Family Living Focus by Nancy Wlker Lancaster Co. Extension Agent Jams, Jelly, Family Traditions I spent last weekend visiting with my family. My parents and my sister. Sue and her family, live in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania in my hometown, Montrose. As usual there were more things to do and talk about than time allows, but we get in as much as possible before I had to leave for the three-hour trip home to Lancaster. We shopped, hiked, talked, and ate. Dad commented that nearly all the food for dinner came out of their freezer or was home canned by Mom. The only thing not home preserved was fresh aspar agus from the garden. As long as I can remember, we have had a The STREAM MAP OF OHIO resembles another map-known to Pennsylvania anglers as the “Lost Stream Map.” The “Stream Map of Pennsylvania” was completed in 1965 after a 30 year effort by Howard Higbee, a former Penn State Professor 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 by 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 bankruptcy, then carelessly hauled Higbee's 30 years of work to the landfill. The few remaining dog-eared copies became a prized fisherman'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. The experts had always 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, 1 never thought I’d live to see this day.” Then, by combining Professor Higbee’s knowledge with computer technology - the STREAM MAP OF OHIO was created. garden and my parents either canned or froze any garden ex cess for the winter. Of course, our favorites included the jams and jellies we made. Over the week end we were comparing notes about which ones were the best and how jelly making has changed. We always had strawberry and raspberry jam made from berries in the garden and blackberries from the woods. We also made currant-raspberry jelly since we had a red currant bush (a piece off Grandma Hallstead’s currant bush from the farm). This tangy jelly is still one of my favorites. And, the currants are easy to pick. Stream Maps of Pennsylvania, New York New England, New Jersey, Ohio, & Maryland/Delaware The First and Only Highly Detailed Hap of Its Kind The 3-foot-by-5-foot color map shows virtually all of the 45,000 miles of Pennsylvania streams plus lakes The 3 I/2-foot-by-4 I/2-foot color map shows virtually all of the 65,000 miles of New York streams plus- lakes The 3-foot-by-4-foot color map shows virtually all of the 36,000 miles of New England streams plus lakes The 2 l/2-foot-by-3-foot color map shows virtually all of the 8,300 miles of New Jersey streams plus lakes The 3- foot-by-3-foot color map shows virtually all of the 29,000 miles of Ohio streams plus lakes The 2-foot-by-3 1/2-foot color map shows virtually all of the 12,000 miles of Maryland/Delaware streams plus lakes Explorers’ Gu with Each M Pinpoint the best fishing in PA, NY, NE, NJ, Ol MD/DE with these valuable guides. Easily lot streams and lakes shown on the Stn Map both alphabetically and geographia Your map and guidebook will take you the select fishing watei RAVE REVIEWS “It 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 STAR-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 Gordon, TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT, Johnstown The blackberry patches were full of pickers. Protected with our jeans and long-sleeved shirts, we walked to back on the hill to find the juiciest blackberries. Dad made each of us buckets by at taching a wire handle to a coffee can. He would tie his bucket to his belt so he could pick with both hands. In no time his bucket was full. Mom, on the other hand, picked slower, but she “looked over” each berry before she put it in the bucket so there are no stray leaves, bugs, or dam aged berries in the lot. My bucket filled slower, because I did a lot of sampling. Even as kids we helped make the jams and jellies. Mom re cycled small glass jars from mus tard, olives, maraschino cherries, and cheese spreads to use for jelly and jam. I don’t think pint mason jars were available in those days, at least I never recall seeing any. We filled all the jars and covered the top with paraffin wax. Mom had a small iron skil let she used to melt the paraffin. I liked to open the jars of jam by pushing on one side of the wax seal and watch it pop off. We washed the wax disk and put it back in the little skillet to use next year. Sometimes we would Get Ready for Fishing Season! FR I ! ORDER YOUR COLOR STREAM MAPS I Available rolled or folded. ALSO AVAILABLE in heavy gauge LIFETIME | GUARANTEED, glass-like dear-lamination, write-on wipe-off surface, j with brass eyelets for easy hanging PRICES INCLUDE PRIORITY MAIL State Stream Map ROLLED FOLDED PA 3FTby 5 FT $25.95 _ $25.95 NY 3.5 FT by 4.5 FT _ $25.95 $25 95 NE 3FTby 4 FT $25.95 $25 95 NJ 2.5 FT by 3FT _ $25.95 $25 95 OH 3FTby 3 FT _ $25.95 _ $25.95 MD/DE 2FT by 3.5 FT $25.95 $25.95 Check or money order enclosed $ i Each map includes the FREE Explorers’ Guide to Hidden Streams & Lakes j Each rolled and laminated map shipped in a sturdy storage tube i Name i Address I City Slate Zip_ I MAH TO LANCASTER FARMING | Dept. Map j 1 East Main St., P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522 j Payable □ Check Enclosed J Visa □ Mastercard □ Discover i Card # i Exp Date Signature find some mold under the wax seal, and then the jam was thrown away. Jam-making techniques have come a long way since my days living at home. The recycled mustard and olive jars have been replaced by 4 ounces and half pint mason jars. Instead of the paraffin seal, we use two-piece canning lids and process ail jams and jellies in a boiling water bath. Today we also know that mold growth may not be as harmless as it was believed in the past. USDA and Cooperative Extension en dorse processing all jams and jel lies and soft spreads in a boiling water bath to keep the potential for mold spoilage as small as pos sible. Some molds growing on fruit products made at home have been shown to produce “mycotoxins” or mold poisons. The danger to humans from con suming mycotoxins, from moldy jars of jams is not clear, although one mycotoxin, patulin, has been shown to be carcinogenic in ani mals. Paraffin or wax sealing of jars is no longer considered an ac ceptable choice for any sweet spread. Any pinholes, shrinkage or cracks in the wax paraffin LAMINATED $4595 $45.95 _ $45.95 _ $45.95 _ $45.95 $45.95 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10, 2003-B5 allow airborne molds to contami nate and grow on the product. In addition, leaks or holes in the paraffin can allow product to seep out during storage and once on the surface, it will provide nu trients for molds to grow on the surface and enter into the jam or jelly in the jar. In order to get the highest quality, least health and safety risks and the lowest chance of losing product, use standard can ning jars, with self-sealing flat metal lids and screw bands, fill hot jars with hot product and process in a boiling water bath at least S minutes. Today Mom makes many more frozen jams. We especially like the frozen cherry made from sour cherries we picked last sum mer. These jams are sweeter than the cooked jams but have more of the fresh fruit flavors. Although the techniques of food preservation have changed since I was growing up in Mon trose, the family traditions of making jams and jellies have re mained the same. My children and I have been making jam and jellies for our family and friends since they were small. It is some thing we do together and that makes it special.
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