Recipe – Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm

Passing on Heritage Skills, Tomatoes Abound

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 23:58:00 +0000

Preserving & Teaching Heritage Skills

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here. Well, in my last message I said August would be as busy as July and so far I am right on the money! Besides the historic tour last week, we have had bake oven highlights, a pottery highlight, a visit from the beekeeper with some of his bees and Saturday was Heritage Craft Day. Heritage Craft Day is a summer event that offers a close up look at a number of the traditional craft and trade skills of the 19th century. As part of our farm museum’s mission, we are tasked with preserving this kind of knowledge. There were rye straw basket and hat makers here, spinning and weaving was demonstrated, and the bobbin lace and tatting ladies shared their versions of lace making. The potter was at her wheel, there was quilling which is a paper craft and quilting as well. There was puppet making for the children, the men folk were making rope and the bake oven was busy turning out loaves of whole wheat bread. Aunt Eunice even had a chance to sit a spell and do some whittling. All in all a lovely day both entertainment and weather-wise.

Tomatoes in Abundance

Our tomato plants seem to be loving the hot, humid weather and we are harvesting many different varieties. One of my favorites is the Juliet, a small, plum shaped one that is firm and has a sweet flavor. According to Bonnieplants.com – Juliet tomatoes are slightly larger than the well-known Santa grape tomato, it bears delicious, sweet fruit on indeterminate vines. Some gardeners refer to it as a mini Roma because of the shape. The wonderfully sweet fruit are crack resistant and remain in good condition on the vine longer than most cherry tomatoes. The fruit are as soft and juicy as cherry tomatoes, they hold up well in salads, and they have a longer shelf life so you can keep them on hand without picking every day. Here is an old time recipe using squash and tomatoes from Quiet Valley’s bake oven cookbook. It may help you use up some of the many you will be harvesting in the month of August!

Scalloped Tomatoes and Squash

Dice 3 cups of summer squash
Brown squash in 3 tbsp. of butter
Cube 2 cups of tomatoes
Add salt & pepper
Layer squash & tomatoes in casserole
Pour on 1 ½ cup of white sauce (recipe below)
Sprinkle with ⅔ cup of buttered crumbs
Sprinkle with ½ cup of grated cheese

White Sauce Ingredients & Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the flour and whisk until combined.
Slowly stir in 1 cup of cream (or milk) and whisk until smooth.
Stir in the remaining cream, salt and pepper. Whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. This will take 3-5 minutes.
Remove the white sauce from the stove.

Cucumbers, squash, carrots, beets, bell peppers, and kohlrabi are just some of the other vegetables that we have been harvesting. Last Thursday, we picked the sweet corn. It was immediately blanched, cut off the cob and frozen. All the staff received one ear each for lunch. It was delicious and certainly couldn’t have been fresher! I hope your gardens are producing as well as our Quiet Valley kitchen garden. Otherwise, remember to check out your CSA or farmer’s markets. Your local farmers will appreciate the support.

That’s all for now folks. Hopefully, we will see you on the farm before summer ends. Remember to check our Calendar of Events as we are planning several moderately-sized fall events to supplement our non-profit organization’s income. Take care. Aunt Eunice

November, Time to Prepare the Farm for the Winter Season

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 07:41:00 +0000

Memories of Novembers Past

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here. November has arrived and I am planning many birthday parties for my family as six of us were born in that wonderful month. November is an interesting month. Technically it is part of the autumn season, but most of the colorful leaves are gone by then and many times the weather seems like early spring or winter. It can be warm, hot, cool or really cold! It seems like a month that can’t make up its mind.

As a child growing up in Monroe County it was the norm to have some snow in November and by December it was here to stay with layers just getting thicker and deeper. Flexible Flyer sleds were the favorite way to travel downhill and rides kept getting faster as the snow was packed down into a smooth, firm surface. By the time I had children, the snow was concentrated in the months of January, February and March. There was rarely enough snow to pack down for the runners on sleds to ride on. Saucers, toboggans, and later on inflatable sleds that resembled pool floats, became the best way to ride on the lighter snows we were now getting.

