Thank you for subscribing to the Historic Valentown Newsletter!
~A Note From Kathryn White~

Valentown greetings,

June is proving to be very interesting as far as the weather.
We wonder what the Old Farmers Almanac thinks about the heat 
still coming on in some houses. It's safe when they say "sunny and 
cool". No one can fault that sort of forecast. The Almanac was 
first published in 1792 under Washington's first term as 
president and was an instant success. It recorded 
astronomical events, weather and a mysterious formula perfected 
by the first editor, Robert B. Thomas.

https://www.almanac.com/content/history-old-farmers-almanac

As we approach the Independence celebration, the Historic 
Valentown collection is a good reminder of our heritage of things 
that were once made right here in the community and in the towns 
and cities in America. Today we see some of the same gadgets and 
useful things but forget that those items were probably designed, 
made and even invented by American ingenuity in the past. And 
very often these great ideas came from people who were not 
educated in the traditional sense but just thought of a better 
way to do something. Yes!

Historic Valentown is full of stoves, cheese cutters and tools 
that were all designed to make work easier and economize time on 
every level of American life. The items and the need for their 
use also sparked larger businesses and factories to mass produce 
many goods to meet demands. As the markets changed, the simple 
devices were often left behind for the "new and improved" 
version. The production system became more complex with a 
greater need to find resources beyond once familiar borders to 
meet the demand. But many of the items in our collection are just 
as useful today as they were over 100 years ago. We are proud to 
be a part of this American history that represents so many 
changes. As always if you would like to help us tell and 
demonstrate this great story let us know. 

Discover your Made in America Past at Historic Valentown!

Kathryn White, President

Happy 4th of July

Quote of the Month
"If we can somehow retain places where we can always sense 
the mystery of the unknown, our lives will be richer."
Sigurd F. Olson, "Mystery and the Unknown"

News and Events
WEB SITE NEWS

Just some content updates
on our Special Event's calendar topics and our Partners page.
Oh! And an update on the closing season for
the 1st Valentown Mason Bee Project 
<http://historicvalentownmuseum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=84>;

EVENTS
Notes: Our Open House*on June 3rd was a very nice event. We 
had visitors from as far away as Wisconsin and Virginia. We 
enjoyed the good company and conversation. Thank you to all who 
came to visit us.

The Annual Meeting for members of the Victor Historical 
Society/Historic Valentown will be held on Sunday, June 17th at 
12 noon. Members in good standing have been mailed their proxies.

Here was an unexpected event!

Our volunteer Shari happened upon Cindy Harris from Bloomfield, 
NY while she was working on a painting of the old homestead.

Cindy is a Rochester and Finger Lakes Plein Air painter. Plein 
Air painters are painters that practice the French style of 
painting from the mid-19th century painters who used the luminous 
effects of natural light and atmosphere to make their paintings 
distinctive.
You can check out her paintings here: https://www.cindyharrisart.com/

Our June 24th "Riding for Siding" IS NEXT WEEKEND!!! 
Wow, that came up fast. A limited number of regularly priced 
ticket packages are available now on our web site, along with 
some "peek-a-boo's" of some of the prizes. We have some really 
nice raffle items ranging in value from $10 up to $150! You can 
check out who our new partners are (/which will also give you a 
hint of what some of the prizes might be!/) on our Partners 
Page (http://historicvalentownmuseum.org/page.php/partners) 

We've worked hard on this event hope you will join us!

Details and a full brochure available in the Events forum:
http://historicvalentownmuseum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=56

Special thanks to our partners who worked so hard with us on 
this event!

<http://harvsharley.com><http://millyshandlebarcafe.com><http://epatches.com>;

Find Us on Facebook! 
<https://www.facebook.com/Historic-Valentown-157101550971895/>;

Recipes
See our collection of recipes and hints, tips and substitutions at
http://historicvalentownmuseum.org/forum/index.php?cat=2

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

Rhubarb originated from Western China, Tibet, Mongolia, and 
Siberia. In the American colonies John Bartram of Philadelphia is 
credited with first planting rhubarb seeds in the 1730s. The 
seeds were sent from England, where rhubarb had been cultivated 
and had become a popular fruit. In the 1770s, Benjamin Franklin 
sent John more seeds from London. Only the stalks of the rhubarb 
are used, because Rhubarb leaves contain poisonous substances. 
Frostbitten stalks are also avoided since they maintain 
toxicity. A common folk name for rhubarb is "pie plant".
~~~ Info derived from Wikipedia.

INGREDIENTS

2 pie crusts (one for the top, one for the bottom)
2 1/2 c rhubarb stalks (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 1/2 c sliced strawberries
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 c cornstarch or tapioca pearls
1/4 tsp salt

PREPARE THE FILLING

1. Clean the strawberries and remove the leaves.
2. Cut the strawberries in halves (or quarters for larger berries)
3. Clean and trim the rhubarb stalks.
4. Cut the stalks into 1/2 inch to 1 inch sections.
5. Add sugar, cornstarch or tapioca, and salt.
6. Stir until rhubarb is evenly coated with dry ingredients.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lay the bottom crust in the pie dish, ensuring that there are
no gaps between the crust and the bottom of the dish.
2. Fill the crust with the pie filling.
3. Place the top crust on top, leaving equal overhang on all sides.
4. Cut the overhang to about 3/4" inch all around the pie.
5. Working around the pie, hold the bottom and top crust
overhangs together and tuck the combined overhang into the
pie dish behind the bottom crust.
6. With the forefinger and thumb of each hand, pinch the ridge
formed by the tuck into a decorative edge, or press this
ridge with a fork.
7. Brush the top of the pie with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
8. Cut vents in the top crust so that steam can escape.
9. For a fruit pie, bake on the lower-middle rack of an oven
at425 degrees for 30 minutes to set the crust, then at 350
degrees for 30 minutes to cook the filling.

Levi's "What is it?" Department

Here is the new "What is it?", friends.
"This is also a handy tool that was used around food. It did a 
certain job in a "sticky" situation. Remember groceries were not 
packaged like they are today and sometimes you had to do a few 
things by hand. It is in our general store." Levi

Join our Facebook discussion and submit your guesses here:
Facebook 9th "WhatIsIt?" 
<https://www.facebook.com/157101550971895/photos/a.708518075830237.1073741826.157101550971895/2158575420824488/?type=3&theater>;
 

Our last "What is it" has no takers?
 

Our last "What is it" has no takers?? Well, all of you
cheese lovers will be interested to know that this was used
in making cheese curds.

Remember some things like cheese curds are a result of trying
to not waste what could still be enjoyed and eaten.

The curds were a by product in the cheese making process.
They are best enjoyed right away because they are not as
bouncy after they are refrigerated too long.? The newest
trend in /cheese curd cuisine/ is to deep fry
them!

Still going. Will they ever be solved?

These "mystery rods"
    <https://www.facebook.com/157101550971895/photos/a.708518075830237.1073741826.157101550971895/2096916816990349/?type=3&theater>;
and this wood carving
    <https://www.facebook.com/157101550971895/photos/a.708518075830237.1073741826.157101550971895/1912890852059614/?type=3&theater>seem
to be a real stumpers.