Prep. Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: overnightSunshine Salad
Makes 8–10 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: overnight
Salad Ingredients:
1 bunch romaine lettuce
2 bunches red leaf lettuce
½ red onion
2 avocados
16-20 cherry tomatoes, whole or halved
Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup honey
2 tsp. poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash lettuce and shake off excess water. Tear into bite-size pieces and place in a plastic bag with paper towel. Refrigerate overnight to crisp.
2. Put lettuce into a large bowl. Slice onion into thin pieces and add to salad. Peel and slice avocados and add to salad.
3. Add cherry tomatoes.
4. To prepare dressing, mix all ingredients in a small bowl or jar and stir or shake until well blended.
5. Pour dressing over salad and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
TIPS
Good any time of year!
VARIATION
Substitute mandarin oranges for cherry tomatoes.
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes Chilling Time: overnight
1 large head lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped onion
½ lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1-1½ cups frozen peas, thawed
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup light mayonnaise
8 oz. cheese, shredded
1. Layer lettuce, celery, onion, bacon, peas, and eggs in a glass bowl.
2. Spread mayonnaise over salad. Sprinkle cheese on top.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. When it’s time to eat, serve layered, or toss everything together.
Makes 6–8 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Salad Ingredients:
radicchio leaves
arugula
red leaf lettuce
watercress
romaine lettuce
Dressing Ingredients:
2-3 tsp. shallots or scallions
½ tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup good quality olive oil
1 tsp. fresh parsley or dill
1. On individual plates, or in a salad bowl, arrange all the greens, which have been washed and drained.
2. Prepare a basic vinaigrette by combining all dressing ingredients. Shake together in a jar, or whisk together. Pour over greens just before serving.
NOTE
One of many unique things about Central Market is the availability of home-grown arugula and radicchio. My husband, John, grows all of these greens on our farm. Our customers especially enjoy arugula and have nicknamed John, “Captain Arugula.” Another standholder, Regine Ibold, gave me this recipe, and she should have the credit for it.
Makes 6 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes
8 cups fresh spinach
¼ cup bacon bits
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
Dressing:
½ cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 medium onion, minced
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1. Combine all dressing ingredients and chill.
2. Just before serving, tear spinach into small pieces. Toss with as much of the dressing as you wish. Top with bacon bits and chopped egg.
Spinach Salad With Hot Bacon Dressing
Makes 6 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 5-10 minutes
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cornstarch or flour
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup milk
½ cup vinegar
½ lb. bacon
1 tsp. bacon drippings
1 lb. spinach, washed and chopped
½ lb. mushrooms, sliced
8 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1. Put sugar, salt, cornstarch or flour, and mustard in a blender. Mix.
2. Add beaten eggs and mix again.
3. Blend in milk and vinegar.
4. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook uncovered until thickened.
5. Fry bacon and add crumbled pieces to dressing. To enhance taste, add bacon drippings.
6. Wash spinach in water to remove all sand. Garnish spinach with mushrooms and sliced eggs. Serve with hot dressing.
From the other side of the Market stand . . .
EARL GROFF OF GROFF’S VEGETABLES
Earl Groff’s family has been selling vegetables on Central Market since 1946. (If you like genealogy, Earl’s grandmother, Edna Meck Groff, was a cousin to Rose Meck’s [see page 103] grandmother and John Stoner’s [see page 55] mother, who were sisters. Standing market gets in your blood!)
“We grow everything we sell. We’re organic farmers. We start our crops from seed, growing them in the three greenhouses on our farm during the winter. We specialize in lettuce—we raise up to 13 varieties—and celery. I enjoy transplanting lettuce and watching it grow. And we grow seasonal vegetables, too.
“You know, it’s a privilege to work with soil and plants. It isn’t just work.
“A couple years back, some F&M students [Franklin and Marshall College is on the west side of Lancaster City] were doing a study on Central Market. They asked if they could come out to our farm and see how we get ready for Market. We cut spinach out in the field. We washed and bagged it so they would see the whole process. They were so interested in learning.
