Ludvipol: A Modern Shtetl
A Happy Childhood
We did not have a cow, so every morning we bought milk and butter from a woman who came to our house. You had to provide your own container into which she would measure the milk out and charge accordingly; we usually bought two or three measures. Butter was bought ready-made from the farmers, wrapped in green leaves since they had no paper. You would buy a kilo of butter wrapped in two huge leaves. And you did not get plain butter: when you opened it up, it was an artistic creation. The farmers used spoons to carve wonderful designs, such as flowers, on the top of each slab of butter. I know they did not use a stamp or press because I once saw a woman etching the design with a spoon. They were expert artists. We used to go and buy the butter in the cool morning because it got too warm later in the day. Even though we could have afforded to buy anything, there were some things that were simply not available for purchase. We made our own cream and farmer’s cheese, for instance. We used to let milk sit in a ceramic container that was narrow on the bottom and wide at the top. In a few days, the sweet cream rose to the top. After we skimmed off the sweet cream, we put the remaining milk into the oven to curdle. The curds were transferred into a heavy triangular cotton bag, which was securely tied and pressed under a heavy stone. After the liquid had drained, the curds became farm- er’s cheese. We bought fresh dairy products every two or three days since we had no refrigeration except for the cold cellar under the house. It was dug in the ground and its wooden walls and supporting planks prevented it from caving in. Two hatches allowed us to walk down the staircase into the cellar. Inside were many well-stocked shelves. We had preserves dating back many years, mostly fruits sweetened into jams and jellies, but also pickled vegetables and fruits. We kept dried fruits in the cellar and a barrel of sour pickled cucum- bers and tomatoes. We bought raisins; grapes did not grow in our corner of the world. Before I left Poland, I had eaten grapes only
45
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online