Holy Wah! I nailed it! I’m squeaking as much as the cheese I made. I made my very first batch of Juustoa ever and it turned out simply amazing.

Juustoa probably tops the list of most Finnish-American’s favorite food their grandma made.

Juustoa is Finnish squeaky cheese, very mild in flavor, traditionally cooked over an open fire. It can also be broiled, or some recipes say grilled. All give it the distinctive brown charred marks. It’s also referred to as leipäjuusto, or bread cheese. It can be eaten warm or cold. I prefer warm with a little bit of salt. Many Finns put a chunk or two in their coffee. I tried it, it’s good and warms the cheese up nicely. Some also serve it with berries or a berry jelly on top.

My cheese turning out delicious on the first try is 100% due to being taught by the local master of Finnish squeaky cheese, Sheila Perttula. When I mentioned doing a blog about this Finnish delight, everyone I know told me to talk to Sheila. Hers is hands down THE best. Sheila learned how to make juustoa from her Mother and has perfected her technique over the years.

I asked Sheila to teach me how she does it and thankfully she agreed. She has given the recipe to others but admits it’s hard to write out directions for much of the process. So I filmed her for my own future reference and blog bits. I was thrilled by the awesome time-lapse videos we filmed of the cheese broiling.

This was back in December. Now that I finally had some time to make it myself, I was grateful to be able to go back to the videos of her making it and watched the process step by step, taking away tidbits of knowledge and tips that made my first juustoa successful. My point being, when your mom or grandma or friend or someone shows you how to make a traditional food, pull out your smartphone and capture the process! Ask first, some people are camera shy.

Start with 3 gallons of milk. Preferably raw. Traditionally it was made with the rich milk from a cow who had just calved. If you don’t live on a farm you can go to your local grocery store and buy 3 gallons of non-homogenized whole milk (also known as cream-top milk). Read the label. Homogenized milk will not separate as well, and the curds will be weaker. In researching cheese making, you can use homogenized milk, but you will need to handle the curds more gently. 

Sheila warmed her milk to 110 degrees on the stove in a large stainless-steel bowl. Her stove is electric. Mine is gas and I was afraid I was going to burn the milk. Chatting with an elderly Finnish-American lady a couple months ago, I learned she uses a turkey roaster to warm the milk. Since I have one of those (best Christmas gift ever Mom and Dad) that’s what I used. I did not think to ask what temperature she set it at though. I started at 150 and eventually had the dial up to 300 as it was taking longer than I thought it should. I don’t know how long I warmed the milk. Moving the thermometer around in it, the milk was anywhere from 88 degrees to 120. So I decided that was good enough. Sheila knows by how warm her stainless-steel bowl is, when the milk is about 110 degrees. Old recipes will tell you until “lukewarm”. 110 degrees seems to be the magic number that the milk sets up best.

While the milk is warming, mix your dry ingredients. Corn starch is where the cheese gets it squeak. Use 2 heaping real flatware tablespoons for a good squeak!

When your milk is a nice lukewarm 110 degrees, add the eggs and rennet to the dry ingredients and mix well. Sheila used a fork, so I used a fork. I’m sure another utensil would do too.

I ordered my rennet on Amazon. You can also find it at food co-ops, health food stores, or where you would buy other cheesemaking supplies. Rennet makes the milk gel and separate into curds and whey. Don’t drink the rennet, it’s poisonous and is made from enzymes from a newly born calf’s stomach (there are vegetarian options available). If you order online make sure you refrigerate right away. This recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of rennet. Sheila told me if you put too much rennet, the milk will start gelling before your dry/wet mixture is completely dissolved into the milk, which will result in a drier cheese.

Add this mixture to your warm milk and stir until dissolved. It’s like stirring the sugar into kool-aid. You know what we mean.

Let set 10 minutes to gel. Wiggle the bowl and when it looks like it’s a custard like consistency it’s ready to cut. If not, wait a bit longer. Use a knife and cut the gelled milk into small squares, cutting first in one direction and then the other.

Let set 60 minutes. Take a nap, read the latest Finnish-American Reporter or you can sit and watch the curds form and separate right before your eyes. Now you have curds and whey! I never knew what curds and whey were before.

