14-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 4, 2002
B
1 ask
% ou
This column is for read
ers who have questions but
don’t know who to ask for
answers.
“You Ask—You Answer”
is for non-cooking ques
tions. When a reader sends
in a question, it will be
printed in the paper. Read
ers who know the answer
are asked to respond by
mailing the answer, which
will then be printed in the
paper.
Questions and Answers
to this column should be
addressed to You Ask—You
Answer, Lancaster Farm
ing, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata,
PA 17522. Attention: Lou
Ann Good.
Or, you may e-mail ques
tions and answers to Igoo
d.eph@lnpnews.com
Please clarify what ques
tion you are answering
when responding.
Do not send a seif-ad
dressed, stamped envelope
for a reply. If we receive
the answer, we will publish
it as soon as possible.
Please include your phone
number because we some
times need to contact the
person to clarify details.
We will not publish your
phone number unless you
request it.
QUESTION - Another
reader requested informa
tion on getting rid of pesty
moles.
QUESTION - Kitty
Legge, Ulster, wants to
know if anyone has inform
ation on how to get a pen
pal from Scotland. Any age
is fine. She also wants to
know how to find informa
tion on her Cherokee Indi
an heritage. She does not
have a computer.
QUESTION - Simon
Renno, Mifflintown, pur
chased a grain cradle at a
sale. The piece is in good
condition, on the side is
printed: H.S. Walck Green
castle, PA. Renno wants to
know who is H.S. Walck,
what year the cradles were
made by that company, and
what year they stop using
them.
QUESTION - Linda Tyr
pin, Jonestown, wants to
know how to get rid of un
wanted peonies without
digging them out.
QUESTION - S.E.
Brown, Richland, read
somewhere that someone
makes baskets from old
phone books. She would
like to know the name and
address for the person or
organization that does this.
QUESTION - Sara
Stoltzfus, Cochranville, is
looking for someone to fix
the motors in her Niagara
massage recliner. Does
anyone know of anyone
who Is able to repair them?
QUESTION - Paul Cher
niski, Unionville, wants to
purchase an aluminum car
port from a manufacturer
and assemble it himself.
The carports he sees for
sale cost about $l,OOO, but
the salespeople do not
manufacture them. They
order them, sell them, and
install them to make a prof
it. He wants the name and
phone number of the manu
facturer.
QUESTION - E.G. Re
buck, Klingerstown, wants
to know where to purchase
rubber fingers for a chick
en plugger.
QUESTION - Krista
Schaible writes that a
Bucks County friend needs
information on how to get
rid of colonies of bats.
Their bam is literally in
fested with thousands of
bats.
QUESTION - Shirley Or
fanella, 1125 Slate Hill Rd.,
Quarryville, is looking for
an old wooden “spool” like
PPAL used for wire. She
would like to use it to make
a table.
QUESTION - L.Martin,
Bethel, wants a Tri-Star
vacuum sweeper or some
thing similar in good work
ing condition. If you have
one to sell at a reasonable
price, call her at (717)
933-8962.
QUESTION - Beth, no
last name or address given,
wants to know how to ster
ilize potting soil in the oven
before planting vegetable
seeds indoors.
QUESTION - Ella Eber
sol, 311 Newport Rd.,
Leola, PA 17540, will pay
for the following used
books in good condition:
“Easy Growth in Reading,
Looking Forward,” sth
reader, Winstone by Ger
trude Hildreth (can’t de
termine where the book
was printed), and “Around
the Comer,” a Ginn Basic
Reader by Ginn and Com
pany, copyrighted
1948-1953-1957-1961,
Phillippines copyright
1949.
QUESTION - Leon
Spory, 730 Roaring Run
Rd., Boswell, PA
15531-1946, wants seeds
for a pole bean called Lazy
wlfe. He believes it is one
of the best stringiess bean
he ever tried and Is a good
producer. He likes to plant
a few seeds with the field
com, which eliminates the
need for poles.
QUESTION - Margaret
Marshall, Rochester Mills,
wants the words to the
poem, ‘’Gossip the Barber,”
which she remembers was
in a prose and poetry high
school book in the 19405.
QUESTION - C. Faus,
Hegins, has some ques
tions about rhubarb stalks.
She writes that in the fall,
before frost kills the
leaves, she harvests rhu
barb stalks. The leaves will
not feed the roots after
they are killed by frost any
way. Some people say the
stalks and leaves have poi
son in them at the that time
of the year. Is this true? If
so, why don’t they have
poison in them when har
vested before June 21?
QUESTION - Nine-year
old Alvin Stoltzfus collects
business cards. He would
like if people would send a
few from their businesses
or a collection of one if
they no longer want it.
Send to Alvin Stoltzfus,
1195 Mondale Rd., Blrd-in-
Hand, PA 17505.
QUESTION - Mary Davis
is looking for simple goat
milk soap recipe that uses
ice cubes.
QUESTION - Ronald
Strawbridge, Brogue, wants
to know where to purchase
cast aluminum name
plates, cast on one side
only.
QUESTION - David Sim
pler, Elkton, Md., writes
that he used a product in
1972 call Purge-O-Matic
from Stewatt Chemicals to
clean soot from oil burners.
