Cooks of Calvary: a 35-year lefse tradition

by Mary Hanson

lefse (noun)
a large thin potato pancake served buttered and rolled

tradition (noun)
the transmission of customs from generation to generation

I’d say the majority of Minnesotans are familar with the Scandanavian treat, lefse (pronounced leff-sa).  If you are new to the state, there is a possibility you might see it over the holidays.  During my childhood, making lefse usually occured early November with my 100% Norwegian Mother, Aunt Marlys, and Grandpa Carl gathering on a Saturday to make lefse for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  After a full day of work, it would be carefully packaged and frozen until the holidays.

At Thanksgiving, I fondly remember my cousins and sisters sitting at the “kids” card table, all vying to sit on the coveted piano bench with our very own plate of lefse to share.

The seeds of making lefse with my college roommate Andrea were planted our freshmen year when we decided to drive to Grand Forks and spend the weekend with Grandpa Carl to make lefse.  I am not sure if the lefse turned out, but we sure had fun.

My own adult lefse tradition begins a few years later in 1990 with Andrea and I both being newly married to Jon and Scott.  At first it was pretty easy with 4 adults.  The night before we would get together to boil 10 pound of potatoes and rice them (to get lumps out).  We’d spend Saturday rolling and baking the lefse. 

As time went on and babies were born, there were many breaks to feed and change babies.  As they became toddlers and preschoolers, there were many more breaks to officiate squabbles among the now 7 children.  It seemed they ate the lefse faster than we could roll it!  Of course, they wanted to get more involved and “help” roll too.  With time, they helped more and more with rolling and baking and graduated to getting the same matching aprons we moms wore!  We actually had a few productive years when they were with us and we’d get 2 griddles and 2 rollers going and get 20 pounds done very quickly.

As life doesn’t stay the same, the kids are all off on their own now.  Last week, the four of us just enjoyed our 35th annual lefse weekend (although we missed 2020 because of COVID).  While it is much quieter and we can quickly accomplish our job, we think back to those loud, messy weekends with fondness.  I just talked to my daughter in Colorado who wants to get her lefse equipment to her home so she can start making lefse on her own now.  I love that and I know Grandpa Carl would too.

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Mary is wife to Scott, Mom to 3, and ‘Nana’ to 2. She works part-time doing all things fun with memory care residents. She loves her church of 35 years and her heart is warmed seeing women connect through Women’s Ministry.