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Maple Grove History Museum
9030 Forestview Lane N.
(South Driveway)
Maple Grove, MN 55369
763-494-5983
Maple Grove Historical Preservation Society
Maple Grove, Hennepin County, Minnesota
by Dorothy Schoenemann
"The day after Thanksgiving our mother opened the brown cook book to the page about Peppernuts. No, there was no pepper in the recipes. Perhaps there was way back in Germany as they were then called pfeffernusse. This special dough had to ripen for about six weeks. A familiar crockery bowl held a round greased ball of spicy fragrance. To prevent drying or cracking during the ripening period, warm melted lard was rubbed on top; Then came the day to bake of this heralded Christmas treat. These tiny, nut like cookies rattled as they were pushed off the baking pans. They filled the corners of a few cookie boxes that were given away.
Oh yes, let’s not forget mincemeat stirred in a large bowl. Cooked beef tongue and heart ground, mixed with raisins, sliced citron, dates, cherries, honey added to a certain dark cake dough, moistened with mother’s home made wild grape wine. That special cake was well received at visits and give aways. For a couple of months our home smelled of baking and the wood stove burning.
Our Wisconsin Grandmother’s box was a treat and a blessing, as it contained beautiful hand knitted sweater, scarves, caps and mittens that her nimble fingers created. In our lower grades those long, black stockings were great protection from the cold as we walked two miles from the old Eagle Lake School.
A week before Christmas Pa would bring home a nice green evergreen tree. We all took turns trimming the branches. One year we had an all bird tree. Another time it was a Christmas card tree. I liked these variations.
My saddest Christmas was the year I saw Ma and Pa putting presents under the tree, when I should have been asleep. I had to know, but my Santa dream was shattered.
The year flocked trees became the”in” thing, my imagination went to work. I walked to one of our idle fields, cut a young red cedar tree, dragged it up a hill, and set it in a wooden tree stand in the dining room corner. I then sprayed it with artificial snow. It was a pretty tree, but it was July before the carpet showed no more flakes.
Memories are jewels of the mind!"