THE IRWIN FAMILY STORY

The Irwin family has history going back to the noble Von Blume Family of Germany in early 1700’s.  The Von Blume family was involved in the Monrovian church and risked religious persecution during the 30 years war.  Upon arrival to America, two Von Blume brothers, Philip and John, changed their last name. Some say they did this to avoid religious harassment, but there are rumors that they were wanted for stealing horses in Germany and were avoiding discovery.  Either way, their name was changes Antes which is the Latinized Greek word for “flower”.  Blume in German means Flower. 

Brother Philip was a patriotic citizen to the United States.  He owned and iron foundry and cast the first cannon for use by the Continental Army.  The British were very disappointed of Philip and promptly put a price on his head.  He was also a colonel of the Philadelphia county militia. 

Brother John joined the continental army and served under George Washington as Lieutenant Colonel in 1776.  John had many talents.  He is said to be one of the first American composers, and expert watch maker, an inventor, and instrument maker, missionary for the Monrovian Church and world traveler.  On a missionary expedition to Egypt, followers of Osman Bey captured John.  He was tortured and nearly beaten to death.  Finally he was released when an unknown officer claimed to know him.  John claims to have never seen the officer in his life. 

The brothers were very active during colonial America  in Pennsylvania.  They participated as justice of the peace, county commissioner, judge of the court of common pleas, and a few other positions.  From them, came a long line of Antes with rich German traditions.  This recipe is a variation of the Antes way of preparing sauerkraut and bacon served with apples and sausages.  It reflects my love for German food such as sauerkraut and sausages.  The tradition of this recipe dates back to colonial times in Pennsylvania in the early 1700’s.  Sauerkraut cooked with bacon, sausages or other vitiations would be eaten on New Years day. This guaranteed good luck for the coming year.  Did it work, who knows?  When fall came to upstate Pennsylvania the sauerkraut was made by Grandma in the same way as the early colonists who settled in Pennsylvania from Germany in the early 1700’s.  The cabbage was chopped, salted and placed in a large crock, covered with a plate and weighed down with a rock.  In a few weeks the sauerkraut was ready for many enjoyable meals.  Von Blume Krout and Sausage is open to many variations.  A favorite is to serve the bacon sauerkraut along with large sweetly smoked sausages covered with apple compote and mash potatoes and country gravy on the side to make a completely traditional German Meal. 

Von Blume Kraut & Sausage

1 Jar Sauerkraut, 24 oz or larger
1 large onion
8 bacon strips
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

THE YAKIMO FAMILY STORY:
The Yakimo family story traces back two generations to a small town in the Ukraine, where a 16-year-old boy traveled around the world to begin a new life. In 1908 John Yakimov left his childhood home in a small Ukraine village after reading an ad in an United States news paper calling for led miners. This ad convinced John to make the long trip to Ellis Island, NY; here his last name was changed to Yakimo- a common scenario for those arriving at Ellis Island from other countries. After his arrival in the United States, John had to continue his journey to reach Flat River, Missouri, where hundreds of men battled the mines daily to earn a meager living. Here John began his job, worked hard, and was paid little for the dangerous work he was performing. As time passed however, John’s loneliness drove him to write back home; only it was not a letter to his family. Back in the Ukraine, John’s family had neighbored a farming family where a young girl (around John’s age) lived. It was to this family that John wrote the letter; he wanted the daughters hand in marriage. John had been saving his money for quite some time and even offered to pay thirty pieces of silver for her (a price that was worth two cows at this time). The girl’s father could not refuse John’s offer and hastily sent his only daughter to the United States to marry John. Within three weeks of her arrival, they were married and soon had 5 children. The two continued to live in Flat River Missouri, John continued to work at the mines, and his new wife began work at the city store. Here, everyone knew her; she got their mail, sold them their food, and helped them in any way she could. The family was happy and settled until their lives changed drastically after the return of the WWII soldiers.
In 1920, when the soldiers returned home, they found their jobs taken by men and women from other countries. These men and women were hard workers, and business owners could get away with hiring them for less pay. With the ability to save money by employing foreign workers, company owners were reluctant to give the soldiers back their jobs. The soldiers returning to Flat River were enraged by this and decided something had to be done. In their anger they marched through the town with guns and took every family not born in the U.S. and sent them on coal cars headed to St. Louis. Here, the Yakimo family established their new home, and began a life not chosen by them, but rather for them. Surrounded by families that could not speak English, the children of the family were assumed deaf at school; it was not that they could not hear or speak, but that they did not understand what was being spoken to them. Living in a town where everyone spoke varied languages, the family had never had the need or the opportunity to learn English; this resulted in the children’s silence in class. It was not until the youngest reached age 7 that the family began to learn English, and the school teachers soon realized what the problem had been.
Despite the prejudices and troubles thrown upon the Yakimo family, it did not stop them from living a successful and happy life. What started out as neighbors in a small Ukraine village turned into a loving family living in St. Louis Missouri. John and his wife’s children eventually returned to Flat River where the family’s stories became a heavily saturated part of their lives. Now, John’s granddaughter is left to tell the story of how their family came to the United States and how they came to live in St. Louis- a story that she says her children will know well before she passes.