Next you must drain off the whey, without overworking the cheese. You will never get it all out. If I hadn’t watched someone do this, I would have had no idea how to best do it. Sheila removed most of the whey with a cool whip container, but she also had hers in a deep stainless bowl. Since I used the turkey roaster, my curds and weigh weren’t deep enough, so I needed to find a shallow bowl of sorts to use. I found a Tupperware container and when that was no longer working for me I switched over to a small glass dish, then I smartened up and tipped the roaster pan to the side. You do need to also break the curds into smaller pieces to work out more whey and so the curds start sticking together. A large whisk works well to cut the curds into smaller pieces. Pro tip – only whisk it once to avoid dry cheese. It took me awhile, but I got most of the whey out and then used a stainless-steel colander to strain and press out the rest. At this point I was super worried I overworked the curds and I would end up with a dry cheese.

Pour the curds onto a 16-inch pizza pan and flatten them down into an even layer on the pan.

Time to broil. Some people bake theirs in a 16x9 pan. That is an option as well.

Sheila’s broiling set-up is genius. She broiled her juustoa with the oven door open, on the middle rack. She placed a small pan in the back of the oven so the juustoa pan would be tilted at an angle. A large stainless-steel bowl placed on the open oven door caught the dripping whey. I had this setup all ready to go. Until I found out my gas oven broiler will not light with the oven door open and if I turned it on and then opened the oven door, it shut off after 15-20 seconds. I was going to have to broil with the door closed! No!! This was going to be a mess. I took my wedge (aka small baking pan) out and placed large baking sheets on the bottom rack to catch any whey that poured over the edges as the cheese cooked. Every few minutes I pulled the cheese rack out and drained any whey off into a stainless bowl I set on the open oven door. So kind of like what Sheila did, but modified. It worked. No mess! *Okay the second time I made it there was a little mess.

Sheila says it takes about 10 minutes per side on high with her method, turning the cheese at it browns. My modification probably took about 15-20 on the first side. When you see some nice brown spots on the cheese, it’s ready to flip. I flipped the cheese onto a second 16” pizza pan and back into the oven for another 10-12 minutes. Right before I pulled the finished juustoa out of the oven the smell was phenomenal.

I flipped the cheese onto a bed of paper towel. Sheila swears by Bounty and Viva paper towels. Bounty on the bottom to absorb the weeping cheese, and the Viva on top because it’s cloth-like and doesn’t stick to the cheese. Let the cheese cool before packaging. You can freeze it, but most likely you will devour half and your friends will ask for the other half.

Justin got home moments before I pulled the cheese out of the oven and our mouths were watering. We let it cool for a few minutes before cutting into it. It was delicious and squeaky and not dry at all! We were laughing while eating it. When food brings joy, you know you made something good. And about me making Finnish Squeaky Cheese, Justin said he could get juus-to-it!

Watch this video for visual instructions!!

Ingredients:
3 Gallons Raw Milk – OR Store-bought whole milk that is non-homogenized
2/3 Cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Salt (I used sea salt)
2 heaping tablespoons Corn Starch (flatware tablespoon, not measuring one)
2 Eggs
½ tsp Liquid Rennet (or 1 tablet, may take longer to set up)
 
Makes about 3 pounds of cheese
Time involved: 3 Hours (Me, the world’s slowest cook – 3 ½ + Hours)

Supplies:
Large stainless bowl that holds over 3 gallons, OR a turkey roaster, OR a very large pot
Stainless steel colander with small holes
2-16-inch pizza pans
Baking sheets or tinfoil to line bottom rack of oven
Food thermometer
Shallow bowl (for removing whey)
Measuring cups, spoons, fork, knife, whisk– the usual suspects
Paper Towel – Bounty and Viva

 Full Text:

FRANK ELD: People are interested in log cabins, they love log cabins.

We are fascinated with log cabins. Log cabins give us a sense of peace and being one with nature. They radiate feelings of coziness, warmth, simplicity and charm. Rustic is the trend today. Reclaimed timbers, weather worn logs and patina-ed antiques are the new vogue in interior home design. Just watch any show on HGTV. We want our homes to have that sense of warmth and olden days charm. 

