812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 29, 2003
Illuminating miniature gourds results In a spectacular
vine of lights as demonstrated by Jane Yocum, left, and
Ginger Pryor.
Light Up The Holidays
(Continued from Page B 2)
Gravel or stones
Greenery (fern fronds, ivy
vines, autumn leaves, ever
greens)
Tea lights or small votive can
dles
Select size and shape of con
tainer desired for finished lan
tern.
Choose a second, smaller con
tainer (a plastic beverage works
well). Use scissors to cut off top
of smaller container. Make this
container about the same height
as the larger container. Set aside.
Fill the large container with
water to a depth of approxi
mately one inch. Place a'few
stems of greenery in water. Place
the container in freezer until
solid. Make sure it is setting level.
Set the smaller container on
the frozen water. Place gravel or
small stones in the smaller con
tainer to anchor it to the bottom.
Arrange greenery around the
container. Fill the container with
water and place in freezer. You
may find it helpful to float ice
cubes on top of the water to hold
the greenery under water, but it’s
not necessary to do so.
Unmold the ice lantern with
cool or lukewarm water. Remove
the stones from the inner con
tainer, fill it with lukewarm
water, and allow to set a few
minutes. The small container
should slide out with a gentle tug.
Turn the large container up
side down in the sink and run
lukewarm water over it. The lan
tern should slide out. Store the
lantern in the freezer until
needed.
When desired, remove the lan
tern from freezer and set a small
tea light or votive candle inside.
VINE OF LIGHTS
Small, ornamental gourds
Small Mexican luffa gourds
Basin with water
Metal kitchen scrub pad
Clear spray lacquer or clear
acrylic varnish
Brown floral tape
Floral wire
Strand of 10 lights, CS or C 7
patio lights
Dried leaves
Pencil
Sharp kitchen knife with ser
rated blade
Keyhold or hobby saw
Power drill with assorted drill
bits, V/s2 or 7'/«6-inch
Soak the small gourds in warm
water for up to IS minutes, then
scrub off any mold and dirt with
the metal scrub pad. Allow
gourds to dry.
Estimate the diameter of a
light bulb and socket on the light
strand. Select a drill bit that is
the same or slightly larger size
than the diameter of the bulb and
socket to check fit. If using larger
light bulbs, a sharp kitchen knife
with a serrated blade can be used
to make the hold.
Using the IVil-inch drill bit,
drill a hole on either side of the
hole you drilled earlier.
Use a variety of drill bit sizes
to drill additional holes in the
gourd. The number of holes cre
ated will determine the amount
of light the gourd emits. Shake
out the small seeds from the
gourds. Save them for next year’s
crop.
Spray the drilled ornamental
gourds with lacquer or acrylic
varnish. Allow to dry.
Crack the thin shells of the
luffa gourds and peel them to ex
pose the fibrous interior. Set
aside. Cut out interior fiber so
light bulb will fit into gourd.
Starting at the plug end of the
light strand, wrap the strand with
brown floral tape. Stop wrapping
just before the first light socket.
Thread a short length of floral
wire through the tiny holes at the
top of each gourd. Insert a bulb
and socket in the top hole of each
gourd. Secure the gourd to the
strand, twisting the ends of the
floral wire together. Continue
wrapping with floral tape. Using
floral tape, cover the twisted ends
of wire. Tape leaves to light
strand.
Slip luffa gourds over the light
bulbs along the strand. Alternate
luffa gourds and the drilled orna
mental gourds along the light
strand as desired.
Pennsylvania Christmas Show Opens Wednesday, Dec. 3
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The 20th Annual Pennsyl
vania Christmas and Gift Show
will' be open from Wednesday,
Dec. 3 to Sunday, Dec. 7 at the
Farm Show Complex in Harris
burg.
The event is reportedly one of
the largest Christmas Shows on
the East Coast. Over 700 exhibit
booths laden with Christmas gifts
are available to shoppers.
Exhibitors, crafters, and ven
&ni4Sk
'moil
This column is for read
ers who have questions but
don’t know whom 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
LQOOD.EPHQLNPNEW-
S.COM
Please clarify what ques
tion you are answering
when responding.
Do not send a self-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. However, if your
question requires someone
to mail items to you, you
must include your address
or phone number for pub
lishing.
QUESTION - Christian
Sautter has an old cast-iron
pot belly stove with a crack
on the top piece. He asks if
it is possible to make a
sand mold of the original
piece and cast a new re
placement. Is there anyone
who reconditions old cast
iron stoves?
QUESTION - A Lancas
ter County reader wants to
know where to find parts
for a Signature sewing ma
chine or where to have it
repaired.
QUESTION Roseanne
Sharon, Rocky Mountain, N.
C., wants to know how to
grow garlic.
QUESTION - Miriam
Seller, 238 Cardinal Drive,
Quarryville, PA, 17566, is
looking for a used 4-quart
Mirro dough kneader. State
condition and price.
QUESTION - John K.
