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Showing posts from August 29, 2011

THE MYSTERIOUS ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS PICKLE, A GERMAN TRADITION!

   The origins of the Christmas pickle are shrouded in mystery. Some claim the Christmas pickle originated in Germany. Some claim the Christmas pickle was a tradition born in a prison camp during the Civil War. Whatever its origins, the Christmas pickle survives on Christmas trees all across America. Christmas Pickle Traditions     So just what is a Christmas pickle? For the uninitiated the Christmas pickle is a Christmas ornament that looks like a pickle. Sounds obvious, right?     The pickle ornament is the last thing hung on a Christmas tree. The green ornament blends in with the tree making it difficult to spot. According to tradition, the first child to find the Christmas pickle gets an extra present. Or if no extra presents are available, the finder of the Christmas pickle gets to be the first one to open a present. That's the only part of the Christmas pickle that almost everyone seems to be in agreement on. The rest of the Christmas pickle story is a tale of confl

BURGERFEST FROM SEYMOUR, WISCONSIN!

Hamburger Charlie and the Early Days of the Hamburger Who was "Hamburger Charlie"?    Charlie Nagreen was born in Hortonville, Wisconsin in 1870, where he spent his boyhood. He began his ground beef and onion career at age 15 when he loaded up his ox can and traveled 20 miles north to Seymour to sell meatballs at the fair. Why was Charlie selling meatballs?    The meatball was easy to assemble and the young lad knew people would be hungry after walking around viewing the agricultural exhibits at the fair. What he didn't realize was that people wanted to keep moving and visit the displays. The founding father of the Burger How did the hamburger come about?    Charlie was a resourceful young man with an outgoing personality. After not experiencing much success selling the meatballs, he had an idea and located some bread. He realized people could take this meal with them if he simply smashed the meat together between two pieces of bread. He