PYROHIS (Varenyky)
(Potato,Onion and Cheese-filled Dumplings)
Filling ingredients:
10 to 12 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1/2 pound grated medium or Colby cheddar cheese
4 medium onions ( chopped)
1# stick margarine
Garlic and salt and coarse black pepper
Dough ingredients:
5 - 7 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
Salt
water (as needed)
Directions:
Prepare potatoes as you would for mashed potatoes until tender and then drain and keep in the pot. At the same time the potatoes are cooking, saute' the onions in the entire pound of margarine. When the onions are done, using a slotted spoon, scoop out about 3/4 of the onions and put into the pot of potaotes. You will be saving almost all the margarine for the end of the recipe with a little bit of the onions. Also add the shredded cheddar cheese to the potatoes. Then using an electric mixer, mash the potato mixture until as smooth as possible. It will be lumpy somewhat with the onions in it. At that time, add garlic and salt and pepper to your own taste and mix until done. Set aside to cool while you work on the dough.
In a large bowl, put about 6 cups of flour in making a well in the middle. In the well, put in one tsp. Salt, both eggs ( already slightly beaten), and about one cup of water. Mix well with a strong wooden spoon and add water or flour as needed until the dough is formed. When it's almost ready it will no longer stick to the sides of the bowl. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and shiny. Use flour as needed, but not too stiff. Set aside and let the dough rest.
Fill a large 6 -8 quart pot with water, add a tsp. Of salt, and bring the water to rolling boil.
The process of the making the pyrohis is easy but it is a long one. Extra hands are always welcome in making this delicious meal.....
On one side of your table, place a clean sheet folded to fit your space and flour this very well. It will be the place you will set your pyrohis between the making and actual boiling of them. If your surface is not floured, they will stick and fall apart in the boiling process.
Cut off about 1/3 of the dough and rolls with a rolling pin until thin (not too thing). Cut circles with a round bisquit cutter or a glass. Keep hands floured so the dough doesn't stick and stretch out dough a little a a time until there is enough space to put the potato mixture in. With a teaspoon, fill the center of the dough with the potato mixture and fold the dough over and pinch the edges tight with floured fingers to form a crescent. Put the completed pyrohi on your well-floured sheet and continue the process until all your pyrohi are done. If the water is boiling too much, turn down until you are ready to boil them.
Now the actual cooking starts. Put about a dozen of the pyrohi in the boiling water and stir once easily to loosen them. Now let them boil until they float to the top of the pot and let them boil for another minute or so. Remove them one at a time with a large slotted spoon and put them into a colander to drain. Use a large cake pan or a roaster pan and drizzle the bottom with the extra onion margarine. Place the drained pyrohi in the pan and cover them with a little margarine mixture and shake the pan back and forth to keep the pyrohis from sticking to each other. Repeat the process until all the pyrohi are done. Kep the large pan or roaster in the oven only on warm and cover them with foil or lid to keep them from drying out.
Any extra dough?? Roll out thin on the floured surface and cut into strips, boil, drain and use for buttered noodles or holushki (Sauteed cabbage and noodles.)