Dandelion Jelly

This jelly was sold at the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale. Mary Martin and her volunteers from the Elmira Mennonite Church make 400 jars of jams and jellies to sell at the sale including this recipe.


1 quart dandelion flowers, washed

Pour boiling water over flowers and let stand overnight. In the morning, put through a fine strainer and add enough water to make 8 cups

Put in a large kettle, add 2 packages of Certo, bring to a boil.

Add 12 cups sugar, 1 cup lemon juice and boil hard for 3 minutes. Put in jars and seal.

(Makes 25 half cup jars)

Tea Balls

This treat was sold, freshly made, at the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale. The line up was so long, they must have a really good taste reputation. Here is the recipe from their booklet.


3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 tbsp melted shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour

Beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla and milk. Add sifted dry ingredients. Beat well and then add warm shortening. Drop by spoonfuls into hot fat at 350-365 F. fry until golden brown, then remove and roll in sugar.
Enjoy fresh!

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads (from ostrich ferns) are in season right now. Here is how I like to prepare them. All the ingredients are from local sources

1 lb fiddle heads
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4-5 large mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp butter

Soak the fiddleheads in cold water to remove any sand and the brown scales that may still be attached to the fronds. You may need to change the water a couple of times to get them clean. Trim the stems if necessary.

Boil the cleaned fiddleheads in fresh water for 10 minutes. This step is very important to remove any possible stomach irritants that may be present in the plant. (source) Discard the water.
Heat a large frying pan. Saute the onion, garlic, mushrooms and fiddleheads in the butter. Season to taste. (I used Mrs. Dash)

I served these with a baked local potato and a slice of fresh chevre from a local dairy.
(The Becka liked this too!)

Doris Ramseyer's Rhubarb Custard Pie

This recipe is from a lady who attends our church. She brought this pie to a summer picnic a number of years ago and gave me a narrative description of the recipe. We know it is spring when we have this pie.



Unbaked 9" pie crust
Sprinkle crust with a teaspoon or two of sugar

Prepare 4 cups of fresh, diced rhubarb and mix with 2 tbsp of flour
Mix three eggs with 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups of white sugar until thick and creamy. Add rhubarb to the egg mixture and pour into the pie crust.

Bake at 425F for 12 minutes and reduce to 350F for another 40 minutes or so, when pie is set and fruit is soft. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

(Doris used 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk, reserving the egg white for a meringue topping. I do not make the meringue and put three whole eggs in the pie. She also dotted the top of the pie with butter, but I usually forget this, and don't notice the difference)

Quiche

This is a fast and easy dinner or brunch dish, especially if you have some frozen pie crust on hand. The cheese, vegetables and type of milk can be varied. (pictured here)





One unbaked 9" pie crust

1 cup of lightly cooked vegetables ( I have used broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, onions, or you can make it without vegetables)

4 eggs, beaten with,
1-1/2 cups of milk (evaporated, soy, regular;- add a tablespoon of flour if using regular milk)
3-4 ounces of grated cheese ( I prefer old cheddar, but milder cheeses work well too)
seasonings to taste;- I use 1 tsp salt and ground pepper

Place vegetables in the crust
Sprinkle with cheese
Pour egg and milk mixture over the top

Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes until set.