The Meaning of Groundhog Day Here in Eastern PA
With the cold winter weather and Groundhog Day upon us, some of the boys got together in the D&H kitchen and tasting room to enjoy a sustaining beef stew and chat about the traditions and necessities that made this dish a local favorite. We’ll even give you the FREE recipe for beef stew!
"The origin of Groundhog Day is connected to the Sun’s movement across the sky. Groundhog Day is one of the four so-called cross-quarter days, which mark the midpoints between the solstices and equinoxes. Groundhog Day comes approximately midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Other cross-quarter days fall near May Day and Halloween. The tradition holds that if the groundhog sticks his head out of his burrow and sees his shadow, we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter. But if the weather is cloudy, it means spring is right around the corner.""The weather lore was brought from German-speaking areas where the badger (German: Dachs) is the forecasting animal. Germans who emigrated to Eastern Pennsylvania brought the tradition with them and adapted it to include the native groundhog. The standard term for "groundhog" was grun′daks (from German dachs), with the regional variant in York County being grundsau."
This tradition celebrated on February 2nd each year has been made famous worldwide by Punxsutawney Phil and is an amazing testament to the unique traditions and heritage of our Pennsylvania home.
Dundore & Heister Artisan Beef Stew & The Groundhog Song
DUNDORE & HEISTER'S
ARTISAN BEEF STEW RECIPE
Serves 10-12 people
INGREDIENTS
FOR BEEF STEW
4 lbs. • D&H Beef Stew Meat (1 inch cubes)
14 oz. • diced white onion (1/2 inch)
2 cups • diced carrot (1/2 inch)
4 cups • peeled diced potatoes (1 inch)
2 cups • crushed tomato in puree
1 lb. • green beans (cut 1 inch)
2 oz. • D&H beef suet or olive oil
1.5 cups • water
2 tbsp • red wine vinegar
1 tbsp • salt
1 tsp • pepper
Need Stew Beef for the recipe? No problem!
We have D&H Beef Stew Meat – 2 lb. packages of pre-diced beef ready to go.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
FOR BEEF STEW
01 •
Heat suet or olive oil in a thick bottom dutch oven.
02 •
Add cubed beef and onion, brown well.
03 •
Add salt, pepper, potatoes, carrots, tomato, water & vinegar.
04 •
Cover and simmer slowly 3 1/2 hours.
05 •
Uncover & check for seasoning.
06 •
Add green beans and simmer for 10 minutes.
07 •
Plate and serve.