Half a century of serving food staple brought by 19th-century Ukrainian immigrants
What do you get when you have –
+ 350 pounds of potatoes.
+ 125 pounds of carrots.
+ 20 pounds of green peppers.
+ 270 pounds of beef.
+ 9 cans of beef base.
+ 300 pounds of cabbage.
+ 125 pounds of onions.
+ 90 cans of tomato juice.
+ 20 pounds of butter.
+ 100 loaves of bread.
+ 40 pounds of ice.
+ 1 gallon of vinegar.
+ 10 gallons of water.
+ 24 quarts of Half & Half.
+ 720 cups of coffee.
+ 110 pies.
Why – a Mountain Lake Christian fund-raising borscht supper – of course.
This food staple – a vegetable soup heavy on potatoes, cabbage and carrots – was brought to the Mountain Lake area by a late 19th-century influx of Mennonite immigrants settlers from the Ukraine. And this year, the 50th annual borscht supper was held at Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) on Friday, November 6.
Below is a photo gallery of the day-ahead prep work to create the borscht and snaps from the supper itself:
KATHY CAVANAUGH ON duty slices up the cooked beef. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
CLEANING THE POTATOES for peeling. At left is Dustin Klassen, and at right, Carter James. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
ELIZABETH LINSCHEID WEIGHS the bags of potatoes. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
SPUD PEELING DUTY. And, they better get those peelings flying; 350 pounds of potatoes are used each year in the borscht. From left, Cheyanne Courts, Rachel Sajban, Abby Moller and Jackson Oltmans. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
ESTHER KLASSEN WASHES up the carrots. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
SCRUB-A-SCRUB scrubbing some of the 125 pounds of carrots used for the borscht recipe. From left, Summer Janzen, Emily Schroeder and Sara Quiring. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
AND THEN, KATHY Penner, left, and Regan James, right shred the carrots to make them add-to-the-canner simmer-ready. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
ZOE SMITH, LEFT and Karen Bargen, right, prepare the zing for the borscht – green peppers. At back is Rosalie Dick. Each year, 20 pounds of peppers are used. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
GENEVA STOESZ FILLS the seasoning packets for each of the 30 canners of borscht made and served each year. (Photo courtesy of Dee Stoesz)
OFFICIAL “STIRRERS” FOR the 30-some canners of bubblin’ borscht simmering on the stove. At front is Elijah Stoesz and at back, Josh Stoesz.
THE BATCHES OF borscht in the canners is dished up into the serving bowls by Marsha Espenson.
AND VOLUNTEERS (INCLUDING Scott Raabe, Mountain Lake Christian Bible/History Literature teacher) deliver the serving bowls to the dining tables.
WHERE THE HUNGRY ladle up and fill, refill and refill again their individual bowls, including Ernie Regehr, left and Miles Anacker, right.
VIRGINIA KARSCHNIK, LEFT, experiences her first bowl of borscht – adding vinegar to this bowlful (and Half & Half to her second serving). Karschnik’s friend, Jody Metcalf, right, enticed her to come to the borscht supper, but was at first uncertain as to Karschnik’s initial reaction. No problem though; it was, as per usual experience, a hit. On average, 700 people are served. The largest crowd was 850 in 1979.
OF COURSE, THE ethnic treat can be purchased to take home, in quart-size jars – or, in this case, by the gallon. Shirley Roghair does the honors filling up the gallon pail.
