; You will have the best results if you use recipes that accompa ny commercial pectin or from a reputable cookbook. Follow reci pes precisely: measure carefully and time the cooking time exact ly for best results. Pennsylvania State University food technolo gists recommend sterilizing jars for 15 minutes before filling and processing five minutes in a boil ing waterbath. Always carefully wipe sealing edge of jars before placing lids on them; this will in sure a tight seal. For best shelf-life, jellied prod ucts should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. No-cook products can also be made following recommended recipes. They can be stored for three weeks in the refrigerator or in the freezer for longer periods. Ready To Try It? Keep in mind the importance of proper equipment, a reliable recipe and processing in boiling waterbath and you can make perfect jellied fruit products for your family. To obtain compli mentary copies of Low Calorie Jams & Jellies and Let’s Pre serve Jelly, Jam, Spreads, send a self-address, stamped envelope to Jams & Jellies, Berks County Cooperative Extension, Berks County Ag Center, 1238 County Welfare Road, P.O. Box 520, Leesport, PA 19533-0520. Redwood Tree A Fossil? Why is a dawn redwood tree a living fos sil? The Metasequoia or Dawn Redwood tree is a cousin of the mammoth redwood trees that grow in California. Dawn redwoods are deciduous and coniferous. That means they shed their leaves, but at the same time, they’re conifers, or cone-bearing trees. Mil lions of years ago, dawn redwoods were com mon and they grew on several different con tinents. Eventually, the trees died off and until recently, scientists thought the dawn redwood tree was extinct. Why? Because they couldn’t find a living tree anywhere only fossil samples that were millions of years old. In 1941, a Chinese forester discovered a strange tree growing in a mountain village in China. He had never seen a tree like it be fore. The man sent samples from the tree to a scientist at Harvard University. The scientist concluded that the mystery tree was a dawn redwood. The tree wasn’t extinct after all! Because of this discovery, the dawn redwood was nicknamed the “liv ing fossil.” More samples were collected from the tree and seedlings, grown from those samples, were sent to arboretums (large parks where people study trees) all over the world. Today, dawn redwood trees are becoming more popular. Wouldn’t it be neat to buy a seedling at a nursery and plant it in your yard? You’d have your own living fossil. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers