Treasures from the Pandemic

Seems like a lifetime of lockdowns, brief respites, and resurgence during the pandemic. Like many folks, we read, baked, binged watched movies and worked on our home. And we cleaned up clutter, went through files, scrapbooks, cookbooks, greeting cards and photos. Some treasures have been discovered!

Dave Tracy is the son of Jim Tracy, (who was active in the Holy Rosary choir and served on the church committee). Dave was going through boxes his mother saved and found this poster advertising the 1949 Carnival for Holy Rosary Church. FOUR DAYS of rides, games and thrills AND a chance to win a new 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline Special! Oh my!

This was quite a prize! It took awhile for factories to switch from war to domestic production and new cars were still hard to come by in 1949. Like most auto dealers of that era, Capital Chevrolet was located on Broadway.

In the lower right hand of the poster is a Union Label - Label 5, of the Egan Printing Company. Does anyone today know the significance of a Union Label?

So many stories in one poster. Have you uncovered any treasures?

1949 poster

Capital Chevrolet

1949 Fleetliner, courtesy of Wiki Commons

Woman's Glory, The Kitchen

The title was "Woman's Glory, The Kitchen," (which says volumes about women's aspirations in a certain era) but there was also "Kuche Kochen," and "Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans," titles of cookbooks published mid 20th century to instruct "modern homemakers" how to prepare the ethnic dishes their mothers had made. And there were compilations of recipes published by church groups, ladies societies and fraternal organizations in an effort to preserve an ethnic culture that was vanishing as immigrants assimilated. 

But these old books offer much more than kitchen tips and recipes. Inside Woman's Glory, one would find several recipes for potica, a description of the region in which that version originated, information about the person submitting the recipe and lodge events. The German-Russian cookbook, Kuche Kochen, has an entire chapter devoted to blini, along with instructions for preserving food for the winter, customs in the author's village in Russia and prayers said before and after meals.  Published in the 1940s, "Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans"  contained insights into Polish culture as well as instructions for cooking Polish favorites. There are many vintage ethnic cookbooks, but the best ones offer a glimpse into the immigrant culture and way of life even as it was disappearing.  

Published by the Slovenian Women's Union of America

Slovenian Women's Union of America

Available from the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia

Available from the Polish Art Center

Krautburgers, Kraut Bierochs, Runzas

Nothing evokes a memory like a certain smell. The fragrance of onions, cabbage and simmering ground beef. The heavenly aroma of the thin pastry pocket that encloses the mixture. The scent wafts across the parking lot of the First Plymouth Congregational Church in South Denver, but transports me to my grandmother's kitchen in Globeville.
Although my grandmother, Ida Ose Jackson, was Swedish and my Grandfather, Andy Jackson, was Slovenian, most of their neighbors on Sherman Street were Volga Germans and this recipe, like the local gossip, was probably exchanged over the back yard fence. Grandma didn't use a printed recipe but talked throughout the cooking process (so young apprentices needed to watch and listen).  
Like a lot of German Russian fare, krautburgers are made with humble ingredients, cabbage, onion, ground beef and a simple pastry, but can be dressed up with bacon, ham, sausage, cheese and potatoes. Economical, tasty and easy-to-make, these are great directly from the oven, reheated, or cold for a picnic lunch. 
Like the Volga Germans, the recipe migrated from the Rhinelands, to Russia and then to the heartland of America, the ingredients and instructions relayed by word of mouth. As the first generation of Volga immigrants to Colorado passed on, efforts were made to preserve the history, traditions, culture and unique heritage of this little known group and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia was founded in Greeley, Colorado in 1968. The Society would eventually move its headquarters to Lincoln, Nebraska, which had been a clearinghouse for German Russian immigrants. Today, the organization hosts multiple chapters in 24 states and Canada with collections of photos, publications, resources for genealogy and educational programs.
Members of the Metro Denver chapter held their twice yearly bake sale October 6th at the First Plymouth Congregational Church. The funds collected help support the organization's meetings and events, including the next opportunity for ready-made kraut burgers in April. 

Members of the Metro Denver Chapter preparing the filling

American Society of Germans from Russia

North Dakota State University, Germans from Russia Collection