Log cabins are a national symbol of humble origins thanks to our 16th president. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Kentucky. A replica of the cabin stands at the First Lincoln Memorial in Hodgenville, where many believe the original Lincoln cabin once stood. No one knows for certain what happened to the logs from the original home.

Lincoln Logs are rumored to be named after President Lincoln. However, it’s more a possibility they are named after their creator’s father. Lincoln logs were patented in 1920 by John Lloyd Wright, son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who’s birth name was Frank Lincoln Wright. How many of you played with this simple toy, stacking the logs perfectly together with no gaps in between the logs, imagining your own woodsy retreat to play in. Or maybe you imagined building a “toy house” on top of your pickup truck, like Frank Eld did.

FRANK ELD: It’s a great icebreaker. I meet tons of people.

Throughout the country are log cabins, small and humble, and log homes and lodges, large and luxurious. All equally beautiful and appealing.

Have you ever wondered who built the first log cabins in the United States?

FRANK ELD: We Finns can take credit for the log cabin coming to the new world. The Finns when they came in 1638 to the New Sweden Colony, along with the Swedes, but they brought the Finns along to do the work. The Finns came along and started building log buildings in New Sweden.

FRANK ELD (from presentation): A small vestige of these original log cabins still exist today.

The oldest log cabin still standing in the U.S. is the Finnish-made Nothnagle cabin in Gibbstown, New Jersey.

FRANK ELD: And then it was copied but very very loosely copied in a sense you know, stacking logs and whatever, but the Finns they have a way of doing theirs very unique.

FRANK ELD (from presentation): They used a technique of scribing and hewing so that the logs would fit tightly together, and they eliminated chinking. That’s Finnish log construction. There is no chinking.

I met Frank Eld in 2017 when he was searching my hometown area for Finnish log construction. I saw him again in 2018 at the Finnish-American Folk Fest in Naselle, Washington, and again at FinnFun Weekend in Troy, New Hampshire. Frank has been touring the Finnish-American festival circuit across the U.S. as Finlandia Foundation National’s Lecturer of the Year. His presentations are very visual, chock full of history, laughs and wood chopping.
       
FRANK ELD: Well I’m Frank Eld and I was born in Idaho, I was born in a Finnish community in central Idaho.

Wait, did he say Idaho?

FRANK ELD: Yeah there are Finns in Idaho! I’ve always been interested in history, ever since I was a young child or young adult and I restored an old pump organ that belonged to my mother’s oldest brother. And that started my passion, for all old things, and in combination with my family history, the Finnish history. And when I graduated college I came home and I bought the old general store in Rosebury. It was just an old abandoned building…And I started the Long Valley Preservation Society. And we started moving buildings before they were torn down. And then I started preserving Finnish buildings and we now have 8 Finnish log buildings there. So that’s when I really started getting into the preservation of Finnish history, Finnish culture, and then that’s when I realized Finnish log construction was different than traditional or American log construction, which there’s lots of log cabins in Idaho. Everybody builds a log cabin. So I had seen hundreds and hundreds of them and I realized these were different. And that’s when I started my research as well as doing the restoration.
But I said, when I retire I’m going to go to Minnesota, because everybody knows there’s Finns in Minnesota, that’s a given. So I’m going to Minnesota and I’m going to see if their Finnish log construction is the same as what I saw in Idaho and what I saw in Finland. And I went, and it was. So then I got real curious and I wondered if they did this everywhere. So I started the serious traveling through upper US and thorugh Canada, 5 years ago.

And since then Frank has been traveling in style.

FRANK ELD:  I have traveled thousands and thousands of miles in the Finnebago! A lot of times you don’t know where you’re going to be, you don’t know where you’re going to stay and I knew of course I couldn’t afford the expense of going to hotels every night so I need a camper. And I looked into various different campers and I thought well one you pull isn’t very sensible  because you have to drag something all the time. So I startred looking for a camper to fit a small pickup. Which they used to make but they don’t anymore. I had one month left and I hadn’t found a camper yet, and I had already made an appointment in Embarrass, Minnesota. So I’m thinking well, I’m going to have to make one. And when I make something I always go a little over the top!! One of the great features of having this is because I’m a stranger wherever I go, and a lot of times I’ll see a log building somewhere and I’ll pull off, and a lot of times the conversation starts with the Finnebago. And then I tell them who I am and what I’m doing and no one has ever said you cannot photograph and document my building. And they usually say ‘well there’s another one down the road you might want to go look at too’. And having “Finnebago’ on the front and “I’m Finn” on here, whenever there’s a Finn around we get to talking and so I meet a lot of people.

