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We live in a 100 year old condo building in Chicago and once we told some neighbors we decided on a homebirth my husband started mentioning how this would be the first time in a long time a baby was born in this building. He was assuming that back in the day babies were born at their home on the regular. And it is very likely that was the case.

I decided to have a birth at home because I knew too many colleagues that had hospital births that ended in cesarian section or other interventions that made their experience not so great. The statistics for home birth, especially with the midwives I used were so much better. I wanted sometimes more intimate and calm. I personally don’t like hospitals if they are not necessary and in most cases they are not necessary for birth. But I realize it is not for everyone, I’ve also heard stories of home births going bad. I think each situation is unique.

I worked with a group of midwives that only do homebirth and I decided to have a pool as well. In general the care they provided was standard in some ways and in some ways more layed back. I did my first ultrasound around 20 weeks and met with the OBGYN they work with, in case of transfer, who also did an ultrasound. Each appointment they would measure my belly, weigh me, listen to the babies heart rate, take my blood pressure and ask questions or answer questions. I never felt pressured to do a test I didn’t want to do. They just gave me information and made sure I consented. They also took my insurance which should help keep the total cost lower than a hospital.

For the actual birth they asked that I have a doula. I was able to also ask her questions and I think it helped my husband knowing that she was there to help. He was very hesitant about the home birth at first. They came to my home and made sure I had everything I needed and gave me a pool and instructions to me and my husband.

I was expecting to go past my due date as that is most common for first time moms. I continued working up to the week of my due date which I planned to take off. The first Monday I took off I scheduled a massage/cranial sacral therapy session. It felt so good! I think it relaxed me so much that the next day I stood up from laying down to answer the phone and I felt liquid leaking down my leg. It was my water slowly leaking. It wasn’t a huge gush like in the movies for me. But I figured out it was my water because it kept going after that and I had a test they left me to see if it is amniotic fluid and it was! I let my midwives know, they have an on call number that rotates who answers. I also let me my doula know, but because my contractions hadn’t started there wasn’t much to do yet. The midwives didn’t want me to go too long with my water broken in case of infection so they said if in the morning my contractions hadn’t started yet they might have me drink castor oil in some form. I read more about that and it kind of freaked me out because it can make things more intense and also really get your bowels moving.

So to help my body progress I did something called the miles circuit and did some pumping. Nothing was happening so I continued on with the day, I did some laundry and took a walk (also part of the miles circuit), in was actually freezing out, a few of the coldest days in the winter. My husband was working late outside of the city and I was getting anxious by evening so I watched a whole series on Netflix about realtors in Paris, just to take my mind off of what could or could not be. (Europe has more a chill vibe so it helped me!). My husband picked up some food on the way home to have in the house for the next day in case the midwives and me needed food. And he started to set up the big pool, inflating it half way.

We went to bed, he decided to sleep on the couch I don’t remember why. He was also exhausted so maybe he just fell asleep there an accident. But at around 11pm I get my first intense wave. He was asleep and I was almost asleep. It was more than just a period cramp. And they kept happening so I knew this was it. Through my process of preparing for birth I also did a course called Hypnobabies. I had to listen to tracks for about 10 weeks everyday as a way to prep my subconscious mind to not fear. So once I knew this was my time I started the hypnosis tracks, and I listened to them almost the whole time, except for the pool and intense part, which I wish I would have kept listening to them. After a while I also started timing the ‘pressure waves’ as they are called in Hypnobabies, I downloaded a quick app. I started to get tired and they got more intense. I got some pretzels and water and snacked. I messaged my doula that it was getting more intense and we decided a shower would feel good! And it did. At some point I also had a big bowel movement which I was happy about because some women have one while pushing, which who knows I might have a little, but since I was in water I don’t know. One thing I started doing was holding combs in my hands and with each wave I would press the spike part into my hands, it was an acupressure technique that helps draw the sensation away from the wave.

I also woke up my husband at some point, maybe 2-3am because I was in it for a couple hours and needed some support, I was afraid I’d start to go crazy. He helped keep me warm since like I said it was freezing and our radiators are not on at night. My doula came around 5am I think? She watched me and said I was doing good. Then I moved into living room mostly sitting on a ball or standing. I tried laying on my side but that felt worse. I tried to eat some more food and drank lots of water. Once the pressure waves got to about 4 minutes apart lasting a minute I called the midwives and they just made sure it was the right time. A lot of first time moms have really long labors so they didn’t want to show up too fast.

