Z : FARM NEwS Scugog Citizen -- Tuesday, August 15,1995 --19 <a < Larry Abram. (left) Is the owner of North Port Tire:which recently opened at 170 Casimir St.. With Larry Is Mark Willes of Port Perry, who had a new set of tires put on his snappy red 1965 Mustang. Larry has 15 years experience with a family business Markham Tire. North Port Tire provides sales and service and Larry says "if it runs on rubber, we can get it for you." The shop Is open six days a week. Buying meat for the freezer Today's family is trying-new. ways to be budget wise now more ' than ever. A great way to help extend grocery budget is by purchasing bulk freezer meats. Durham Region Farm Fresh Marketing Association's Guide to Produce proVides a list of many of the freezer meat producers. Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating new recommends consuming two to three servings of meat altprnatives everyday. Current research studies show that the iron in meat is the most readily form of iron absorbed by our bodies. There's no better way to get this nutritious product at a great price than buying it in bulk. Taking advantage of the option of buying your meat for the freezer has many benefits. It allows your order to be tailored to your needs, for example, you decide how thick your steaks are and how many -are placed together in each package depending on the size of your family. Another great bonus to buying freezer meat is that it allows you to save time on shopping and meal planning. Also, the tenderness of your meat will also be increased by allowing it to age a bit longer. ' 'Some things to take into consideration when purchasing freezer meats are. ' - How much meat does your family consume in six to twelve months? - What type and cuts of meat does your family prefer? - How much freezer room can you allow for meat? - What grade of meat do you desire? Durham Farm Fresh Marketing Association's guide, lists producers in Durham Region with all types of meat, including beef, lamb, pork, venison, chevon, poultry, and fish. For your Durham Farm Fresh Guide to Produce call the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affajrg at (905) 985-2003. Ferguson Family reunion Seventy-seven members gathered for the fifty-eighth reunion of the Ferguson Family recently. Registration was supervised by Janis Dorrell and family. A "Get Acquainted" activity was enjoyed by many. Grant Ferguson, president, asked Stuart Dorrell to say grace and a bountiful pot luck meal was enjoyed by all. Grant welcomed everyone, especially the Fergusons from the Western Ontario Reunion who were hosted here this year. Ken Ferguson brought greetings from the Western Ontario Pignic. Kathleen Dorrell presided for completed the Get Acquainted activity and presented Certificates of Merit to them. The winners of the contests and their suitable prizes were: Oldest Man - Everett Sparling, note pad to write things down to remember; Oldest Lady - Verona Ferguson, beaded hair net; Most Recently Married - Ian Ferguson, measuring spoons Farthest Distance - Frank Ferguson, Ottawa, Ferguson mug Lost His Keys Lately - Ed Dunbar, key chain Most Recently Retired - George Dunbar, mug CE Boiled A Pot Dry Recently - Cathy Smith, pot scraper * Knowing The Author Of Gardening Poem - Thelma Wright, booklet of garden poems Going On A Trip - Brian Johnson, tooth brush and paste When is Valentine's Day - Keith Johnston, sweetheart candy Broke A Dish Lately - Remy McCoy, plastic cup and saucer Written An Article For The Toronto Star - George Dunbar, note pad & pencil Left Dirty Dishes In The Sink - Sandra Morton, spoon holder First Time To The Picnic - Carlie Wright, Ferguson mug Sang A Solo In Church This Morning - Stuart Dorrell, candy for a treat A Man Who Has Got Thinner Lately - Grant Ferguson, pot holder . Someone In The Sheep Business ~ Carla McLaughlin, a tiny sheep Youngest Child- Carlie Wright, baby spoon The executive for 1996 will be: Past President - Maryllis Dongelmans, President - Grant Ferguson, Vice-President - Stuart Dorrell, Secretary - Marjorie Neals, Treasurer - Gary Mountjoy, Registration - Janis Dorrell, Adult Activities - Kathleen Dorrell, Children's Sports - lan & Kris Ferguson, Social Committee - Joan & Harvey Graham. Ferguson baoks are still available from Eleanor Ferguson for $15 plus mailing, Ken Ferguson still has a few. During the business session children's activities were conducted outdoors by Ian Ferguson with the following winners: Running, 5 and under - Jennifer Smith 6-8 years - Michael Ferguson, 2nd Hayley Johnson, 3rd Scott Morton 9-12 years 1st. Andrew Ferguson, 2nd Adam Johnson, 3rd Abby McLaughlin Balloon race, 6-8 years - 1st Hailey Wright, 2nd Michael Ferguson, 3rd Joe McCoy 9-12 Years - 1st Adam Johnson, 2nd Carla McLaughlin, 3rd Remy McCoy Balloon Stomp, 6-8 years - 1st Scott Morton, 2nd Hayley Johnson, 3rd hailey Wright 9-12 years - 1st Adam Johnson, 2nd Andrew Ferguson, 3rd Abby McLaughlin Water Balloon - tied, lan & Andrew Ferguson with Ann & Kyle Dunbar, 3rd Carla McLaughlin & Joe McCoy The Winner of the tenth (and final?) cherry pit spitting contest was Ed Dunbar. This' concluded another successful Ferguson get together. 