While I stayed in New England last fall I got the chance to ride around in the Finnebago, and it sure does turn heads and start conversations. If you see Frank’s Lincoln log toy house in your own travels, he doesn’t mind giving people the full tour, and letting people know it’s the Finns you can thank for our love of log cabins.

FRANK ELD: It’s quite comfortable, and it’s not as small as it seems, it’s pretty roomy in there…. It’s my little home away from home.

(Blog music credit: "Sakkijarven Polkka" Papu and Towhead)

Follow Frank's Blog on Facebook: www.facebook.com/frank.eld.3
More about Finlandia Foundation Lecturer of the Year, Frank Eld

 I created a couple blog stories last year about the Heikinpäivä Mid-Winter Festival, so I wasn’t going to film or write anything about this year’s fest. I didn’t want to appear biased toward this one particular festival or lazy that I only cover the same Finnish-American events year after year. Then I realized I should be documenting and sharing all my Finnish-American experiences, regardless if I’ve done them already. I just need to find a new aspect, or a new way, to share.

Heikinpäivä is created each year through the efforts of the Finnish Theme Committee of Hancock. Hancock is 60 miles north of my home, in the Keweenaw Peninsula, also known as the Copper Country. I involuntarily volunteered to join the committee last year, even though I live an hour away, after I was the Hankookin Heikki, the grand marshal of the parade and festivities. I’m happy to help where I can.

This year was special. It was the 20th Heikinpäivä Festival. Check out my earlier stories here and here for the history of the festival and its mission. This year I rode in the wagon with some of the past Hankookin Heikki’s, so I took photos of the spectators, instead of the parade. They are the reason why there's a parade, so why not!

Two years of attending and I ended up in the parade both years. I have a feeling I’ll never be a spectator. Committee members are encouraged to suit up. Dancing and marching down Hancock’s main street are many costumed characters symbolizing Finnish and Finnish-American mythology and folklore. I’m calling dibs now on a bear costume next year. The brown bear is the national animal of Finland and an old Finnish folk saying states winter is half over when “the bear rolls onto his other side.” 

I wore a traditional Finnish dress from the Heritage Center archives; long colorful skirt, white blouse, blue vest and tan leather boots. With three thermal layers underneath it plus hand and foot warmers, I stayed surprisingly warm all day. It was a chilly weekend. The afternoon high temperature was 0.

Since I created videos about the festival last year, I practiced my photography skills to document the event and people this year. The colorful cast of characters and spectators contrasted beautifully against the pure white snow.

I had the most fun photographing the wife carrying competition. A contest with very Finnish roots and one you will find at most Finnish-American festivals. The competition is said to stem from early folklore of thieves sneaking into villages at night and stealing wives. Finland hosts the World Championship Wife-Carrying competition every year.

The Heikinpäivä committee puts their own spin on the race. In lieu of a competition of strength and agility, theirs is more tongue in cheek and the “obstacles” reflect a typical Copper Country Sunday. New this year, participants had to rake the forest (as all good Finnish stewards of the forest do). From there they had to shake out the rag rugs, swat each other in the sauna and pour coffee for visitors. And of course, carry your wife from obstacle to obstacle. Well someone must be carried. Rules are lax, a reflection of the laid-back spirit of the area. Finlandia University students got into the spirit and the winning team wasn’t your traditional husband and wife duo.

After the entertainment outside concluded, I went indoors to eat, buy raffle tickets and shop. Inside the hall, vendors sold Finnish wares, hand crafted items, Finnish foods, jewelry, rag rugs, books and art at the tori. Tori is the Finnish word for market. I spent all the cash I had with me, and then some. It’s a good thing and a bad thing that vendors now accept credit/debit cards and I can go swipe happy throughout the tori. Actually, the first place I was awed by tori vendors being able to accept plastic was in Finland. Which was wonderful because I only had so many Euros on me!

