Vol. 2-Interview- Gera

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Angela 6/10/72

Club House- Conversation with George Gera between 5 pm & 7:00 pm determined that Mr. Cox did indeed give a mule barn to the union–headed by Banas–whose planks & board wood was used to build the present “Emerald House” clubhouse (or “clubby”, in local idiom). The mule barn was located near end of town, on flat space near where road turns at Emil Gera’s house. The mule barn did not burn down. (Perhaps Banas referred to being fired instead of a fire in the barn.)

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Angela Varesano 6/10/72 George Gera

Mr. Coxe did, indeed, give a mule barn to the union headed by Banas. Its planks abd board wood was used to build the present Emerald House clubhouse or “clubby” in local idiom. The mule barn was located near the end of the town on a flat-space near where the road turns at Emil Fera’s house. The mule barn did not burn down. Perhaps Banas referred to “being fired” instead of a fire in the barn.

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Angela Varesano 8/17/72 George Gera

Gravy: Mix flour and water in a mixer. After meat is fried, remove meat, please sufficient water in grease in rying pan, mix well, heat grease and water to boil, place flour mixture in, and cook well.

Potato cakes: 4 medium size potatoes salt and pepper graded onion or onion salt 1 or 2 eggs 1 or 2 tablespoons flour Mazola oil

Clean potatoes, grade potatoes, grade one onion, and grade them together and mix. Place tint of salt and pepper and maybe garlic salt in with the eggs and mix. Add the flour and mix. Heat the oil. Place the mixture in oil using judgment for one potato cake by one wooden spoon full.

Fried fish: Icelandic fillet or trout. Beat teo eggs. Dip the fish in the flour then eggs then cracker meal then eggs again. Fry slowly in a frying pan.

Fried chicken legs: Do them the same way as the fish, but put in a pot with lid on and a piece or two of butter over them. 375 for 45 minutes

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Angela Varesano 8/17/72 George Gera

These are recipes cooked by his mother for her family.

Holupki/Fried Cabbage/Pigs in a Blanket

1 pound beef 1/4 pound pork 1/4 cup rice, washed off in cold water salt and pepper 1 egg tomato soup (1/2 can into meat; rest put into mixture before cooking) 1 small onion (may be cut up and put into mixture, or it may be placed into the bottom of pot as a whole onion)

Take the rice after washing and drain the water off. Put into the meat. Mix the meat and one graded onion; mix by hand or spoon. Put 1/2 can tomato soup in the meat and mix. Place tint of salt and pepper and one egg in mixture and mix all together. Clean the outside leaves off a head of cabbage. Cut out the inner corewith a sharp knife, and cook the head in a pot of water until the leaves are soft, when the usually turn a dark green. After leaves are cooked, peel leaves off separately. Put a little bit of the meat mixture in he center of a leaf, rollm, and tuck in the ends. Please all the rolled cabbages in a pot with the rest of the tomato soup and fill with water to cover the rolled cabbages. Let cook for about a half hour or more.

Homemade soup:

2 pound piece of beef, in one piece several soup bones small piece of pork butt wash meat; allow to soak let water in a pot come to a boil please meat in as it is boiling; it will leave a “meat scum” on top of the water; take some of the scum off witha screen for a while put “burner” of stove on “slow” for about an hour while meat is cooking clean vegetables; carrots, fresh celery with tops and bottoms, one onion, four potatoes, salt and pepper, onion salt and garlic salt, and maybe a head of cabbage, adding tomotoes or tomato soup and placing all in the boiling water with meat (potatoes go in last because they “fall apart” easily) fresh parsley may be added

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A. Varesano George Gera written 8/16/71, received 8/17/72 10:30 am.

These are recipes cooked by his mother for her family.

“Halupki” or Filled Cabbage or “Pigs in the Blanket” 1 lb. beef 1/4 lb. pork 1/4 cup rice (wash off in cold water) salt and pepper 1 egg tomato soup (1/4 can into meat–rest put into mixture before cooking) 1 small onion may be cut up and put into mixture–or it may be placed into bottom of pot as whole onion Steps of Procedure: 1) take 1/4 cup rice, wash it off–drain water off and put into meat 2) mix 1 lb. beef and 1/4 lb. pork and 1 grated onion (by hand or spoon in bowl) (ground pork & ground beef) 3) place 1/4 can tomato soup in meat and mix 4) place tint [?] of salt and pepper 5) place 1 egg in mixture and mix altogether 6) obtain 1 medium sized head of cabbage–clean outside leaves off–cut out inner core of cabbage with sharp knife & cook head of cabbage in pot of water until leaves are soft (leaves usually turn dark green) 7) after leaves are cooked, peel off separately leaves 8) take a little bit of leaf & place meat mixture in center of leaf and roll–then tuck in ends of “pig in blanket” 9) place all rolled cabbages with mixture of meat therein in pot with rest of tomato soup in pot and fill with water to cover rolled cabbages and let cook for about 1/2 hour or more!

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Recipe for homemade soup:

2 lb. piece of beef (place in one piece) several soup bones small piece of pork butt wash meat, allow to soak. let water in a pot come to boil place meat in, as it is boiling, it will leave “meat scum” on top of water–take some of this “meat scum” off with a screen for awhile then put “burner” of stove on “slow” for about an hour while meat is cooking, clean vegetables first carrots fresh celery (top and bottoms) 1 onion salt and pepper onion salt and garlic salt [there is a note next to this list that carrots through garlic salt should “all be placed in boiling water with meat” (may be even piece of head of cabbage, add tomatoes or tomato soup. (potatoes go in last because they will “fall apart” early. sometimes fresh parsley could also be put in.

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To make Gravy:

Mix flour and water in mixer. After meat is fried, remove meat, place sufficient water in grease in frying pan, mix well, then heat water and grease to boil, then place flour mix and cook well.

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Potato Cakes:

4 medium sized potatoes salt and pepper graded [sic] onion (or onion salt) 1 or 2 eggs 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour mazola oil

clean potatoes grade potatoes grade 1 onion [There is a direction next to the potatoes and onion that says “grade together and mix”] place tint [sic] of salt and pepper maybe also garlic salt place 1 or 2 eggs and mix add 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour and mix add mazola oil (heat oil first) place mixture in oil (use judgement for one potato cake by one wooden spoon full.

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Fried Fish

[illegible] Fillet & Trout Fry slowly Beat eggs (2 eggs) fish in flour [There are ditto marks below the words “fish” and “in” to indicate they are repeated for the rest of the ingredients. For clarity, the words were written out here.] fish in eggs fish in cracker meal fish in eggs again fish in frying pan (Fried chicken legs) Do also the same way–but place in with lid on–a piece or two of butter over– 375 degrees for 45 minutes!

Contributions Message

Melanie Akren-Dickson, Amy Kirkpatrick and Camille Westmont