The midwives arrived while I was trying to pee, I couldn’t sit on the toilet, it felt too intense, so I stood in the shower. I remember everything feeling really intense then and I so wanted to get into the pool. First they wanted to check how dilated I was, and I was 7cm, which was good for that stage. That part was not fun, so glad I only had to do it twice. They started filling up the pool.

When I finally got in it did feel so good. But it lasted a short while and my pressure waves were intense again. I was leaning forward over the tub a lot. I didn’t have my tracks then because they were on my iPod and I didn’t want it too fall into the water. I started squeezing my husbands hands. This is where I started to feel I couldn’t do it. I felt a urge to poop and it made me nervous. There was so much pressure and I didn’t know what you do with it. Apparently your suppose to relax with it. They checked me again and I was good to go! They said I could start to push with each wave. This is where I feel like I am not sure I was doing the right thing. They said I pushed for an hour. I’m a movement teacher so I took third guidance and made it my own, I really used the power of my breath. Apparently I did good. At some point you could feel the head and that is when I was really like what, how am I going to do this. I made a lot more sounds that I didn’t think I would make. My body naturally wanted to be in a lunge positions with one leg forward and I pushed again and it was very painful and I pushed agains through that and the baby came out! There was blood because I tore. And there was my little guy, like I always knew him crying and looking around.

Everyone said he was so alert. And he was loud! We did skin to skin right away and waited for my placenta. I didn’t remember that so we’ll but I think I felt a wave and they kind of helped it out with me.

Eventually we moved to the bed, we wrapped up the little guy and they checked me for tearing. I had to get some stitches, that part was sucky but also mostly because I had to keep my legs closed for like two weeks so moving around was awkward. We tried to latch him and that was also hard. That took a while to get good at. We all ate some food and the midwives and my husband cleaned up. One of them came the next day and the next week to check in. She was so helpful!

The first night was so hard, we were exhausted and little guy was loud. But looking back I think I would do that sort differently too. Just keep him close. I don’t know it is a blur too.

I think the next time I would learn to oust better, I’d still do Hypnobabies and actually use it to push. I would have a lot of food ready and I would stay in bed for a long time and let baby stay close to me skin to skin. That was hard again because it was so cold. But I hope the next time would be better. We live and learn.

Thes dumplings are gluten free and basically three ingredients!

They are named after the region of Śląsk in Poland (but also part of Germany and Czechia).

They can be served with a variety of toppings or sauces, whatever one finds best! I made mine with a creamy mushroom bacon sauce that I don’t have the recipe for right now because I have a small baby as a first time mom and to me making these was a triumph!

The recipe is babushka style, meaning there are no real measurements. And best of you have a potato ricer!

Silesian Dumplings (Kluski Śląskie)

about 2 lbs starchy potatoes (like Russet or Idaho)

potato flour

salt

– Start by peeling and boiling potatoes. Strain them and let them cook a bit.

– Then mash them in the potato ricer or whatever your favorite way to get them super smooth!

– Once mashed, pack them tight into their bowl, smooth and even the top. With a knife divide the dough into four parts. Remove one part but keep the potatoes. Fill that hole with potato flour until even. Sprinkle some salt all over.

– Start boiling a big pot of salted water.

– Mix everything well, like you would do a dough. Use your hands! Knead it on the counter until a very cohesive dough forms.

– Remove about a tablespoon size and roll it into a little ball. Use a finger to press into the center and set aside. Repeat until all the dough is used up.

– Gently place half of the balls into the boiling water. Once they float to the top let them stay there a couple minutes, and then with a slotted spoon remove them into a strainer. Repeat with the rest.

– These are best served right away with your favorite sauce. They can also be frozen before boiling and then boil them frozen!

Enjoy!

This herbal vinegar is probably the most well known and it has its roots in a legend from the Black Plaque. The story is of 4 thieves who either got caught robbing those who died of the plaque and a judge in awe learning of an herbal concoction they used to keep them safe let them go in exchange for their recipe, or 4 thieves who got caught and as punishment had to bury those dead from the plague by burying them and to protect themselves dowsed the deceased in an herbal concoction. Either way the legend went on and the herbs used might have changed over time, this is the most common recipe that has stayed.

Vinegar itself is known to have antibacterial properties and even current studies can attest to its benefits as a great cleaning solution.

The other herbs are warming and have aromatic, diffusive and diaphoretic properties. Aromatic herbs like sage, lavender and thyme are high in volatile oils which lend them to having anti microbial properties. Diffusive herbs like rosemary, sage and garlic bring heat from the core to the surface helping stimulate circulation. And diaphoretic herbs like rosemary, sage and lavender increase detoxification by promoting sweating. Garlic is also antibacterial and antiviral.

