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Valentown Greetings,

We want to first wish you a very Happy New Year.

As we pass the winter Solstice, it means the days will now get a 
littler longer and Spring will get a little closer.In the past, 
most people would take note of this with some consolation to the 
cold and snow around them. Winter was and hopefully still is a 
time for reflection and "setting in" with family and friends. In 
rural America it gave a well deserved break from some, but not 
all daily business. The growing season was mostly on hold but 
other chores like keeping livestock were ever present chores. 
However it was possible to set aside some time for good reading 
without feeling there was something else to be done. Books and 
periodicals were a means for everyone to advance and share ideas. 
And maybe more than a little pleasure and excitement could be had 
for a dime.

Bookplates like the one above became popular a//round the middle 
of the 15th century. Book plates are labels of ownership, 
generally engraved or printed, placed on the inside covers of 
books, and sometimes known as ex-libris (Latin, "from the books 
of") from the use of those word preceding the owner's name. 
Speaking of reading, some excellent reading about bookplates 
can be found at: 
//(http://www.leatherboundtreasure.com/book_plates.html)

Rural America was just as plugged into what the rest of the 
country was up to as city residents. Often  this would come in 
installments as periodical literature. These were defined by two 
types: popular and scholarly, besides being fiction or non 
fiction in literature. Newspapers along with other publications 
were the only means of communication other than congregating in 
places like towns and places of worship or writing letters. This 
format was very worth while to publishers of the day as it brought 
revenue in the form of advertising of goods and services, besides 
loyal subscribers.

This well established way of receiving information would also 
give readers tutorials or information about subjects people were 
interested in. A good example would be farm journals and 
bulletins. And the information mostly ended up right at your 
door, delivered as 2nd Class Mail, a special rate for 
publications only.

Winter reading is a still special pleasure. But our time is no 
longer measured the same as our rural ancestors. We make room for 
reading at any time and we do not have to enjoy it by taking 
advantage of daylight hours or by a lamp that only illuminates 
for one person. We plunge into our books and magazines but we 
enjoy them just the same as those in the past.

Historical organizations are here to teach (not preach) good 
history. Many do their best work by telling their own story first 
and then writing that into the larger volume of the past. But if 
they are to be a "good read", they should also be included into 
the stories being written today. Not just a winter read but all 
seasons. The farmhouse at Historic Valentown likely has always had 
books and periodicals tucked in a book case, left on a table or 
bed side. Historically it reflected who lived there and what they 
did each day. That concept still has value today. We hope our 
current collection of books and periodicals will let us tell a 
good story now and in the future.

Happy winter reading.

Please keep in touch through this newsletter as we have some 
exciting events coming. We don't want anyone to miss any of our 
news.
As always, we are your down home, hometown museum.
Kathryn White, President

Discover your Made in America Past at Historic Valentown!

Winter Wonders from the Farm - The Old Root Cellar
Various types of root cellars have been used for thousands of 
years as a means of food preservation and storage. Pickling, 
salting, fermentation and forms of drying were other options and 
later food preservation was forever changed when canning was 
successfully achieved in France (1810). Only in modern times with 
refrigeration and improved transportation has the way we eat food 
revolutionized. Historically, eating was seasonal. Many 
wonderful things disappeared from the table until the next 
growing season brought them back to be savored. However the root 
cellar managed to keep some favorites around longer especially 
for the winter months.

Root cellars are becoming popular again and the "new and 
improved" are available. It still takes some knowledge of how 
each food stores best. But you can easily do your research today. 
 

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/root-cellaring/fundamentals 
<https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/root-cellaring/fundamentals-of-root-cellaring-zm0z91zsie>;

/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/agriculture/field-guide/root-cellar.html 
<http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/agriculture/field-guide/root-cellar.html>/

Buy Local, Support Local, Love Local History!

Quote of the Month
 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
Albert Einstein

News and Events
 

On Amazon? Be on for Historic Valentown!

If so, you could use your shopping orders as a way to get
Amazon to donate a percent of your order to Historic
Valentown. And... it won't cost you anything extra! Well,
okay, maybe an extra 5 minutes of your time to set it up. But
once you set it up, that's it. There's nothing else you need
to do except shop! You just log in to Smile.Amazon.com as you
normally would to your Amazon account. It's the same thing,
except now during the purchases checkout, Amazon is slinging

some change Valentown's way!

