PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH COOKBOOK

One of my favorite places to visit is Pennsylvania's Amish or "Dutch" country. The quaint covered bridges, Amish families in their two-toned, horse drawn, gray buggies, the farm markets, auction houses and antique stores are a big draw to many tourists over the year (I don't think there is really a "season" - it is popular all year long!) Anyway, at one time or another, I acquired a Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook that has been residing in my pantry with all the other cookbooks that I have accumulated over the years (I am not a great cook, by any means, but I love to look at recipes!) Yes, I know it is one of my many quirks. In this cookbook, which was published in 1960 by Culinary Arts Press of Reading, PA, are many old recipes that have been "compiled from tried and tested recipes made famous and handed down by the early Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania."

Scattered throughout the book are old Dutch sayings such as, "You will have good luck in fishing all year if you fish for first time in the year on Good Friday" or "The first shot from a new gun will not kill."

It is very entertaining just to read through the cookbook as it also includes many pencil and ink drawings and sketches and pictures of many antiques from ceramic plates to a wood-carved butter mold.

Also, in the front of the paper bound book are poems written by William J. Meter and I've included these:

COUNTRY SALE

When it gives a real good sale

You ought to see the crowd,

There's such commotion in the field,

And everything so loud.

The auctioneer he stands up right

And shows off all the stuff,

And you can bet he don't sell none

Unless he gets enough.

There's everything was hid away:

Old guns, and books and shoes,

The attic and cellar is redd out

For quilts and picture-views.

The people come from far away

In big machines and small,

Some dressed so awful fancy like

It wonders me they call.

I seen them buy a butter-mould

For fifty cents or more

That we could get for twenty cents

Down at Chon Grumber's store.

They take old dishes all with dust,

And buy old rusty pans,

And one she glutzed so up and down,

To get some painted fans.

Yes well, the country sell makes good

For auctioneer and all,

Enough old stuff gets redd away

To fill the fire hall.

~~~~~~~~~and~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE BLUE-EYED MAEDLE

When the sun is outened

I stand sometimes in the fields

And look where the sky gets dark,

And see the moon, so big like, so yellow,

It wonders me often

She don't come no more,

Down there by the scheier, under the

Apple trees,

Making as though she was in no hurry,

But, just the same, patting her hair,

And redding her dress.

Then I think, yes well,

Super is waiting,

And I go in from the field,

To the kitchen.

All night then, sitting close by the fire,

I can't think right,

Or rest none,

Because she goes through my mind so,

The blue-eyed maedle.

~~~~~~~~~~Recipe follows:~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PICKLED EGGS AND RED BEETS

2 cups (about 1 lb.) young beets

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Small piece stick cinnamon

3 or 4 whole cloves

6 hard-cooked eggs

Wash beets; cut off leaves and stems, leaving on about 1 inch of the root end.

Cook until tender. Drain and skin. Boil together for 10 min. all remaining

ingredients except the eggs. Let beets stand in this liquid for several days.

Add whole hard-cooked, shelled eggs to the liquid and let stand in refrigerator for

2 days.

-Or the modern way, (my way) buy a jar of pickled beets, drain beet juice into separate

bowl add 2 teaspoons sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved, then pour beet juice and sugar

mixture over 4 shelled, hard-cooked eggs. Refrigerate for two days. Cut eggs in half

lengthwise to serve.