Kauffman, 2824 Cambridge
Road, Honey Brook, PA
19344, would like to buy a
dors have all been working fever
ishly to have their special gifts
and one-of-a-kind items ready for
all who come to shop. Some of
the many thousands of gift ideas
include arts and crafts, clothing,
jewelry, leather goods, toys, flow
ers, tree ornaments, stocking
staffers, hand-crafted furniture,
and much, much more. Many
things are hard-to-find gift items
that just can’t be purchased any
where else.
used but in good condition
set of Author Maxwell
“Bible Friends" books.
State condition and price.
QUESTION - A reader
wants to know if there is
any place in Lancaster
County to get machine
smocking done. If the gath
ering is done for her, she
would do the embroidery
on the front. Does someone
have or know someone who
has a machine?
QUESTION - Mary
Houser want an address for
the Jee Spice Co.
QUESTION - K. Garber
' is looking for the metal
containers used on a cream
separator made by the Na
tional Dairy Machine Co.,
No. 6, Newark, N. J. The
first patent date was 1895.
Call (717) 464-2894.
QUESTION - Leßoy
Serventi, Croydon, wants to
know of salvage yards with
a large selection of coal
shakers to use with his
Lenon coal stoker.
QUESTION - Anna Nolt,
196 Wanner Rd., Ephrata,
PA 17522, wants to buy a
used Golden book, “The
Three Little Kittens.”
QUESTION - Barbara
Hess, Shoemakersville,
wants to know where to
buy replacement parts for a
Squeeze strainer used to
make juice. The strainer
was manufactured by B&B
Manufacturing Co.,
McKeesport.
QUESTION - George
Rousis Sr., Bally, wants to
know where to buy
4,000-5,000 staples to use
in a Swingline staple gun.
QUESTION - George
Cornell, 517 Cornell Rd.,
Blairsville, PA 15717,
writes that he closed down
the family’s 44-head dairy
several years ago. He has a
500 gallon Dari Kool farm
tank that was in working
condition, stanchions,
water cups, and cow mats.
Cornell would like to know
the value of these items
and how to sell them.
QUESTION - Carol
Smith, New Alexandria,
would like to know where
to find pilgrim and Ameri
can Indian boy and girl
stampers.
QUESTION - K. Twiss
needs a set of rules for the
board game Backgammon.
Send to her at 11630 Flor
Shoppers can take a break to
see the 100-foot train display
sponsored by the Reading Com
pany Technical and Historical
Society. They put together a plat
form with three to five sets of
trains running simultaneously.
To give home decorating ideas,
the show offers many decorated
Christmas trees all with differ
ent themes. Continuous daily
Craft Demonstrations and Cook
ing Clinics take place throughout
ence Hill Rd., Camden, NY
13316.
QUESTION - Bob Silver
man, Annville, wants to lo
cate a company or individu
al who would dismantle "an
old stone farmhouse on a
Lebanon County property.
QUESTION - A Maryland
reader wants to know
where to find a man’s black
and red corduroy hat with
ear flaps that tie on the
top.
QUESTION - A Mechan
icsburg reader wants to
buy a milk bottle that was
distributed by the former
O.H. Frey Dairy, Hanover.
Call him at (717) 697-1366.
QUESTION - An Ephrata
reader wants to know how
to kill moss growing on an
old wood shingle roof, and
how to keep from regrow
ing.
QUESTION - Amos G.
Miller, 43 W. Eby Rd.,
Leola, PA 17540, wants to
buy a handcranked fodder
shredder that was made in
the early 1900 s. He prefers
one that is in working con
dition or at least repairable.
QUESTION - Fred
Lappe, Southold, N.Y.,
wants to know if anyone
has a good picture or paint
ing of a young man plowing
with seven mules or seven
horses.
QUESTION - Lynn
Rossi, Lititz, wants to know
where to have a copper pot
polished. She doesn’t want
to do it herself.
QUESTION - Hannah
Coles, Bridgeton, N.J.,
wants to know where to
purchase citron for can
ning.
QUESTION - Wilson
Qorrell, Forest Hill, Md., is
trying to find information
on s single wheel, manual
push-type garden seeder
and where to buy the metal
seed plates (especially for
lima beans). No Indentiflca
tion plate can be seen and
the planter Is estimated to
be 40-50 years old. The
seed box is round and ap
pears to be cast iron.
QUESTION - S. Boiler
wants to know where to
buy either a new or used
alarm clock by Westdox
Model 47544 called the
Power Napper.
ANSWER - Mrs. David
Weidenhammer, Schuykiil
County, asked who fixes
cuckoo clocks. Thanks to
Michael Stauffer, Leonard
town, Md., for writing that
he shipped his mantel
clock and a Hamilton watch
to Phil Weaver, whose busi
ness is called Gone To
Pieces in Homer City. The
toll-free number Is (800)
206-7204.
die day. Olde Christinas Village
contains twenty-one life-sized de
corated buildings and eight tents.
General Admission tickets are
$6 each. Admission for Senior
Citizens over 62 is $4. There is no
admission charge for children
under 12 when accompanied by
parents.
For more information, call
Dick or Pattie Mahoney (717)
233-5100 or (610) 565-0313. Web
site: www.pachristmasshow.com.