Planning A Trip Around Handcrafted Confections by K. Bailey Fucanan (NAPSA)—Be it homemade apple butter, artisanal cheese or freshly ground peanut butter, the treats are sweet in Valley Forge and Montgomery County, Pa. Spun from old family recipes or created with cutting-edge technology, these specialty items illustrate the best ofthis lush countryside’s bounty. In Sessamansville, about 40 minutes northwest of Valley Forge National Historical Park, you'll find Bauman’s Family PA Dutch Fruit Butters and Cider. More than 18 different fruit products are in Bauman’s recipe files, so there’s always something simmering slowly at the factory/store, depending on the season: peaches and tomatoes in the summer, apples in the fall, of course. And a pumpkin butter that, according to owner Harvey Bauman,“tastes just like pumpkinpie, exceptit’s fat free.” Calorie counting’s not permitted at Asher’s Chocolates in Souderton, Pa. Visitors take tours showcasing the company’s history, witness the “enrobing”of foods in chocolate and enjoy free samples. All the company’s boxed candies, fresh fudge, truffles and more are offeredin theon-siteretail store. The Edwards-Freeman Nut Company in Conshohockenis a confectionary “memory lane,” reminding patrons of childhood treats from peanut chews to candy necklaces. Bountiful aisles feature roasted nuts, designer trail mixes, chocolates and the company’s signature peanut, cashew and almond The Valley Forge area and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, are home to several artisans known for their specialty food items. butters, all groundon-site. ‘Antoine Amrani Chocolatesin E. Norritonis the exclusive chocolate factory shop of the former executive pastry chef of Philadelphia’s legendary Le Bec Fin. Amrani, who has been dubbed a “chocolate savant,” handcrafts his decadent chocolateconfectionsusingonly allnatural and organic ingredients. The sameattention to detail is evident at The Great American Popcorn Works of Pennsylvania, tucked away in an old creamery building in downtown Telford. “It's all about the corn and the wayit’s popped,” said ownerSteve Fleischer. Butterfly corn, instead of the commonly used mushroom variety, is wet-popped with corn oil to create this tender, crunchytreat. Fleischer pops about a thousand poundsofcorn, in small batches, per week. For more information about these purveyors and others in the area, go to www.valleyforge. org/madeinmontco. Ms. Fucananis the director of communications for the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau.
