By Karen Ortner, Publisher of the Holyoke Enterprise, Reprinted with Permission
Not many would put the words “canning” and “relaxing” in the same sentence, but Nancy Berges certainly does. Berges, who has worked at Highline Electric Association (in Holyoke) for over 51 years, cans 1,500 jars of food in an average year.
“My record is 2,252 cans in a year,” said the woman who loves to give to anyone who asks and teach anyone willing to learn.
Few would guess that Berges hated to help her mother can foods “with a passion” growing up, having to wash and scald dirty jars by hand. Over the years, however, family and community involvement have kindled a genuine enjoyment in the process for her, and great generosity in giving it away.
Berges first began with canned fruits, when her husband, Raymond, was told he needed to reduce his sugar intake. From there, her recipe box gradually expanded to include a variety of jellies, vegetables, pickles, meats, stews and pie fillings.
“I can get a good meal for 10 people ready in 15 minutes,” said Berges of the contents of her pantry. And it’s an ability she takes advantage of often, entertaining friends, family and hunting parties.
This year, the Berges family farm, now in its fourth generation, saw 15 friends and family members for opening day of hunting season, and Berges was sure to pull out all the stops keeping company fed. “The amount of food you go through in a weekend is unbelievable,” she stated, comparing hosting a hunting party to feeding a harvest crew.
Her sons and grandchildren are avid hunters, accounting for some of her more unusual canned meats, such as antelope and wild boar. “One of my granddaughters got that boar with a 6-inch bowie knife,” she said proudly of the jarred meat, adding that boar doesn’t taste much different than pork.
Between hunting, gardening and friends in the community with garden foods to share, Berges doesn’t have to buy much of what she cans besides fruit. Friends bring in their home-grown produce, she cans it and they split it, or else they share in both the harvest and the canning process. “The absolute best pickles are when you pick the cucumbers from the garden, take them in and process them immediately,” she shared.
Her pickles in particular come from quite a special recipe, having been passed down from her mother in her final years. After her mother passed, Berges couldn’t bring herself to make pickles for a couple of years, and their return at the Thanksgiving table brought back sentimental memories for her siblings and family.
“It’s nice to be able to pass that stuff down,” said Berges, whose sister, nieces and grandchildren often join her to learn the canning process and master her recipes. “You can’t buy this stuff.”
Her recipes range from simpler sweetened fruit recipes, which only take about 25 minutes after getting up to pressure, to the lengthy Alaskan salmon, which requires 100 minutes. Some of Berges’ more challenging recipes are her most talked about, like her “to-die-for” apple pie filling or the relish recipe in which she has to grind every single ingredient.
For those who might have a jar of Berges’ relish in their own pantries right now, it’s been told that adding it to deviled eggs is a real game-changer.
More people may have some of Berges’ handiwork in their pantries than one would think. As for Berges, it’s the sharing that really makes it worthwhile. Whether it’s a friend or relative “loading up” after a visit from out of town, or one of the many silent auction baskets she’s arranged for various events over the years, Berges simply overflows with generosity and care for those around her.
Living in Sedgwick County while working in Phillips County means twice the community involvement and twice the fundraisers for Berges, who over the years has been active in the Historical Society, Red Cross Society, Rural Fire District board, Conservation board, the Credit Union board, Progressive 15, the Republican Party and the Chamber of Commerce, to name a few.
She also is a go-to helper for Dragon’s Wagon Preschool fundraisers, Relay for Life, the Lincoln Day Dinner and basically anyone who calls.
“There’s certain people in the community that get things done, even if they’re the busiest people,” said Berges. “I’m one of those people.”
Berges might joke that canning keeps her “off the streets and out of the pool hall,” but it is clear where her heart is — in her family and the community.
“I’m really interested in the community in both cities,” she stressed, meaning both Julesburg, which she lives near, and Holyoke, where she works. “It’s only through sharing and volunteering that they thrive.”