4-H teams in the hunt for 'Go for the Gold' medals The annual 4-H "Go for the Gold" competition was held in the Blackstock United Church on August 3. . There were 14 teams participating and these included Sheep #1, Sheep #2, Dairy #1, Dairy #2, Swine, Vet, Woodworking, Wearable Art #1, Wearable Art #2, Line Dancing, Rabbit, Field Crops, Horse and Beef. Each team has four members chosen from the club. The team must have one novice, one junior, one senior and one other. The questions that they must answer are made up from the projects currently running in 1995. The projects may not be currently running in our county so this adds to the challenge for the contestants. The projects for this year were as follows: Safety, Horse - training and management, Poultry - Housing and management, Veterinary - muscles and bones, Sheep - housing and management, woodworking, beef - management and marketing, Dairy management and marketing, Rabbit - housing and health, Goat - housing and health, Swine - housing and management, Loyal to the Soil, Wearable Art, Horticulture, Maple Syrup, and General knowledge of 4H, food, health and general interest. There was an increase in the number of teams playing this year so some only played oné game but did so with typical 4H enthusiasm. The top six teams played off for total points and the championship game! The Gold Medal team this year was Swine, consisting of Jeff Crasier, Jason Crosier, Anson Crosier and Jeff Kemp. The Silver Medal team was Field Crops, made up of Dianne Bowman, Stephen Found, Ben Millson and Janelle Kellogg. The Regional team coached by Tom Barrie is Heather Malcolm, Ben Millson, Nancy Metcalf and Heather Goulding, with Dianne Bowman as alternate. Good Luck to all of them! We will be thinking of them on September 30 in Brooklin. Congratulations to the Swine and Field Crops for being the Durham East County winners for 1995. . Fresh tomatoes from the fields Whether you eat them raw with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, toss them in a fresh summer salad or cook them in a main course dish, tomatoes are a favourite world over. Ontario's field tomato season gets into full swing in early to mid August. There are numerous local roadside markets or pick your own vegetable farms where you can pick up fresh tomatoes. When picking or purchasing fresh field tomatoes, select ones that are ripe, but still firm. To check firmness, do not pinch the tomato, simply cradle it in your hand, A good field tomato feels heavy, for its size and it should | be free of bruises and mold. A crack at the stem end is common, but it will not affect the / taste. ' Store matoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight' to prevent uneven ripening. Do not refrigerate tomatoes unless they are extremely overripe, or if the weather is very warm. The best place in these situations is in the butter compartment of the refrigerator. Always allow tomatoes to come to room temperature before serving for fullest flavour. To ripen underripe tomatoes, store them in a brown paper bag with fruit such as apples or pears. The fruit gives off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process. For listing of local field tomato growers contact the Durham Farm Fresh Marketing Association at 905-985-2003, and request a guide to fresh produce in Durham Region. Durham 4-H pays visit to Northwood by Jessica Dare i The fourth meeting of the Durham West 4-H Animal Friends Club was held at Northwood Buffalo and Exotic Animal Ranch in Seagrave, August 3. Our host, Mrs. Phillips gave us a tour of the ranch and told us a bit about each animal. They have amazing varieties of exotic animals, different breeds of cats, wolves, birds, bears etc. After the tour we walked around taking a longer look at the animals and got a chance to feed a few. Some of their animals have appeared in a few commercials, T.V. series and movies. We went over the meeting in our books and decided where and when our next meeting would be. We came up with August 19, 1995 at Tra-Lee Vet Glinic in Orangeville. We will be leaving Sunderland at 10:00 am. For more information call Dorothy Shier at (705) 437-1358.