I tend to be liberal with herbal preparations, often considered the folk method so instead of measuring exactly I do it more by eye. But here is a rough raft of what I like to do.

You can use either dried or fresh. Fresh you want to use more because the water content is high and the shelf life is a little shorter.

4 Thieves Vinegar

1 tbsp dried lavender buds

1 tbsp dried sage (or 2 tbsp fresh)

2 tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)

2 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)

6 cloves garlic crushed

Apple cider vinegar to cover (about 2 cups)

– Crush and chop all the herbs and garlic. Place in jar and pour vinegar to cover.

– Place parchment or wax paper to cover over your lid if it has a plastic sealant. Shake and leave for 1 month or a little more, in a dark place.

– Strain and enjoy like any vinegar or take sips like a tonic. Or add to your favorite natural cleaning solution.

These are seriously so good I can’t stop eating them! We still have some blueberries in the freezer from last summer when we went to a blueberry pick it yourself farm in Indiana so I was inspired to start using them and mixed some recipes together to make these and they have become my favorite! We also made a bunch of blueberry jam last summer so I used that and man, nothing like real blueberries that you picked yourself.

I used rye flour the first time because I ran out of regular but loved it so much that it is staying, it adds such a nice hearty flavor. You can also just use regular flour is you don’t have rye but maybe also try it with rye sometime!

Blueberry Jam Rye Bars

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup rye flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup blueberry jam

Preheat the oven to 350 and spread a 8 x 8 pan with butter.

Mix the flours, salt, sugar, baking powder cinnamon and butter together in a mixer until starting to blend. Then add an egg. Mix well.

Take half of the dough and pack it into the pan.

Mix the blueberries with lemon zest and cornstarch. Dollop the jam over the dough. Add the blueberries over the jam. Crumble the rest of the dough over the blueberries.

Bake 45-50 minutes.

I wish I could say that this blog is where I share all the knowledge and recipes passed down by my grandmothers, that what I share is rooted in a deep tradition from my motherland. But the truth is, it is not. ‘Babushka Training’ satisfies and challenges me and what I share is from what I teach myself by reading and watching and sometimes what my mother teaches me.

I did not grow up with my grandmothers. My parents left their home country when they were a bit younger than I am now. Many people in America know what this type of life is like. I met my grandmothers a handful of times. Some people move on, they are citizens of the world and find happiness anywhere they go. Some live their life with one foot back in their home country. My parents did a little of both and as their child I always felt a part of me was missing.

It wasn’t until I was older and started spending my days how I wanted that I started to yearn for deep old traditions. The beauty of folk art and culture really touched me. I was living in New York at the time and after moving around to 4 different apartments in 5 years I moved to the Polish neighborhood of Brooklyn called Greenpoint. It is a really charming little community that is now what you would call very ‘hipster’. But the Polish history still stands. I started going to the Polish church and the little deli and I realized I don’t want to loose this as I get older. I finally felt like I was home, I finally realized I missed this part of myself and If I didn’t work to keep it, it would just disappear.

This year seemed like the perfect year to really dive in to more babushka training. More time at home, more time in general! That’s what I am always lacking is time. But for some reason it was hard to motivate myself. But I realize now that I was practicing another skill, maybe an even more important skill. Babushka training isn’t just about cooking and baking and making, babushka is amazing because of her character. I posted on my Instagram and my last post that we can get through whatever this year is and it is because people have gone through worse, my babushkas were teenagers when WWII broke out in Poland. They were right in the middle of it all. Their country destroyed, people being killed for no reason except that they were Polish; hiding, fighting, living in fear. And then they raised their children in Communism. Their land was taken away and they had to live in apartments that were too small. Everything they stood for was no more, the only thing that got you ahead was to be a part of the ‘party’. Freedom as we know didn’t exist. But they endured. They were stronger than us.

That is what I have been thinking about this year. They were stronger than us. How can I be strong like them. So here is my babushka manifesto, what makes a real babushka. Maybe you feel the same way, maybe you call yours something else, in Polish it’s actually babcia. But at the end of the day, real babushka training is character. And with that hopefully we can carry the traditions of our ancestors as well.

Babushka:

works hard

doesn’t complain

doesn’t think of herself first

cooks you too much food, is always welcoming

doesn’t let you leave too quickly

does not care what people think about her

stays calm when things get crazy

will tell you the truth when needed

family is number one

takes her time

let’s you sneak in some chocolate once in a while

values the simple things in life

has high standards but will love you no matter what

is polite and has impeccable manners

stays humble

Maybe your babushka was different and that is ok. Whatever in was in her that you looked up to, I hope you keep striving for that in your life. I hope your babushka will live in you and you pass that on to your future generations!

