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- Identifier:
- 4224.BetlerEleanor.AudioInt.2.5.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Eleanor Betler
- Date:
- 2016-02-05
- Creator:
- Betler, Eleanor
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Cheesemaking, Orchards, Hill farming, Beef cattle, Corn bread, Carnival, Bread, foodways, Canning and preserving, Food habits, Bakers, 4-H clubs, Cooking, Swiss, Wild leek, Swine, Dairy cattle, Helvetia (W. Va.)
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Eleanor Betler was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1940 and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She spent her summers in Helvetia at the farm of her maternal grandparents, James and Anna Merkli McNeal. She married Howard Bud Betler in 1961. The couple moved to a hilltop farm in Helvetia and raised four children. All the good cooks, many of them relatives of Mr. Betler taught Mrs. Betler about canning, preserving, cooking and baking. She was especially interested to learn the skills of butchering and preserving meat, and making sausage. Mrs. Betler loves the Swiss traditional baking but also Appalachian ways of some neighbors. She grinds her own flour for baking bread. At Fasnacht time she invites neighbors and friends to make the hozablatz and rosettes just to keep the tradition alive. She also preserves this history by collecting stories, music, and photographs for The Helvetia Archives.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%](/image/4224BetlerEleanorIntTranscript2516/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.BetlerEleanor.IntTranscript.2.5.16
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history of Eleanor Betler
- Date:
- 2016-02-05
- Creator:
- Betler, Eleanor
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Bakers, Bread, Swine, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Hill farming, Corn bread, Beef cattle, Carnival, Canning and preserving, Wild leek, Orchards, Sheep farming, 4-H clubs, Cheesemaking, Dairy cattle, Swiss American women, foodways, Cooking, Swiss
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Cecelia Coleman Smith was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1949. Originally from Pickens, West Virginia, her family moved away from the Helvetia/Pickens community when she was seven so her father could take a coal mining job. She moved back to Pickens in 2005. Mrs. Smith served in the military and is a member of the local American Legion chapter. She is also part of the Pickens Improvement and Historical Society, the Farm Womens Club, and occasionally volunteers at the Hutte Restaurant.This audio slideshow is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%](/image/4224CeceliaSmithVideo00143016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.CeceliaSmith.Video.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Audio slideshow of Cecelia Smith talking about foodways in Helvetia
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Smith, Cecelia
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Bakers, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Pickling, Swiss American women, Cooking (Sauerkraut), Wild leek, Canning and preserving, foodways
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.), Randolph County (W. Va.)
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- Identifier:
- 4224.CeciliaSmith.AudioInt.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Cecelia Smith
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Smith, Cecelia
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Swiss American women, Food habits, Wild leek, 4-H clubs, Bakers, Canning and preserving
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
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- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 1 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Cooking, Swiss, Wine and wine making--United States, 4-H clubs, Veterans, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), foodways, Coal mines and mining, Wild leek
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
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- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.002.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 2 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Food habits, Wine and wine making--United States, Veterans, 4-H clubs, Cooking, Swiss, Wild leek, foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Coal mines and mining
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
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- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.003.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 3 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Wild leek, Coal mines and mining, 4-H clubs, Veterans, Wine and wine making--United States, Cooking, Swiss
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.004.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 4 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, 4-H clubs, Wild leek, Coal mines and mining, Wine and wine making--United States, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Food habits, Veterans
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%](/image/4224HelvetiaRampSupperPhoto00142816/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.001.4.28.16
- Title:
- 400 pounds of potatoes ready to be cooked for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
- Date:
- 2016-04-28
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Helvetia (W. Va.), Food habits, Festivals, Wild leek, Cooking (Potatoes), foodways
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%](/image/4224HelvetiaRampSupperPhoto00143016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Volunteer in a shirt reading, "Ramps: God's Gift to the Appalachians" serves ramps at the Helvetia Ramp Supper
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Helvetia (W. Va.), Food habits, Festivals, Wild leek, foodways
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%](/image/4224HelvetiaRampSupperPhoto00242816/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.002.4.28.16
- Title:
- Dan Lehmann and other volunteer haul cast iron kettle to cook potatoes for Helvetia's Ramp Supper
- Date:
- 2016-04-28
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Festivals, Helvetia (W. Va.), Food habits, Wild leek, Cooking (Potatoes), foodways
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%](/image/4224HelvetiaRampSupperPhoto00243016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.002.4.30.16
- Title:
- Attendees of the Helvetia Ramp Supper in the Helvetia Community Hall
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, Tourism and the arts, Wild leek, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Festivals
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
