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.