B.
!4-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 21,2003
Consuming
Thoughts
by
Fay Strickler
Penn State Extension
Home Economist for
Berks Co.
\
Fresh grapes are an age-old
snack food dating back to ancient
Greek and Roman times. They
have stood the test of time be
cause grapes are still one of
America’s favorite fresh snacks.
Grapes are great for between
meal snacking any time of the
Long, Cold, Hard Winter Takes Its
UNIVERSITY PARK, (Centre
Co.) It started in late October,
and was capped by a Presidents’
Day weekend blizzard that
dumped as much as three feet of
snow on most of the state.
The winter has taken its toll on
trees across the state, according
to a Penn State forest specialist.
“Trees have been under assault
this winter,” says Ranee Harmon,
extension associate in the forest
stewardship program.
“The weight of snow and ice
can cause branches and even the
main stems of trees to bend, twist
or break. The October storm was
especially damaging because the
leaves on many trees had not yet
29 Teams Compete In
Senior High Envirothon
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) The 2003 Lancaster County Sen
ior High Envirothon was conducted recently at the Lancaster County
Central Park.
Twelve high schools competed with 29 teams of up to five members
demonstrating knowledge of natural resources and environmental sci
ences. A special issue highlighted in the contest focused on “Farmland
Preservation and Conservation.”
Lancaster Mennonite High School won top honors placing firsf with
team members: Philip Shirk, Jen Garber, Jennifer Wenrich, Matt
Hartshorne, and Andrew Wagner. Chris Ochs, Agriculture Science
teacher advised the first place team along with a second team entry.
Conestoga Valley High School teams advised by Kerrie Snavely
placed second and third.
Lancaster Mennon
ite High School’s first
place team went on to
the State Envirothon
Contest held at the
Penn State Mont Alto
Campus. The team
proudly placed 18th
out of 66 teams.
Team members
tested their under
standing of forestry,
aquatics, soils, wildlife,
ecology and farmland
preservation. The
County event took
place with participa
tion and support from
Envirothon Partners
that included Lancas
ter County Conserva
tion District, Pennsyl
vania Department of
Environmental Protec
tion, USDA Natural
Resources Conserva
tion Service, and the
Pennsylvania Game
Commission.
Hershey Foods
along with PPL, Done
gal Trout Unlimited,
Synagro, and Severn
Trent Services pro
vided financial sup
port of the event. Wal-
Mart’s Good Works
Program and Pepper
idge Farm also pro
vided donations.
day. Tucked into a backpack or
picnic basket, bunches of grapes
are on-the-spot instant refresh
ment during an active day.
There’s no chopping or peeling,
and they are already bite size.
From the frosty-green Thomp
son seedless to the festive red
fallen, and the remaining leaves
provided additional surfaces for
snow and freezing rain to cling.”
Before assessing damage, it is
important to consider safety.
“Avoid venturing into a woodlot
on windy days after a storm,” he
says. “Be alert for large, leaning
trees and branches. Keep in mind
that hanging branches can be es
pecially hazardous.”
Due to greater exposure to the
weather, trees near roads or other
open areas often suffer more
damage than trees in the interior
of the forest, so the total damage
may look worse from a trail or
road than it actually is. “A good
CLOSED SUNDAYS, NEW YEAR,
J EASTER MONDAY, ASCENSION DAY,
WHIT MONDAY, OCT. 11, THANKSGIVING,
fUKIIHE CHRISTMAS & DECEMBER 26TH
FISHER FURNITURE
NEW AND USED FURNITURE
Antique & Collectables
BUS. HRS. BOX 57
MON.-THURS. 8-5 1129 GEORGETOWN RD.
FRI., 8-8, SAT. 8-12 BART,PA 17503
Emperor, table grapes are avail
able year-round from California
where 97 percent of the nations’
supply of table grapes are pro
duced.
Perhaps, best of all, grapes are
a satisfying snack food, especially
for dieters. Grapes are naturally
sweet, refreshingly juicy, and a
whole cupful contains a moderate
102 calories. Grapes supply nec
essary fiber and water which in
turn cause a “full” sensation.