“Edith and I have so many different kinds of people as customers, it keeps us humble. It’s even exciting. And it’s so much fun to work with the other standholders. We were on a hike hours away from home, and we came upon a couple. The woman said, ‘You look familiar. Oh, I buy lettuce from you!’”
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes
1 medium head romaine lettuce, or equivalent amount of mixed salad greens
8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp. walnut oil
½ cup slivered almonds
¾ lb. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
¼ cup raspberry vinegar
1. Wash and tear salad greens. Combine with water chestnuts and season with pepper. Chill.
2. Heat walnut oil in large skillet. Add almonds and sauté over high heat for 1–2 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté another 2 minutes. Add raspberry vinegar and stir briefly.
3. Pour dressing over chilled greens and toss. Serve immediately.
NOTE
This dish allows salad to be a more substantial part of a meal. It is tart and full of textures.
Blue Cheese Potato Salad
Serves 4–6
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes
2 lbs. new red potatoes, cut into quarters
boiling water
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup crumbled Stilton or your favorite blue cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1. Put potatoes into boiling water. Cook for 15 minutes. Drain well. Salt potatoes while hot.
2. Combine all ingredients and serve.
NOTE
A good quality blue cheese is essential.
Makes 4–8 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes Standing Time: 1-2 hours
1 small cucumber, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
6 scallions with their tops
6 Tbsp. fresh parsley
½ cup fresh mint
3 Tbsp.-½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp. salt, optional
4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
red leaf lettuce
1. Mix together cucumber, green pepper, scallions, parsley, and mint in blender for several seconds.
2. Add vegetable oil, beginning with a few tablespoons and using up to ½ cup, as you wish.
3. Add lemon juice and salt. Blend for several seconds. Pour mixture over tomato slices and let stand for 1-2 hours.
4. Arrange over red leaf lettuce and serve.
NOTE
Beautiful, bright salad with a delicious taste! Goes especially well with pork, lamb, or veal.
Fresh Broccoli Salad
Makes 8 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes Standing Time: 1 hour Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup granulated sugar or honey
2 Tbsp. vinegar
3 strips bacon
1 large head broccoli
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
¾ cup raisins
½ cup cashews, optional
1. Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar to make dressing. Set aside for 1 hour.
2. Fry bacon strips, then crumble and set aside.
3. Prepare vegetables, cutting broccoli into bite-size pieces.
4. Toss bacon, vegetables, raisins, and cashews together. Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately.
NOTE
I like when my family eats foods with bulk and fiber. This salad is one way to get these foods into their diet, and they like it.
Makes 6–8 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: several hours or overnight
1 head cauliflower
½ lb. bacon
1 small onion, diced
8 oz. cheese, grated
green lettuce or spinach
1 cup salad dressing
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
green lettuce or spinach leaves, for serving
1. Clean cauliflower and cut into small florets.
2. Fry bacon until it is crisp. Crumble it.
3. Mix cauliflower, bacon, onion, and cheese together.
4. Blend salad dressing, sugar, and vinegar, then pour over salad and toss lightly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
5. Serve on green lettuce or baby spinach leaves.
NOTE
Refreshing salad for any time of year!
Pepper Cabbage
Makes 10–12 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes
8 cups shredded cabbage
1 large red or green bell pepper, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 carrot, shredded
1 small onion, shredded
salt to taste
Dressing:
2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
½ cup water
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1. In a large bowl, mix cabbage, pepper, celery, carrot, and onion. Sprinkle with salt and toss.
2. Mix all dressing ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Cool until lukewarm.
3. Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly. This will keep well for a long time in the refrigerator.
Makes 6–8 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes
3 cups green beans, cooked
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 medium onion
1 large dill pickle
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
⅔ cup mayonnaise
1. Chop green beans, eggs, onion, and dill pickle. Combine.
2. Mix together vinegar, salt, and mayonnaise.
3. Pour over bean mixture. Stir gently.
4. Chill and serve.
Marinated Mushrooms
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Chilling Time: several hours or overnight
1½ lbs. fresh mushrooms
⅓ cup vinegar
⅓ cup salad oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1. Boil mushrooms 5 minutes in water. Drain them.
