SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Stars, stripes, and bites:
Modern and colonial
American recipes for
Independence Day
Heppner boys one step closer
to National Junior Olympics
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MUSIC IN THE PARK
HOSTED BY HOPEFUL SAINTS
Featuring Brass Fire Band
at 5:00 pm on Sunday,
July 13 at Heppner City Park
Face Painting and activities at 3:00 pm
Contributed Image
Celebrate Indepen-
dence Day with a nod to
America’s colonial past, re-
imagined for a modern 4th
of July feast. These recipes
draw from early American
culinary traditions, blend-
ing rustic ingredients and
techniques with festive
twists that honor the na-
tion’s heritage. Perfect for a
community gathering under
wide skies, these dishes
bring history to the table
with bold, crowd-pleasing
flavors that capture the
spirit of independence.
Beef Short Ribs with
Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Origin: Short ribs with
a fruit-based sauce mod-
ernize classic American
barbecue for a festive twist.
Ingredients:
4 lbs beef short ribs
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup ketchup,
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vin
egar
1 tsp Worcestershire
sauce
Instructions:
Rub ribs with salt, pep-
per, and paprika. Slow-cook
in an oven at 275°F for 3-4
hours or until tender. In a
saucepan, simmer blueber-
ries, ketchup, brown sugar,
vinegar, and Worcestershire
sauce for 15 minutes until
thickened; blend smooth.
Brush ribs with sauce and
broil 3-5 minutes for a glaze.
Why It Fits: The blueberry
sauce adds a patriotic blue
hue and modern flair to this
indulgent 4th of July dish.
Grilled Rabbit
with Mustard Sauce
Origin: Rabbit was wide-
ly hunted and grilled
in early America, often
paired with tangy sauc-
es for festive occasions
like Independence Day.
Ingredients:
2 whole rabbits
(cleaned, cut into piec
es)
2 tbsp lard or butter, 1
tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup mustard
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider
vinegar
1/4 cup water
Instructions:
Rub rabbit pieces with
lard, salt, and pepper. Pre-
heat a grill or oven to 350°F.
Grill rabbit over medium
heat or roast for 30-40 min-
utes, turning occasionally,
until internal temperature
reaches 160°F. In a sauce-
pan, combine mustard,
honey, vinegar, and water;
simmer 5 minutes until
thickened. Serve rabbit
with warm mustard sauce.
Why It Fits: Grilled rabbit
reflects frontier resourceful-
ness, and the mustard sauce
adds a zesty, period-appro-
priate touch for a 4th of July
barbecue.
C o r n on t h e Cob
with Firecracker Butter
Origin: A twist on classic
American corn, a summer
staple since Native Ameri-
can times, jazzed up for fun.
Ingredients:
6 ears of corn (husked)
1/2 cup butter (soft
ened)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp chopped fresh
cilantro
1 tsp lime zest
salt to taste.
Instructions: Boil or grill
corn for 5-7 minutes until
tender. Mix butter, chili
powder, paprika, cilantro,
lime zest, and salt to make
firecracker butter. Slather
hot corn with the butter
mixture. Serve immediately
with extra butter on the side.
Why It Fits: Corn is quint-
essentially American, and
the spicy, zesty butter adds
a “firecracker” pop that
screams 4th of July fun.
Liberty Baked Beans
Origin: A classic from
colonial New England,
baked beans were a
hearty side at early
American celebrations.
Ingredients:
1 lb navy beans (soaked
overnight)
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 lb bacon (chopped)
1 onion (diced)
2 tbsp mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a large oven-safe pot,
cook bacon until crisp,
then add onion and cook
until soft. Stir in molas-
ses, brown sugar, mustard,
ketchup, salt, and pep-
per. Add drained beans
and water, stir, and cov-
er. Bake for 4-5 hours,
checking occasionally and
adding water if needed,
until beans are tender and
sauce is thick. Serve warm.
Why It Fits: Sweet, smoky,
and rich, these beans are a
crowd-pleaser that ties to
America’s culinary roots,
perfect for a patriotic feast.
Pickled
Wa-
termelon
Rind
Origin: Popular in the 18th
and 19th centuries, pick-
ling watermelon rind was
a thrifty way to use the
whole fruit, often served
as a tangy side at summer
celebrations.
Ingredients:
Rind from 1 small wa-
termelon (peeled, green
skin removed
cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp allspice berries
Instructions:
In a saucepan, combine
vinegar, water, sugar, cinna-
mon, cloves, and allspice.
Bring to a boil, stirring until
sugar dissolves. Add wa-
termelon rind and simmer
15-20 minutes until tender
and translucent. Remove
from heat, cool slightly, and
transfer rind and liquid to a
clean jar. Chill for at least
24 hours before serving.
Why It Fits: This colo-
nial-era preserve adds a
sweet-tangy crunch to your
4th of July spread, reflect-
ing early American ingenui-
ty and resourcefulness.
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Joseph Albitre in the long
jump at the Inland Junior
Olympics Championships,
where he placed eighth. -Con-
tributed photo
Chris Humphreys placed
third in the javelin at the In-
land Junior Olympics Cham-
pionships in Spokane last
weekend. -Contributed photo
Christopher Hum-
phreys and of Heppner
continue to move forward
on their quest to make the
National Junior Olympics
in Georgia.
This past Saturday,
June 28, both competed at
the Inland Junior Olympics
Championships in Spokane,
WA, competing against
some of the region’s top
athletes.
Christopher took
third place in the jave-
lin throw, while Joseph
took third in high jump
and eighth place in the long
jump.
Both qualified to move
forward to the Region 13
qualifying meet this Sat-
urday, July 5, where they
will compete against the
top athletes in the 17- to
18-year-old division. Re-
gion 13 includes the states
of Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and Alaska.
Only the top eight ath-
letes in each event will
qualify for the National
Junior Olympics, which
are held in Savannah, GA
July 21-27.
Chamber
plans
quarterly
luncheon
The Heppner Chambe
of Commerce will hold
its third quarter luncheon
Thursday, July 10, from
noon to 1:20 p.m. at the
Morrow County Agricultur-
al Museum. The luncheon
will be catered by DeSpain
Pizza at a cost of $15 per
person.
The guest speaker will
be Chris Sykes, a new board
member for the Morrow
County Heritage and Agri-
cultural Museums. He will
be sharing recent updates
and future plans for the
museums, as well as infor-
mation about membership.
P re-reg i s t rat i o n i s
required for lunch, and
RSVPs are requested by
July 3.
ALL NEWS AND
ADVERTISEMENT
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
This is a free event thanks to the Morrow
County Unified Recreation District
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PUBLIC NOTICE
Town of Lexington Burn Ban
The Fire Chief of the Town of Lexington is imposing
a closed season for the Town of Lexington for open
burning effective Monday, June 16, 2025, until
further notice. The ban includes all burning barrels
and open burning.
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