82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 21,2002
This photograph shows the richness of Chester County’s agriculture. According to Joyce Hershey, who co-edited the cookbook, the purpose
Commodity groups worked with the Chester County Agricultural Devel- of the cookbook is to show countians that agriculture is the backbone of
opment Council to publish a cookbook showcasing the variety of fruits the county, and the best way to keep open spaces and fields is to keep
and vegetables grown in the county. Commodities include mushrooms, farming successful.
dairy, eggs, grains, meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, herbs, fruit, and wine.
(Showcases (yfiester (bounty *3Sounty
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
COCHRANVILLE (Chester
Co.) Cookbooks are published
for many different reasons, but
the recently released “Bounty of
Chester County, Heritage Edi
tion,” is intended to help keep
agriculture thriving in Chester
County.
“Agriculture is the backbone of
our county. People move here be
cause they like the green open
spaces and fields, but sometimes
they don’t like the smells and in
convenience of farm machinery
on the road. We want to educate
people, to show them how agri
culture commodities have made
the county what it is. The best
way to keep the open spaces and
fields is to keep farming success
ful,” said Joyce Hershey, who co
edited the cookbook.
County commissioners had ap
proached Joyce, who had pub
lished a cookbook in 1983, with
the need for a new cookbook.
Betty Collins, a retired home eco
nomics teacher and gourmet
cook, served as co-editor.
“We were a good mix because
we are diverse,” Hershey said.
“I’m of Pennsylvania Dutch de
scent and an ‘early’ farm wife.
Betty is of Italian descent and a
gourmet cook.”
Betty did not want to have just
ordinary recipes in the cookbook,
but Joyce knew that many resi
dents like the old recipes. The
cookbook blends preserved fami
ly recipes from the diverse ethnic
groups who settled in the area
and contemporary recipes that
reflect the sociological climate of
the county.
Recipes featured are those
from outstanding cooks, fine area
restaurants such as the Terrace
Restaurant at Longwood Gar
dens’, and well-known residents
such as Joyce’s husband Penn
sylvania State Representative Art
Hershey.
Joyce said decisions were not
always easy. For example, a reci
pe passed down through her fam
ily for pig stomach was unusual
in that it called for oysters, and
was served for holiday dinners.
When the recipes were sent to the
publishing house, editors called
askance that a recipe for pig
stomach was included.
Joyce insisted that the recipe
needed to be included because it
was typical ethnic Pennsylvania
Dutch fare.
“At least change the name,”
Joyce was instructed.
Joyce’s mother told her that
pig stomach had previously been
called Dutch Goose a name
much more receptive to those un
familiar with pig stomach.
The cookbook is suitable for a
coffee table book because it in
cludes many photographs of his
torical importance and interest
ing history.
Jane Davidson, county histori
cal preservation officer, compiled
the historic accounts including
original receipts of barrels of
flour deposited during the Revo
lutionary War and the French
and Indian War. The county’s
Historical Society provided pho
tographs of many of the area’s
former grist mills and harvesting.
About the quest to help people
understand agriculture’s impor
tance, consider this excerpt from
the cookbook: As you drive
through Chester County in the
fall and spring, those bright
green fields are wheat—winter
wheat. Winter wheat has been a
staple of the county since its
settlement. Fall is the time to
sow winter wheat, which is har
vested the following summer.
The harvest rush is typically
the week after the 4th of July,
as trucks brimming with wheat
line up for blocks at the mills.
“If it will cover a rabbit by
Thanksgiving, you’ll have a
good crop, ” has been the saying
for years among farmers in this
rich land. Winter wheat is a
tough crop, able to withstand
prolonged spells of dry weath
er. It is also a good “cash”
crop for Chester County farm
ers....
The cookbook is unusual in
that it is divided into chapters
highlighting each commodity in
the order of its importance. For
example, mushrooms are the
counties largest commodity.
Therefore recipes using white
mushrooms appear in the first
chapter, and recipes using exotic
varieties appear in the second
chapter.
Commodity groups helped fi
nance the cookbook by sponsor
ing a chapter. In addition to
mushrooms, other commodities
include dairy, eggs, grains, meat,
fish, poultry, vegetables, herbs,
fruit, and wine.
Consumer science classes at
Downingtown High School tested
many of the recipes.
Perhaps the most welcomed
comment by those reviewing the
cookbook is one made by Joyce’s
husband, State Representative
Art Hershey, who read the book
while Joyce was away for the
afternoon. When she returned
home, he greeted her with these
words: “I read the whole book,
and I’m hungry.”
Profits from the cookbook are
used to fund programs sponsored
by Chester County Agricultural
Development Council, including
scholarships to a high school sen
ior pursuing an ag-related degree
and one for a local teacher to at
tend the annual Ag ttU&e Class
room workshop at Penn State.
Each year an award will also be
presented to a Farmer of the
Year and to a public figure for
distinguished service to agricul
ture.
Since its publication, the cook
book has been named a Mid-At
lantic regional winner in the Ta
basco Company’s Community
Cookbook Award. The award
recognized the cookbook for fea
turing a wonderfully diverse reci
pes celebrating 300 years of farm
ing and agricultural heritage, and
for its interesting narrative and
selection of historical photo
graphs.
For a copy of the “Bounty of
Chester County, Heritage Edi
tion,” send a check for $26.4S
plus $3 for shipping and han
dling payable to CCADC
Cookbook/Heritage Edition. In
clude your name, complete ad
dress, and phone number and
mail to CCADC/Heritage Cook
book, Government Services Cen
ter, Suite 270, 601 Westtown Rd.,
Box 2747, West Chester, PA
19382.
Here are a few recipes from the
cookbook. Don’t forget to check
out B 6 for some mushroom reci
pes from the cookbook.
Art Hershey’s Barbecue Sauce
This barbecue sauce can be
served at a pig roast or mixed
with roast pork for pork barbe
cue sandwiches. When roasting
a pig, we prepare five gallons
of bread stuffing for the pig.
The 200-pound pig is stuffed
and put into a charcoal-fired
oven for 12-14 hours.
Art Hershey
State Representative
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 cups boiling water
10-ounce bottle ketchup
(T urn to Page B 3)