2. Combine all other ingredients. Pour over mushrooms.
3. Chill in a covered dish overnight or at least for several hours.
Makes 3–4 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: overnight Cooking Time: 15 minutes
6-8 carrots
water
1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
15-oz. can tomato soup
½ cup vinegar
½ cup oil
¾ cup sugar
1. Slice carrots and cook in water until soft.
2. Dice pepper and onion. Mix with soup, vinegar, oil, and sugar.
3. Drain water off carrots and add to mixture.
4. Refrigerate overnight and then serve.
Black Bean Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 scallions, sliced
2-3 plum tomatoes, diced
6 Tbsp. olive oil
5 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
salt to taste
3-4 red bell peppers
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1. Combine all ingredients, except red peppers, lemon juice, and black pepper, and toss in a glass bowl.
2. To prepare peppers, hold them, one at a time, with tongs over a gas flame until skin is bubbled and getting dark.
3. Place peppers in a paper bag and let them steam.
4. Peel, de-seed, and slice into quarters.
5. Sprinkle peppers with lemon juice and freshly ground pepper.
6. Garnish bean salad with pepper wedges and serve.
NOTE
Beautiful, easy, and nutritious!
Hummus Salad or Chickpea Salad
Makes 4–6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes
10-oz. can chickpeas
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed
pinch of salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1. Boil chickpeas 3-5 minutes. Drain.
2. Combine chickpeas with parsley, tomato, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add lemon juice and olive oil.
3. Serve hot or cold.
NOTE
Very filling, especially on cold days. Nutritious and economical.
VARIATION
For another dish, called Foul M‘dammas, substitute broad beans for chickpeas.
Rhubarb Salad
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: about 10 minutes Chilling Time: several hours
3 cups rhubarb, finely cut
⅔ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
⅓ cup water
6-oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 cup finely chopped celery
2½ cups water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup chopped nuts
1. Cook together rhubarb, sugar, salt, and ⅓ cup water.
2. Add gelatin, celery, 2½ cups water, lemon juice, and nuts. Mix well.
3. Chill until firm.
Makes 8–10 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes
1 lb. frozen cranberries
1 orange, peeled
6-8 red apples, cored
8-oz. can crushed pineapple
1 cup sugar
1. Grind cranberries, orange, and apples together.
2. Add pineapples and sugar. Mix well.
3. Keeps well in the fridge. Or freeze leftovers.
Cranberry Orange Salad
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: 4 hours or overnight
6-oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin
1½ cups boiling water
16-oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
1 Tbsp. grated orange rind
2 oranges, finely diced
⅔ cup chopped pecans
lettuce, for serving
1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
2. Stir cranberry sauce with fork, or whisk until smooth. Add to gelatin. Add orange rind, blending well.
3. Chill until slightly thickened. Stir in oranges and pecans. Mix well.
4. Pour into 5-cup mold. Chill until firm, about 4 hours or overnight. Unmold onto a bed of lettuce.
NOTE
A family favorite over the holidays.
Makes 4–5 servings Prep. Time: 15 minutes
4-5 apples, cored but unpeeled
½-¾ cup raisins
½ cup nuts
½ cup celery, diced
¾ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
¼ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
sweetened vinegar, optional
lettuce leaves, for serving
1. Dice apples. Add raisins, nuts, and celery and mix gently but well.
2. Combine mayonnaise, milk, and sugar and blend well. Add a little sweetened vinegar if you wish.
3. Pour this combination over apple mixture and mix well.
4. Serve on lettuce leaves.
VARIATIONS
1. Use a combination of Red and Golden Delicious apples to add color and flavor.
2. Use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Raspberry Jello Salad
Makes 6–8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: about 1 hour
6 tart apples, peeled and diced
6 heaping tsp. sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups water, divided
6-oz. pkg. raspberry gelatin
Dressing:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. milk
2-3 tsp. sugar
1. Add 6 heaping tsp. sugar, salt, and 1¼ cups water to apples in large saucepan. Boil until apples are soft.
2. Add remaining ¾ cup water to mixture. Stir in gelatin while mixture is still hot. Chill until set.
3. Serve with dressing on the side.
Makes 8–10 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes
2-3 cups firm cantaloupe chunks
1 cup sugar
½ cup water, or more
4 Tbsp. vinegar
½ tsp. salt
1 drop oil of cloves
1 drop oil of cinnamon
1. Pack cantaloupe into quart jar.
2. Mix all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour hot syrup over cantaloupe in jar. Can according to your canner’s instructions.
