Grandmother and her Dairy Business Grandmother was the most marvelous woman alive. She was pretty, had fine features, a little nose, large eyes and a sweet smile. But she had a sharp tongue! She wore long dresses and a kerchief on her head just like the peasants, only showing her little ears. On Sabbath and holidays or when she went on a business trip she wore a sheitel (wig) and earrings. She got along with people and everyone liked her.
Jews were not allowed to own land, so grandmother became a tenant. She bought a few cows and established a diary farm. Her prime occupation was the making of cheese.
I loved visiting grandma on the farm. She would take me on her lap, give me a noisy kiss on both cheeks and say, “A groisse welt fun dire” (You should become a world-known person). But she never had time to play with me, which made me cross. Grandma never even had time to eat a meal. She was always on the run. The only time I remember that she would sit down was to drink a glass of tea. She would pour the tea from the glass into a saucer and drink it from the saucer. She would take a piece of sugar, soften it in the tea, take a bite of it into her mouth, then drink the tea from the saucer. I used to stand near her and watch and often brought another piece of sugar for her. I would even consent to drink some milk, which I hated, but only the way grandma drank tea.
There were several steps in the making of butter. First, the centrifuge separated the milk from the cream. The cream was then put into wooden churners and the peasant girls began the churning process. The kitchen became a hub of work and gossip Induced by the churning rhythm, singing broke out. Mother would join in. She had a good voice and knew all the songs.
In a small shed just outside the kitchen was a big apparatus where the cheese was produced. Grandma occupied herself mostly with the cheeses. She placed them in a mold, then on a plank where they remained for a long time. She inspected each one, caressing it with both hands as if she were creating a piece of art.
What heavenly joy for a child to be allowed to help with the churning! There was my beautiful mother, the most beautiful mother in the world, and my wonderful grandmother, and a young aunt, Miriam, and Masha whom I loved and Dubka who took care of the separating machine, feeding the milk into large containers which he carried into the shed. The golden butter was taken out by hand and placed into wooden bowls. The whey was taken out by hand and placed into wooden bowls. The whey was put aside for the peasants to take home or to feed to the pigs. Everything was warm, the sour smell delicious, and upon closing my eyes I would see the most beautiful forms and colors. But sleep was the conqueror and mother would carry me to bed.
Gesheft (business) was not good in the village and father couldn't obtain work. So grandmother decided that all of us should move to the farm. Father was to be in charge of selling the produce, especially the cheese. This meant going to the market and visiting different estates.
Editor's Notes:Estates refers to the country homes of Polish nobles, of widely varying wealth, scattered over the countryside.