It worked great, but he
doesn’t know where to get
it now. He doesn’t want to
use soot sticks, he writes,
because it will eat the fur
nace.
ANSWER - M. Nolt, East
Earl, wanted to know
where she can purchase a
cast iron 12- or 14-inch
pizza pan similar to a Pizza
Hut pan. Thanks to V.
Stauffer for writing that
Weaver’s Store in Flve
pointviile sells the pans.
They work great, she
writes. She even sent her
favorite pizza crust recipe
to make in the pans. Look
for it in the Cook’s Ques
tion Comer on page 88.
ANSWER - Amos Kauff
man, 1860 Cambridge Rd.,
Honeybrook, PA 19344,
wanted a used Kitchen
Center Oster mixer for
parts. They are no longer
manufactured, and the
gears are worn in his. J.
Wine writes that her sister
had this same problem on
her Oster Center. RAN
Electric, Inc. of Mechanics
burg were able provide re
placement parts and gears.
Phone number is (717)
697-4283. RAN also has a
business in Wynnewood.
Phone (610) 642-3480.
ANSWER - Curtis Weav
er, 1396 Creek Rd., Car
lisle, PA 17013, has an En
terprise 2002 sausage
stuffer and wanted to know
where to buy a lard strainer
basket and plate to ftt in
side. Thanks to Wayne
Grube, Barneaville, who
recommends Weaver calls
Chop-Rite Two, Inc., 531
Old Skippack Rd., Haiiey
svllle, PA 19438. Phone
(800) 683-5858. The com
pany’s ad appeared in this
Some flowers tasty
as well as pretty
After I planted some
pansies last week, a
friend told me they are
edible. Can I really eat
them?
Yes, pansies are among a
number of edible flowers. The
colorful spring flowers can help
decorate cakes, add color to salad,
or float prettily in a punch bowl.
But as with herbs, vegetables,
and anything edible from your
garden, take a few precautions
before popping a flower in your
mouth. Be sure not to pick any
flowers that have been sprayed
with insecticides or other
pesticides. Stay away from any
flowers you've found growing
along a roadside—you don’t know
what they’ve been exposed to.
Pick flowers when fully
blossomed, at their peak, for the
fullest flavor. Experts say it’s best
to pick them early in the day, after
the dew has evaporated, then
refrigerate in plastic bags until
you're ready to use them. Before
using, rinse the flowers thoroughly
to be sure any soil and insects are
washed completely away. Remove
the stamens and pistils to avoid
consuming pollen and its off-flavor.
And, of course, be certain that
paper April 20 on page 5.
Qrube writes that he heard
Chop-Rite has acquired
some of the Enterprise pat
ents and have parts for
some of the company’s old
equipment. Qrube got
grinder parts from Chop-
Rite.
ANSWER - Lisa Ann
Deardorff wrote that a hand
pump has been on their
farm for at least 60 years.
It still pumps water; how
ever, the handle needs to
be pumped at least 10-15
times before the water
comes, and the handle will
not stay down. When push
ed down, it pops back up.
She wanted to know what
was wrong and how she
can fix it? Thanks to R.O.
Miller who recommends
she replace the lower cylin
der check valve leather.
Also in the deep well pump,
replace the check valve on
lower end of cylinder tail
pipe. Miller suggests the
sucker cup leather be re
placed and cheek the
leather when you have the
cylinder off.
JOIN M
"TH K
FIRM.
what you’re eating really is edible.
Some plants and flowers taste
terrible, and some are even toxic
know what you’re about to eat
before you eat it.
Plenty of reference books and
web sites are available that offer
detailed information. One site by
the Extension Service at North
Carolina State University has a list
of edible flowers as well as a link to
a list of poisonous plants. It's at
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/
hort/hil/hil-8513.htm1.
That said, you can eivfoy not
only the looks but the flavor of a
number of flowers, including;
• Lilacs. Vary widely in flavor.
• Daylilies. Some liken the flavor
to zucchini or asparagus. Too many
might have the effect of a laxative
or diuretic, so eat in moderation.
• Roses. Can be sweet or bitter.
Remove the white-colored base
because it's always bitter.
• Rose of Sharon. Often has a
mild, nutty flavor.
• Bee balm. Can have a citrus,
minty or sweet flavor. Can be used
to make tea, orma salad.
Chow Line is a service of The
Ohiq State University. Send
questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha
Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road,
Columbus, OH 43210-1044, or
filipic.3@osu.edu.
ANSWER - Mable Ham
ish wanted to know how to
keep deer from eating her
flowers. Thanks to Pat El
ligson, Millers, Md., who
writes that she read the
following remedy five years
ago and it has worked well
for her. Acquire a bag of
hair from a beauty shop,
cut the legs off an old pair
of parity hose and stuff a
good handful into the toe.
Place a stone in and then
another handful of hair. Re
peat until the stocking is
full. Tie a knot or use a
twist tie to close the stock
ing. Stretch several of
these around the edge of
your flower bed. You can
gradually push these hair
snakes under the greenery
as plants fill out. When you
water, be sure to wet the
hair too. She also places a
couple handfuls of hair in
old kneehfghs and ties
them loobely in the
branches/ of fruit trees.
This has Worked great for
her. (She has no luck In
tossing , a little hair around
because It blows away).