Later in the afternoon I helped the ladies in the kitchen prep food for the evening dinner and dance. And taste test all the cookies to make sure they were delicious enough to serve. They were. Heikki Lunta (translates to Hank Snow, the winter shaman of the U.P.) graced the Copper Country with his presence while we were in the kitchen, so I had to leave early and drive 60 miles home. Snowflakes were falling faster than I could brush them off my car. I took some words of wisdom someone posted on Facebook earlier this winter – a photo with Yooper mottos – “go slow and follow the plow”. It was slow, but the highway was clear of snow drifts and I made it home safely.

The bear has rolled over, the Heikinpaiva Mid-Winter festival is through. We’re halfway to spring. Plenty of time left to snowshoe.

More of my favorite photos of the festival below.

My newfound interest in my Finnish heritage led me to the West Coast this year. I received grant money from Finlandia Foundation National to get out of Michigan and capture stories from Finnish communities in other parts of the country. Who knew there were Finns in Washington State? I feel silly that I did not. Finns immigrated to the western coast to log and fish, straight from Finland, or moved west after the mining strikes in the upper Midwest.

Naselle, Washington is a small village just north of the Columbia River, near the coast. 3rd and 4th generation Finnish-Americans still live on the same homesteads. In 1982, a group of women created the first Finnish-American Folk Fest in Naselle, to celebrate and preserve their heritage. The first festival had over 2,000 attendees and is now a biennial mainstay of the community. A time for people to come home and reunite with old friends and family. Many family reunions are held this weekend (a good story idea for 2020!)

Everyone I met was friendly and eager to have me there. I even ended up on the program showing “Co-operatively Yours”! This 3-day festival is packed with plenty of things to see and do. I was exhausted at the end of each day. In a good way! I filmed so much great video, I participated in a 5K, I ate a bunch of delicious food. The only thing I’m disappointed about was I didn’t get a chance to see everything. And I won’t see them in 2020 because they try not to have the same exhibits or lecturers twice. Anita Raistakka, who oversees lecturers, already has 3 lined up for the next festival.

I highly recommend this festival for anyone interested in their Finnish roots. I stayed at the affordable Motel 6 in Astoria, Oregon, just 10 or so miles south of Naselle. And the Motel 6 is in the old Finnish part of Astoria, the old public sauna building is right across the street. Next time I’m in town I plan to stay at the Atomic Motel, just as affordable and in the same area. Stay tuned for stories from Astoria!

I hope you watch my story about the Finnish-American Folk Fest! Find out more about the festival at https://nasellefinnfest.com

My next Finnish-American documentary ~

I had heard a lot about Sirkka Tuomi Holm, mainly from Jim Kurtti, director of the Finnish American Heritage Center. Every since I met Jim 2 ½ years ago he has been talking, more like hinting, about doing a documentary on this fascinating woman. From the stories he told me and what I have read in publications, including her own, she sounded like a woman with a lot to tell.

At 98 years old she has seen and done many things history books could never reveal.

I don’t recall exactly when I agreed to do this film. Sirkka’s memory at 98 is better than my 36-year-old one. But soon enough Jim and I were making plans to travel to Francestown, New Hampshire to sit down with Sirkka, camera in hand, and capture her stories. We were already going to FinnFunn Weekend in Troy, NH to show the “Co-operatively Yours” documentary, and I was going to film the event for this blog. It only made sense to give Sirkka a visit while in the neighborhood.

Sirkka Tuomi Holm was born in Virginia, Minnesota in 1920 to Finnish immigrant parents —“eleven days before the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote,” she said. Her parents, and grandparents in Finland, were politically active and paved the way for Sirkka. They worked and fought for a better world for everyone, no matter their class, race or gender. As a child in 1931 she witnessed a police attack on strikers in Warren, Ohio.

Sirkka enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II, serving in London, Normandy and Paris. She recently flew to Washington D.C. on the Honor Flight, convincing the tour leaders to stop at the Women’s Memorial, which isn’t normally on the itinerary.

After World War II, Sirkka studied in New York to become an actress and spent three years on the summer stock stage. Her love of an audience is still strong; at one point during our first day with her, after admitting she was getting tired, but had one more story to tell “because she had such a great audience here.”

