We had our first roasted chestnuts at lunch yesterday.
A grove of chestnut trees provides us with this great treat in the fall. And it provides many local people the opportunity to come gather their own. They pay for them in the Abbey Store.
Cooler weather is very pleasant. The fans are pulling in chilly air at times at Vigils.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Fudge production
We are beginning the intense production of fudge for the Christmas sales catalog. As I have the last few years, I will be in the bakery three days a week: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
After Vigils (sometime around 6:00) I walk down to the bakery and begin to heat the kettles. I put 2 pounds of butter in each kettle as well as the water and preservative. I check to make sure that other things are set up: the depositor is ready, fudge trays (both 12 ounce and 6 ounce) to the left of the depositor, stacks of trays at the side of the depositor, the tray rack near-by, and so on. I go back up to the house for Mass at 7:00.
After Mass I return to the bakery and begin preparing the first 3 batches of fudge. The other workers arrive by 8:45 and we begin. We pour buckets of fudge into the funnel of the depositor; one worked dispenses fudge into a fudge tray, passes it to another guy who checks the weight, corrects it if necessary, and then puts it on a tray. Other guys are setting up boxes with plastic inserts and instruction cards.
We will make 9 kettles in a morning. When the fudge is set, it will be boxed and stacked, ready to be shrink wrapped. The end of the morning is spent cleaning -- tearing the depositor apart, cleaning all the pieces, and putting it back together.
In the afternoon, monks will return to shrink wrap and store all the fudge; clean the floors; and get ready for the next day of production.
After Vigils (sometime around 6:00) I walk down to the bakery and begin to heat the kettles. I put 2 pounds of butter in each kettle as well as the water and preservative. I check to make sure that other things are set up: the depositor is ready, fudge trays (both 12 ounce and 6 ounce) to the left of the depositor, stacks of trays at the side of the depositor, the tray rack near-by, and so on. I go back up to the house for Mass at 7:00.
After Mass I return to the bakery and begin preparing the first 3 batches of fudge. The other workers arrive by 8:45 and we begin. We pour buckets of fudge into the funnel of the depositor; one worked dispenses fudge into a fudge tray, passes it to another guy who checks the weight, corrects it if necessary, and then puts it on a tray. Other guys are setting up boxes with plastic inserts and instruction cards.
We will make 9 kettles in a morning. When the fudge is set, it will be boxed and stacked, ready to be shrink wrapped. The end of the morning is spent cleaning -- tearing the depositor apart, cleaning all the pieces, and putting it back together.
In the afternoon, monks will return to shrink wrap and store all the fudge; clean the floors; and get ready for the next day of production.
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