Verenika-making tradition continues
Staff writer
The annual Mennonite Relief Sale will again feature Hillsboro-made verenika this year.
Organizers of the verenika-making project were uncertain whether the tradition would continue, following the devastating fire March 7 at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
Equipment used to make the Low-German cottage cheese-filled dumplings was stored in the basement of the church.
Although a few items were damaged in the fire, according to committee member Anita Goertzen, they now have everything they need and verenika-making day is scheduled for Tuesday at Marion County Fairgrounds.
About 200 volunteers from area churches will be on hand to make the 19,000 verenika needed for the sale. Teams of cooks begin at 8 a.m. and work continues until about 3 p.m.
Volunteers who have been part of the project in the past are experienced in the assembly-line process of verenika-making.
The group uses huge mixers for making dough. Two dough-rolling machines are used to roll it out.
"Before 1986 or 1987, they had to roll all the dough by hand," said Goertzen. Now they use dough rollers, which makes the work somewhat easier.
The cottage cheese mixture is added to the dough circles, they are folded in half, and the edges are sealed. The verenika are packed in boxes and frozen in a large refrigerated trailer until the day of the sale.
They are thawed and cooked at the sale. Some people eat them with ham gravy. Others enjoy syrup.
Goertzen said volunteers are welcome Tuesday. "It's very easy to help out, because everything is done by jobs. Anyone could come and help."
The 36th annual Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale is April 16-17 at the state fairgrounds in Hutchinson.