3. I enjoyed spiced cantaloupe as a girl when my mother made it. Today I make it for my own family.
VARIATIONS
1. Multiply this recipe and do more than one jar at a time.
2. Eliminate oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon and have pickled cantaloupe instead of spiced cantaloupe.
Makes 6–8 quarts
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-10 minutes for each vegetable, plus 20 minutes for mixture of vegetables
1 quart diced cucumbers
1 quart string beans, green or yellow
1 quart corn
1 quart chopped celery
1 quart fresh lima beans
1 pint chopped green bell peppers
1 pint chopped red bell peppers
1 cup small onions, optional
1 quart vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
½ tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. salt
1. Chop all vegetables to desired size. Cook each one separately until tender but not soft. Drain vegetables and mix together.
2. In a large kettle, combine vinegar, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil. Add turmeric and salt.
3. Add all vegetables to hot liquid and bring to boiling point.
4. Pack into hot jars and seal according to your canner’s instructions.
NOTE
Typically Pennsylvania Dutch! Looks like a quilt in a jar.
VARIATION
Use dried lima beans that have been soaked and cooked until they are just tender.
THE NORTH AMERICAN, PHILADELPHIA, SUNDAY, JULY 5, 1908
HOW IS THIS FOR A HOUSEWIFE’S PARADISE?
If there is a paradise for the market goer, it should be Lancaster. The fame of the fair city and its wonderful markets has spread beyond the borders of the state. Many Philadelphians go there to purchase supplies for their tables.
Fresh and delicious from the surrounding country, these supplies come every market day, and the prices prevailing are astonishingly cheap, when compared with those of larger cities. Market Day in Lancaster is an institution, and one of which the pretty city is justly proud. And its busy scenes are full of interest for the chance visitor.
Beginning about 1 o’clock every market morning, miscellaneous processions of vehicles from various directions clatter and rumble into Lancaster.
Entering the city, the wagons pass down tree embowered streets, glimmering with the fitful blue luster of electric lamps. Closed shutters frown down upon the picturesque drivers of the wagons—men with patriarchal beards and broad-brimmed hats and women huddled up on the seats wearing plain dresses with peaked capes and plain bonnets.
To various hotels in the city they drive the wagons. They go into the rear sheds of the Farmer’s Hotel, the Franklin House, the Sorrel Horse, the Lincoln and the Leopard. While a man climbs out and ties the horse a woman jumps from the wagon, several young girls, even children, appear mysteriously, rubbing their eyes. A lantern is lit and they begin unloading the wagon—a wagon bursting with fatness—of baskets of vegetables, eggs, butter, meat, chickens and a plethora of things good to eat.
By the time the sun rises, more than 1500 farmers will have arrived, and by 10 o’clock possibly from 10,000 to 12,000 people will have purchased their eatables. Considering the size of the city, it is possibly the biggest market in the United States, and, many claim, the cheapest.
At 2 o’clock Saturday morning the doors of the Central Market House are opened; at 3 the buyers began to arrive. At the other markets people go still earlier. By 9 or 10 the markets are over.
“The people who don’t want to get up in the morning,” declared a citizen, “go to the afternoon market.” This market, however, is largely attended by the families of working men who get paid Saturday morning.
Saturday is the big market day. From outlying towns, people come on trolley cars with great big baskets. From towns five, 10 and 15 miles away, thrifty housewives come; even from Philadelphia many come on Saturdays with great hampers, to [gather] in the week’s supply of vegetables. Scores of families of railroad employees living in Philadelphia who enjoy annual passes do their marketing in Lancaster.