They are also low in sodium,
making them a good choice for
many convalescent and restricted
diets.
To insure top-notch quality the
clusters are inspected and graded
to meet exacting standards.
When purchasing grapes, be
choosey. Table grapes are ripe
and ready to eat when shipped to
market. Look for bunches with
way to judge whether a tree will
survive storm damage is to look
at the upper branches,” Harmon
says. “If less than 50 percent of
the crown is damaged, the tree
has a good chance of survival.
But depending on the extent of
the damage, the tree’s growth
may slow down while it recov
ers.”
If between 50 percent and 75
percent of the crown is damaged,
Harmon explains, the tree may
survive. However, its wounds
may provide entryways later for
damaging insects and diseases,
especially if large tops or large
lower branches break, or if exten
sive areas of bark tear. If more
than 7,5 percent of thc cjown is
damaged, the tree has a low
chance of survival.
While storms do damage and
kill trees, most trees are resilient
well-colored, plump berries firm
ly attached to green pliable
stems. Avoid soft or wrinkled
grapes and those with bleached
area around the stem end.
Green grapes are sweetest and
best flavored when they’re yel
low-green in color, red varieties
when all of the berries are pre
dominantly red; and the blue
black varieties when grapes have
a full, rich color.
After purchase, fresh grapes
should be stored in the refrigera
tor where they will stay fresh for
several days. Just before serving,
wash grapes clusters under a gen
tle spray of water and drain or
pat dry. They are best when
served slightly chilled to enhance
texture and flavor.
Here is a tasty recipe for a
great do-ahead salad ideal for
potluck or buffet. It is from the
Toll On Region’s Trees
and survive even severe winter
weather. Storms are one way that
forests naturally thin themselves
with time, Harmon points out.
When storms and other natural
and human-caused processes
open holes in the forest canopy,
more sunlight is able to reach the
forest floor. The sunlight leads to
the growth of small trees, shrubs,
wildflowers and other plants near
the ground.
“Branches that fall to the
ground after storms provide ten
der twigs, buds and winter fruits
that are within reach of small
mammals, which in turn serve as
prey for predators such as foxes,
: tveasels and birds of prey,” Har
mon says. “Damaged areas of
trees often .lead to decay* which
jin time producescavilacs thatcan
(serve w home#, fpr;wood - ducks,
,(owJs,
chickadees, squirrels, raccoons,
California Table Grape Commis
sion:
Grape Souffle Salad
3 packages (3 ounces each)
lemon-flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2Vi cups cold water
I'A cups seedless grapes
1 orange, peeled, sectioned
1 apple, cored, diced
1 cup coarsely chopped wal
nuts
1 cup dairy sour cream
Dissolve gelatin in boiling
water. Add cold water, chill until
partially set. Pour 1 cups gelatin
into 3-quart mold. Chill. Add
sour cream to remaining gelatin,
whip with electric mixer until
fluffy. Chill until slightly thick
ened; fold in fruit and nuts; pour
into mold. Chill until firm.
Makes 8 servings.
bats, mice and many other ani
mals.”
Trees and large woody
branches that fall to the ground
provide cover, foraging habitat,
thermal protection and nesting
sites for salamanders and small
mammals. Hannon notes that 23
species of amphibians and reptil
es take refuge in decaying wood
in the northeastern United
States, including box turtles, sala
manders and snakes.
The Pennsylvania Forest Stew
ardship Program provides many
publications about Pennsylva
nia’s privately owned forestlands.
For a list of free publications, call
toll-free (800) 235-WISE or con
tact the Forest Stewardship Pro
gram, Forest Resources Exten
sion, The Pennsylvania, State
University, 7 Fejrguspp Bpjlding,
, University
mail RNRext@psu.edu.
Lancaster Farming
CAP $3.50* Each
Available At
Lancaster Farming.
1 East Main St., Ephrata, PA
PLUS Shipping & Handling $2.50
Add’t Cap and Shipping @ $4.00 Each
Phone 717-626-1164
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