Preparing for Winter Events & Activities

November at Quiet Valley means a transition from the historic farm tours to winter programming. In the house and cabin many items are packed away and will spend the winter in the attic. Tools and equipment needed for outreach programs will be readied and the Education Center is prepped for school children coming to enjoy a Molly the Sheep program, and yes, the sheep will actually be there for the children to meet. The Farmhand Adventure is also popular and teaches the students about wheat, bread and butter making. They make their own small loaf of whole wheat to take home. Hands on History classes like Christmas in the Colonies and Just for Nice are available for groups, too. Many of these programs can be presented at schools, senior centers, libraries, etc.

Farmers Pre-Winter To Do List

In the past, November was also a time of transition for the farmers. Time to move from the harvesting of crops to putting the gardens and fields to bed. Winter wheat was planted, it was time to cull the herds and plan for butchering, take care of repairing tools, check on the condition of buildings and farm equipment, split more firewood and later in the month the farm wives would plan for Thanksgiving and would bake for many days prior to the dinner.

Black Walnuts in Abundance

A traditional Pa. German favorite was black walnut cake. Black walnuts are very common in this area and are very tasty, but hard to get out of their shells, unlike English walnuts. They are worth the time it takes though. Watch out for small pieces of shell that can get mixed in with the walnut meat. I am including a recipe for a black walnut cake. Make one to try yourself before you serve one to your company. That’s what my mother always taught me to do.

BLACK WALNUT CAKE

Ingredients
½ cup of butter
1 ½ cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 cups of flour
¾ cups of cold water
1 cup of black walnuts, chopped
4 egg whites

Cream butter and gradually add the sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the baking powder and flour. Add it alternately with the water to the creamed mixture. Fold in the chopped walnuts. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold them into the batter. Bake in two 8-inch layer cake pans for 30 to 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Frost with Boiled white Icing and black walnuts.

Since November is here my thoughts and energies at work will turn toward our final event of 2019, our annual Old Time Christmas. It is a lovely event. Stay tuned for details or visit the calendar of events page for more info. Thanks for checking in. Take care. Aunt Eunice

Pies Galore, Pottery of the Past, Heritage Craft Skills

Deb D (Aunt Eunice) — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 16:27:00 +0000

Backyard Treasure Hunt

Hello Folks, Aunt Eunice here! In our neck of the woods and many other parts of the country, we are just coming out of a particularly nasty hot spell. High temperatures are not something for which anyone wants to hold a record! This week is starting off a little more reasonably. This is the time of year to head down to the swimming hole and cool off. If you don’t have a pond, walking in the creek can be a nice alternative. My grandchildren and I were in the creek a few weeks ago wading and splashing around. I told them to look for light colored stones in the creek bed because sometimes they are pieces of old pottery. It turned into a treasure hunt after the first piece we picked up was a lovely chunk of a white plate with little blue flowers on it. Our house was built in the 1860s and the stream is only about 100 feet behind it. These are remnants from the folks who started my farm. At this point we have a basket full of pottery and china shards. What fun! Remember to have someone with you if you are playing near or in the water.

Heritage Craft Day

With August on the horizon I am beginning to make plans for Quiet Valley’s Heritage Craft Day on August 10th. Various heritage craftspeople will be out to demonstrate their specialties, things such as spinning, weaving, paper crafts, hay fork making and more. This event offers a chance for visitors to try some crafts out for themselves. There is also an area for children to try out some crafts. I am also thinking ahead to the Pocono State Craft Festival which is August 24th and 25th. This is the time to come if you like shopping for fine art and craft pieces, watching demonstrations, listening to live music and enjoying open house tours of the historic buildings. There will also be an artisanal bread sale, one room school presentations and wagon rides. There will also be baked goods to buy. All funds raised support three fine non-profits, the Pocono Arts Council, the Pocono Chapter of PA Guild of Craftsmen and Quiet Valley.

Pie, Pie, Me Oh My!

I am planning what pies I will make for the bake sale. Cherry crumb pie and fresh peach pie with a lattice top crust always do well. Lemon sponge is old fashioned and yet still a favorite as is buttermilk pie. There is a saying “Easy as pie” which means something is simple to do. I am not sure folks today think making a pie is easy, but in the past all young ladies learned how to make a good pie and a tasty cake. Today, it should be a “piece of cake” to make a pie as you can buy a ready-made crust to speed things along. Making pie can be very satisfying and gifting people with a homemade one is a sure way to make a friend. Try our recipe below and you may become a pie making fanatic!