Elizabeth Weaver, one of the muffin-makers for the Southern
Tier Mennonite Relief Sale, shares her Blueberry Streusel Muffin recipe:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, beaten
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Streusel:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine
In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add egg; mix well. Combine
flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternatively
with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Fill 12 greased or
paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. In a small bowl, combine
sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over
muffins. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned.
Yield is one dozen.
Relief Sale Fame
by Anna Groff
When Elizabeth Miller, a junior at Goshen College,
attends the annual Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale she looks forward to
treating herself to one apple fritter and buying a couple extra to
share with her college friends while sitting in on the quilt auction.
The apple fritters, made by Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, sell for 40
cents a piece or three for a dollar.
Before college, Miller attended the relief sale in Normal, Ill., where
she savored the strawberry pie and cheesecake with her family. Miller
has dreams to travel to as many relief sales as she can and discover
each sale’s specialty. “Each relief sale is known for something special
by the people who attend it,” she said.
At the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale, it’s the apple fritters that
draw thousands year after year, but at the Texas Relief Sale, it’s the
tamales and tostadas. These popular foods bring in the crowds, along
with providing tradition and a way for Mennonites and non-Mennonites
alike to enjoy parts of the Mennonite heritage.
Harriet and Doug Berg of Hidden Valley, Pa., are the
North American relief sale coordinators. “It is always important [for a
relief sale] to have an identifiable item,” Harriet said. “This tends
to create interest and curiosity and bring people back. It also
builds continuity and tends to emphasize the giving aspect – [and]
tends to spur generosity.”
At the Southern Tier Mennonite Relief Sale in Bath, N.Y., a basket of
muffins now brings in over $5,000 at the auction. “Everyone wants to
see what [the] muffins will bring, knowing it will go to a good cause,”
Harriet said.
It all began with a dozen corn muffins baked by Heather Covert, now
Heather Hausauer. Beginning when she was 12 years old she sold the
muffins individually each year, walking up and down the aisle as they
were auctioned off. The muffins sold for $150 to $200 a piece. When
Covert left to go to college, she passed on the muffin-duty to
Elizabeth Weaver, a sixth-grader at that time— the same age Covert was
when she baked the first dozen muffins. Covert and Weaver attend
Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Hammondsport, N.Y.
Weaver, who is currently a junior at Houghton College in New York,
said, “I didn’t want to copy her completely,” so she decided to bake
blueberry muffins. When her muffins brought in well over $2,000, she
said she was confused why anyone would pay that much for baked goods.
Her father explained that is isn’t about the muffins; it’s about
supporting MCC and seeing the younger generation participate in the
sale.
When Weaver went off to college, she passed the responsibility on to
her younger sister, Becca. But two years ago, Covert, the original
muffin-maker, made a comeback and sold her corn muffins at the relief
sale. The first muffin brought in $500. Last year, Covert pulled her
1-year-old daughter up and down the aisle in a wagon while the muffins
were auctioned off.
Millie Weaver, the grandmother of Elizabeth and Becca Weaver, said,
“The crowd went crazy over this. I think we are going to have a
‘parade’ again this summer [at the sale].”
Steve Miller who coordinates the Arthur Mennonite Relief Sale in
Arthur, Ill., said, “I think the benefit of having a staple item is
creating a buzz by word of mouth. When people enjoy their
experience they will share it with others and bring their friends to
the sale next year.”
Lisa Elliot, who works with the Central Missouri
Mennonite Central Committee Relief Auction of Versailles, said they are
working to establish more traditional food items or events. She said
there is hope to use regional attractions in their sale, such as the
steam engine locally-used for an annual corn roast in late summer. “We
think it will add to the fun and the success of our event if we
establish a reputation of offering a certain thing every year so people
can look forward to it,” she said.
What relief sales are famous for…
The Mennonite World Relief Sale in Brooklyn Park, Minn. is known
for its children’s activities and the German verenike, a pastry filled
with cottage cheese which are then fried or boiled and covered with ham
gravy.
The Central Missouri MCC Relief Auction in Versailles offers New Year’s
Cookies, a German cookie that is deep-fried with a sweet glaze, last
year. This year they will add bierrocks, which are pastry pockets
filled with beef, cabbage, onions, and cheese.
The Nebraska Relief Sale in Aurora is famous for the soup supper on
Friday evening, which usually serves 1,200 people and the booth that
sells hundreds of New Year’s Cookies.
The Tri-State Relief Sale in McHenry, Md. impresses the crowds with the
barbecue chicken. People also come for the Friday night silent auction,
which features a high quality art handcrafted by local artisans. The
most famous item is a carved wooden feather by Five-time International
Water Fowl champion, Gary Yoder.
The Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale in Hutchinson offers an online quilt
gallery to display the quilts for the auction on the website ahead of
time so potential quilt-buyers can view the selection. Crowds enjoy the
Friday evening music program which features small groups and quartets
from the region with a focus on traditional gospel music.
The Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale in Kidron sells the popular Laotian egg
rolls. Kidron Mennonite Church sponsored a family from Laos 25 years
ago to come to the U.S. This family makes these eggs rolls for the sale
as a way to say thank you. 4,000 were sold last year.
The Arthur Mennonite Relief Sale in Arthur, Ill. brings crowds for the
homemade donuts and the top quality Amish-made furniture. The selection
of furniture includes bedroom sets, dining rooms sets, entertainment
centers, bookcases, file cabinets, roll-top desks, tea carts, a baby
crib and a grandfather clock.
The Black Creek MCC Relief Sale in Black Creek, British Columbia varies
from norm of quilt auctions with its popular plant sale and rummage
sale. Sharon Janzen, of the coordinator of the Black Creek MCC Relief
Sale said, “We have tried to sell quilts, but they bomb unfortunately.”
The famous food item is the sausage on a bun. Three-hundred pounds of
sausage are sold, either on the bun or by the link.
The Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale of Normal features strawberry pie and cheesecake.
The Central Fraser Valley MCC Relief Sale, Auction and Festival of
Abbotsford, British Columbia, offers the popular verenike. They serve
the cottage cheese variety, with cream sauce and farmer sausage.
The Pennsylvania Relief Sale in Harrisburg is known for the Penny
Power, which is a collection of change from churches to donate to MCC.
The popular food items are strawberry pies, apple dumplings and
homemade ice cream. Also, over 420 quilts are sold per year.
The Northern Michigan Relief Sale in Fairview is known for the UP
pastries, which are pie crust-like pastries filled with beef, potatoes,
carrots, rutabagas and onions. The popular auction items are quilts,
comforters, afghans and baby items.
The Texas Mennonite Sale and Auction for World Relief in Houston is
famous for pepper nuts and shoo-fly pie. Lunch foods that are
sold include tostadas and tamales which are prepared by members of the
Spanish speaking churches in Texas.
The Rocky Mountain Mennonite Relief Sale of Rocky Ford, Colo. is known
for the bierrocks and the Indian fry bread made by the Navajos of the
conference. The event also includes a music program, which has included
choirs from Hesston College, a senior group from New Mexico, and a blue
grass group.
The Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief in Albany is also known
as the “fall festival.” The sale features fresh apple cider, apple
dumplings, and spring rolls.
The Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale in Goshen, Ind. is known for its
diversity of food. They have over 50 places to buy food— both to eat at
the sale and take it home. The Saturday morning pancakes and sausage
breakfast is also a big draw.