In 1957 Sirkka was the first woman in Baltimore called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) where she was questioned about her participation in the American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born. She was also asked about her activities in the Finnish Hall. Sirkka was deemed an “unfriendly witness” and repeatedly exercised her Fifth Amendment rights.

 Sirkka has written for The Finnish American Reporter  since its inception in 1986 and continues to do so today. Her monthly article “Past and Present” is the favorite article of FAR readers, according to Jim Kurtti, who’s the editor in chief of that paper.

This is a very brief depiction of this incredible woman’s life. She shared stories for hours in the 3 days I spent with her. And we didn’t cover everything. I’m still in awe of how much she can remember and how much history she knows. Sirkka is a living Finnish-American history book. We asked her why she is passionate about sharing her life’s story. One of the reasons is she believes in passing on to the future the contributions that the Finns made to America.

Sirkka is also sweet as can be. I left with hugs and kisses and cannot wait to visit again. I saw firsthand the impact she has made on the lives of people around her. She is able to live independently at home because of the many people who care about her.

While in Francestown, Jim and I stayed with Sirkka’s friends Steve and Jan Griffin. Before we arrived, I was unsure if this documentary should only include Sirkka or to ask others what impact Sirkka has made in their lives. After interviewing the Griffins, I knew they, and others, needed to be part of the story.

We also interviewed Barry and Katy Heiniluoma of Hubbardston, Massachusetts and 94-year-old Roy Helander of Maynard, Massachusetts, another veteran thespian of the Finnish-American stage.

The next stage of this documentary is to start transcribing Sirkka’s interviews, see what else needs to be filmed, and start putting the pieces together to tell her story. Like “Co-operatively Yours” this film is being produced in partnership with the Finnish American Heritage Center.

We are currently seeking grants and funding to be able to complete this important film. If you would like to support our filmmaking endeavor please email me or call the Finnish-American Heritage Center at 906-482-5300.

Summer solstice.

A magical day celebrated for hundreds of years in many cultures. Most notably in the Nordic countries where summers are short, and every bit of sunshine is treasured.

Finns call this longest period of daylight in the year Juhannus. Celebrated with family and friends at lively festivals or quietly at lake cottages.

In Michigan’s Copper Country it’s celebrated with music, dancing and the lighting of the annual kokko on Agate Beach in Toivola.

The celebration officially begins at the Finnish-American Heritage Center at Finlandia University with the raising of the midsummer pole, decorated with flower wreaths, believed to harness nature’s power.

Folk School workshops centered on traditional Finnish music were the focal point of this year’s event. Attendees learned how to build a jouhikko, an ancient Finnish bowed lyre from the Karelian region, from wood and horse hair. Later in the day they learned how to play the jouhikko inside a charming old schoolhouse in Misery Bay.

The all-female folk band Jepokryddona traveled from Finland to headline the Juhannus event with performances throughout the day and workshops in traditional folk dance. The band originates from the Swedish speaking village of Jeppo, on the western side of Finland, and plays mostly traditional wedding music.

The band first led a dance workshop for the Kivajat Dancers and later for anyone in the public interested in learning traditional Finnish folk dance.  

Christine Julin-Haggman, the director of the band, brought her accordion to the Misery Bay schoolhouse that afternoon for a unique jam session. A once in a lifetime experience for any Finnish-American musician.  

The tiny village of Toivola has been celebrating the summer solstice for over a hundred years. The pavilion next to Agate Beach was packed with people enjoying the midsummer sun, potluck dinner, and camaraderie. Music from the strings and accordion of Jepokryddona filled the warm air. Spirits were high as those young and young at heart spun around the dance floor.

The evening culminated with the lighting of the Juhannus kokko on the shore of Lake Superior. Flames flickered from the 15-foot-high bonfire as the sun slowly set over the sparkling water. Young children tossed rocks in the lake, and local musicians serenaded the people who had gathered to enjoy this special tradition.

A festival of light, of flowers, music and magic. Celebrating something that is purely nature. It sounds like a scene from “Game of Thrones” but this is real, tradition centuries old, still strongly woven into the culture of Finnish-Americans.  

For My Finnish-American Life, I’m Kristin Ojaniemi.