To see illustrated instructions on how to set it up and what
to visually expect, we've posted in our forums: How to set up
a Smile.Amazon.com Account
http://historicvalentownmuseum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=148&fbclid=IwAR09T4sS-p-RyZfgQgU1fyNuhM8aBQpbBp5wlBeL0oZTHmNI5tuWxFpN7W8

WEB SITE NEWS

We've added a new media album to our web site. It's called
"Hard Times and Redemption", and contains media from 2012
that addressed the effort to raise funds to pay off a looming
mortgage debt. If not for the very generous contributions of
our supporters, our beloved Valentown would now be long gone-
bulldozed into rubble to make room for more of the same
modern commercialism that surrounds us today. It was a
Herculean effort, and well worth remembering to that those
who helped us back then once again.

We took a web rest during the Holidays . But watch for our
survey in January. We want your feedback as we move forward
in 2019!

EVENTS
 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

REMINDER: Valentown's Mason Bee Harvest
(Date, Time and Place to be Determined)

Still postponed! Fortunately, the bees are all nestled, snug in 
their cocoon beds, while visions of spring flowers dance in their 
heads.

If you would like to learn more about our 2018 mason bee project 
at Valentown, check out the Project Update forum here: Mason Bee 
Project Update 
<http://historicvalentownmuseum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=84&topic=84&query=bees#84>;

If you would like to attend (either to participate or to 
observe), please contact Lynne at 
webmaster at historicvalentownmuseum.org. We guarantee it will 
interesting and educational! Or, if you're interested in 
starting your own mason bee house, please contact her about that 
as well.

Spring will be here before you know it!

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

This month we're sharing a few snack recipe's that
make for good finger food fillers during the holidays!
 

Homemade Peanut Brittle

This recipe caused quite a conversation on a Facebook thread when 
posted by Aaron Sher in response to my request for someplace to 
buy quality peanut brittle, a favorite snack in my family during 
the Christmas and New Years holiday. The recipe was obtained by 
Aaron from a friend, who got it out of an old copy of "Mrs. 
Field's Cookbook".

Ingredients

1 1/2 C Peanuts
6 tbsp butter
1 C white sugar
1/4 C water
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Spread nuts in one layer in a well greased 9x13 glass dish

1. In a 2 qt. saucepan combine butter, sugar, water.

2. Over med. heat, stir until sugar dissolves.

3. Let stand covered for 2 minutes

4. Uncover and increase heat to high

5. Cook without stirring until turns golden brown.

6. Quickly remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla

7. Pour immediately over nuts in glass dish

8. Spread to a thin layer if necessary

9. Cool to room temp.

10. Break and store in airtight container

Comment from Aaron: "It does this cool thing when you add the 
baking soda - it's a clear-ish syrup, and then suddenly it turns 
into marshmallow. They say "pour immediately" because it gets 
fairly sticky and if you let it cool down at all it's a pain to 
get out of the pan. I'd suggest washing the pan right away unless 
you have chisels in your kitchen. :-)"

Notes from the conversation condensed: 
1) You can soak the baking dish in hot water to clean it.
2) You can line the baking dish with foil or parchment paper and 
grease that, it makes for easier clean up.

Crunchy Chick Peak Snack

Spicy, salty, and one of the legume family members, so it's got 
health benefits, too!

1. A rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

2. Improves digestion.

3. High in protein and an excellent replacement for meat in
    vegetarian and vegan diets.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained, patted very dry
Kosher salt or Sea Salt

Recipe Preparation

1) Combine paprika, garlic powder and cayenne in a small bowl 
and set aside.

2) Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 
batches, add chickpeas to skillet and saut, stirring frequently, 
until golden and crispy, 15-20 minutes.

3) Using a slotted spoon, transfer chickpeas to paper towels to 
drain briefly.

4) Place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle paprika mixture over; toss to 
coat. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Levi's "What is it?" Department
Hello Friends,
Just a reminder, the Holidays are upon us so we are going to 
depart from our usual "What is It" fun and begin again in 
January. Over the long history of the site, we've seen many 
things come and go. But some things never change or at least are 
still around. It's fun to look back and remember the happy 
moments and see that they are still enjoyed today.

From the Worcester Historical Society: Skater's Waltzes and 
Other Good Times 
<https://incitytimesworcester.org/yummy-back-when-ice-skating-was-free-for-all-in-worcester/>*

A New What's It is on the way for January. So be ready.
Still going. Will it ever be solved...?

The "mystery rods"
    <https://www.facebook.com/157101550971895/photos/a.708518075830237.1073741826.157101550971895/2096916816990349/?type=3&theater>;
    .