MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Greetings from the SHUC President By Mardi Isler, SHUC Board President WHEN IT COMES TO
the bowl or pan, record the measurement, then add
HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR
the ingredient to the mixture. I did this multiple times
FRIENDS AND FAMILY,
for each jam, pie dough, and cookie recipe to settle on
I FIND IT’S A GOOD
what amounts worked for me when I was in my own
POLICY TO CONSIDER
kitchen. To this day, I use Aunt Mil’s recipes at least
CONSUMABLES
weekly.
SINCE—AT LEAST IN MY HOUSE—THERE IS NO NEED FOR MORE “STUFF.” This has been my request for a number of years, and it’s actually fun to see what those in my world consider “consumable.” My tea towels and potholders are consumable, so when I travel, I buy them with names and images of the places that I’m visiting. Here in Pittsburgh, if I see one that reminds me of someone, I buy it. I have a stash for holidays, for dog and cat lovers, for wine drinkers, and, of course, squirrel images. My favorite consumable gifts to give are jam, jelly,
As a young adult and new homeowner, I went with a
preserves, and pickles. For me, this is a labor of love. I
friend to the Penn State Extension and took a canning
remember fondly my great Aunt Mil and all the time I
course. Here is where I learned about storage, types of
spent learning canning from her; in fact, I always use
seals, techniques, and safety. Penn State still has info
“Aunt Mil’s Bread and Butter Pickles” or “Aunt Mil’s Peach
on workshops and a “Let’s Preserve” fact sheet series if
Marmalade” when I label the jars filled with her recipes.
anyone is interested. Following this class, I expanded my repertoire and bought the recommended “Farm Home
Each year Aunt Mil made berry and fruit jams from her
Journal Freezing and Canning Cookbook” published
trees and garden and pickles from cucumbers bought
in 1963. I later acquired the “Ball Blue Book: Guide
at the local market. She also taught me how to bake,
to Home Canning and Freezing” and have purchased
and contrary to conventional wisdom she didn’t always
updated versions over the years. Both contain many
measure. Therefore, I had to stand beside her with cups
go-to recipes.
and teaspoons to catch what she was dumping into
SHUC would like to thank the following sponsors
Brandywine Communities 4 | shuc.org
State Senator
Jay Costa