From 4 o’clock in the morning—before the sun illumines the narrow streets about it—until after 9 o’clock, crowds throng the market house. From 500 to 1000 persons flow in a steady stream along the aisles between the stalls at times.
Most of them are women, with big baskets holding a bushel of stuff. Some evidently are poor, with cheap dresses; others very elegantly attired.
Mayor J. P. McCaskey naturally regards Lancaster with pride.
“There is no doubt the markets are about the finest and cheapest in the country,” he declared. “The people of the country get their wealth from the soil—they don’t depend upon Wall Street.”
Makes 12 pints
Prep. Time: about 15 minutes a day for 10 days
Cooking Time: 2½ hours total
7 lbs. of 6”-7” long, 1”-thick cucumbers
½ cup salt
2 quarts water, divided
4 cups water
1 Tbsp. alum
5 cups vinegar, divided
4 lbs. sugar
3 cinnamon sticks, ¾-oz. total
2 Tbsp. celery seed
2 Tbsp. whole allspice
1. Slice cucumbers into ¾”-thick slices and place into large crock. Cover with a mixture of ½ cup salt dissolved in 4 cups water. Double liquid, if necessary, to cover slices.
2. Allow cucumbers to soak in this mixture for three days.
3. After third day, drain and cover completely with cold water. Do this each day for days 4, 5, and 6.
4. On day 7, drain again and cook pickles in a solution of 4 cups water, alum, and 1 cup vinegar. Bring to a boil, and boil over low heat for 2 hours, covered.
5. After cooking, drain and pour liquid away. Return pickles to crock.
6. Mix sugar, 4 cups vinegar, cinnamon sticks, celery seed, and allspice, and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour hot liquid over pickles in crock.
7. On days 8 and 9, drain liquid and save it. Reheat liquid to boiling point and pour over pickles again.
8. On day 10 heat pickles and liquid to boiling. Place in jars and seal according to your canner’s instructions.
Makes 5–6 pints
Prep. Time: 20 minutes Chilling Time: overnight Cooking Time: 40 minutes
10 cups chopped zucchini
4 sweet bell peppers, chopped
4 cups chopped onions
⅓ cup salt
3½ cups sugar
2½ cups vinegar
1 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. celery seed
½ tsp. black pepper
1. Put zucchini, peppers, and onions into a bowl. Stir in salt and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain and rinse in cold water.
3. Add all other ingredients to mixture and bring to a boil.
4. Boil for 30 minutes and put into jars to seal. Follow your canner’s directions to can.
Barbecue Relish
Makes about 11–13 pints Standing Time: 12 hours Cooking Time: 1 hour or longer
10 cucumbers
15 green tomatoes
½ cup salt
2 green sweet bell peppers
4 red sweet bell peppers
8 large onions
1 stalk celery, about 8 ribs
4 cups cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
6 cups granulated sugar
1. Take center seeds out of cucumbers. Grind cucumbers and tomatoes (not too fine). Add ½ cup salt and let stand covered for ½ day. Strain off juice.
2. Meanwhile, put sweet peppers, onions, and celery through a grinder.
3. Pour into large kettle and cover with cider vinegar. Add flour, turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed, mustard powder, and sugar.
4. Stir in tomato-cucumber mixture.
5. Boil uncovered for 1 hour or longer until it thickens.
6. Can in pint jars according to the instructions with your canner.
Makes 12 halves
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
dash of pepper
¼ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. prepared mustard
1. Cut eggs in half and remove yolks. Set aside white parts of eggs.
2. Mash yolks and blend with all remaining ingredients. Fill the whites of the eggs with this mixture. Serve.
Red Beet Eggs
Makes 1 dozen eggs
Prep. Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Chilling Time: 12 hours
12 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup water
¾ cup vinegar
1 quart canned red beets and juice
1. Cover eggs with lukewarm water in a saucepan. Heat until water comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and let stand in water for 20 minutes. Run cold water over eggs to cool them quickly. Peel eggs.
2. Mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, water, and vinegar in a saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
3. Add red beets and juice to this mixture and pour over the peeled eggs.
4. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.
5. Serve eggs sliced in half.