Above: My Father, Charles and and his nanny, Josephine Kirsch, fishing a creek in Iowa, circa 1930. Below: Josephine Kirsch shortly before she began working for my Father's family. |
Josephine Kirsch was born in St. Donatus Village in Iowa in November of 1889. Her Parents, Mathias and Mary Catherine emigrated to the area from Luxembourg. As a young woman, Josephine began working for my Father's family, first as a nanny, then as a cook, and eventually as a companion to my grandmother. Josephine never married. She was deeply religious.....I remember her saying the rosary often. She celebrated the feast of St. Joseph, her namesake ,every spring. When my Father, Charles Joseph, was a boy, Josephine would take him to downtown Dubuque for a chocolate shake every March 19 to celebrate their shared Saint Day. My father loved her like a Mother and remained close to her until her death in the early 1970's. Like Josephine, Dad was a devoted Catholic and had a love of the rosary, which he carried in his pocket each day.
Josephine Kirsch's Yellow Bean Recipe Take a bunch of yellow beans, wash, clip off ends and split end to end opposite of crease. Cover with water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 20-25 minutes. Test a big one. Drain but save the water. In a pan bring to a boil 3-4 cups of the bean water, 1/2-1 cup vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sugar, salt and pepper. Place beans in a large bowl. Slice 2-4 onions thinly into beans and pour water over the top. Refrigerate. |
Josephine's Yellow BeansMy Mother made these beans every summer and kept a large bowl of them in the fridge. Josephine would drain the beans and pour cream over them. We used milk. Today as I picked George's wax beans and onions from our garden I looked forward to the perfect summer vegetable next to my bar-b-q chicken.
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Josephine's Apple PieMy grandmother Schrup's birthday was in August as the apples began coming in. My Mother taught me to make Josephine's apple pie and I would take it to 1380 Auburn as a birthday surprise with a homemade card.
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I have since made Josephine's pie each fall, thinking about the woman who so affected my father, his siblings and as a result many more people.
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