Holiday Hints
recipes: Since Yultide is upon us, we thought we would mention some of the useful and festive items available from the Belfast Farmers' Market's Winter Marketplace. The marketplace is open Saturdays, 10-1 at Belfast Agway through December 23.
This year Meadowsweet Farm, well known for beef and lamb, has some very fine wool blankets made from the Roberts' own farm grown wool. These blankets have a soft but strong weave with colored stripes on a natural background. High quality and very reasonably priced, the blankets promise a lifetime of warmth to the lucky person who gets one. Meadowsweet also offers fleeces and handmade cards.
The Spinneys of Half Moon Farm always produce a wealth of holiday goods. Sandy's preserves, wreaths, and aprons all make fine gifts. John's woodenware kitchen utensils, handcrafted from native cherry, birch, and maple, make unique and appealing presents.
Weeping Duck Farm has an amazing line of soaps, created with no animal products. The Antakis decorate their soaps with pressed wildflowers and some have wooden dishes made by Roy in his workshop.
Fisher Farm has handmade gourd ornaments, farmers' hand cream, hot sauce, soup mix, crackers, and homemade jams.
Freyenhagen Family Farms has maple syrup and maple products, just the things to send to family members not fortunate enough to live in Maine. Jim's syrup is harvested from local trees and boiled down in small batches in a wood fired sugar house- just like they did it in the old days.
The marketplace also offers a broad selection of foods for gifts or holiday fare. Appleton Creamery offers festive goat cheeses, fudge, and homemade dog biscuits for the good dog in your life. Schartners' have apples (try their Northern Spys for cooking and fresh eating) and cider. Peacemeal has produce, bags of onions, Jerusalem artichokes, squash, and garlic. Our members also offer breads, sweets, baklava, humus, and mutton sausages.
Crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- « teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 4-6 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
- 1/8 pound bacon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- « pound yellow onions, minced
- 1 large egg
- « cup whipping cream
- pinch pepper
- pinch nutmeg
Fry the bacon in butter until lightly browned. Add onions and cook until golden & soft. Sift together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening, until the mixture is crumbly. Then rub between your fingers until the consistency is granular and fine. Add ice water until the dough is just sticky enough to form a ball. Knead until smooth and glossy. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Beat together egg & cream. Add nutmeg & pepper. Add onion & bacon to egg mixture. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough and cut into 24 three inch pieces with a cookie cutter. Moisten the edges of half of the round pieces with water. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each and cover with the remaining rounds, pinching the edges together firmly. Prick each with a fork. Bake 30 minutes and serve hot or cool.