Peace and lots of love to anyone who reads this!

This is an Easter soup.

I didn’t realize when I started this blog that I would have so many soup recipes, although I am not surprised because Polish food is so much soup. A meal is not complete without a soup. Even in the summer. I have a secret dream of opening a soup shop somewhere, maybe here in Chicago, called ZUPA, and we just serve soups. It won’t even be just Polish but French and Italian, all soups welcome. And we’ll have really good bread and coffee. Would you go to a place like that?

This soup, like barszcz in general, needs to be prepared in advance, you need to know you will be making it because you need to make your sour starter. But the good news is you can buy it ready made in a jar from Eastern European stores, so check it out. This time we are using rye. We are making a fermented rye juice. There are different ways to make it, here is my way.

żur zakwas (fermented rye liquid)

1/2 liter warm water (2 cups)

60 g rye flour (1/2 cup)

peppercorns

4 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

a small pieces of stale naturally leavened bread (optional but helps it turn sour faster)

liter jar

– Stir everything together in a very clean jar with a clean spoon. If you don’t have a piece of stale bread that is ok, it might just take longer. Cover the jar with a paper towel or cheese cloth with a rubber band. Let it sit for 4-8 days. Stir it around the first two days and then check it to make sure it is not getting too sour because you don’t want it to grow mold. Keep it in a bowl in case in bubbles up. If it turns sour enough you can always put it in the fridge before you use it for soup. But sour is good, that is what makes this soup good! Longer is better is you like it to be very sour so give yourself time to have some wiggle room.

Żurek – a white barszcz

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 parsnip, peeled

1/4 celery root, peeled

4 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

a couple of dried mushrooms if you have them

1 tbsp butter or ghee

3 white sausages (like Polish or German bratwurst)

1/4 pound thick slab bacon, diced

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 tbsp dried marjoram

1 tbsp horseradish from a jar, less if you can get fresh

4 garlic cloves crushed and minced

1/2 liter żur zakwas

4 hard boiled eggs

salt and pepper

sour cream (optional)

– First make a base broth. In a large pot add the carrots, parsnip, celery root, peppercorns, bay leaves, dried mushrooms and one sausage. Cover with 2 liters of water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

– In the meantime you will sauté the other sausages. If they are really fresh, cook it with a lid on a low heat so it cooks through all the way and then slice it after it has cooled. If it is pre-cooked or you can easily slice it, sauté with butter or ghee in small circles on a skillet. Set it aside.

– On the same skillet or cleaned if that one is dirty, sauté the bacon for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until just a little crispy. Add the onion and sauté for another 5-8 minutes. Set aside.

– Once the broth is ready, remove the parsnip, celery root, mushrooms, bay leaves and peppercorns if you can with tongs. Otherwise strain it into a different pot. But you want to keep the carrots! (At least I do). Take out the sausage and slice it up. Add that sausage plus the sautéd ones and bacon and onions. Stir well.

– Strain the zakwas and add it into the soup and cook for about 3-5 minutes to break down any flour. Add the marjoram, horseradish and garlic and cook another 3-5 minutes on low. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

– Serve the soup with slices of hard boiled eggs. enjoy! You can also add a bit of sour cream.

-julia

I love soup. Polish people love soup, and I love that they do. Soup is easy to make, it lasts a long time, it feeds many and it fills you up. Plus this one has sauerkraut which is really good for you. So many reasons to make it and love it.

Kapusta is cabbage. The underrated vegetable that kept many Europeans from starving. Kapuśnaik is just a cute way of saying cabbage soup. I mean what is not to love! I always put a lot of garlic into my soups, feel free to add less or more. I also used Italian sausage I have to admit! I was trying to avoid saying it but I just like the flavors better for this soup, traditionally it is made with kielbasa. Don’t get me wrong, kielbasa has my heart forever just not in this soup. We’ll save that for bigos (Polish hunters stew). In the meantime this is much easier and very satisfying.

Kapuśniak

2 tbsp neutral oil (like grapeseed or sunflower)

half of an onion, diced small

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery sticks, diced

1 tsp ground fennel seeds

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 tsp salt, more to taste if needed

1 tsp pepper, more to taste if needed

4 small yellow potatoes, diced

1 cup thinly chopped cabbage

8 cups vegetable broth

1 cup sauerkraut, roughly chopped

3 Italian sausage, diced into pieces

parsley for serving

– Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is soft. Add the carrots, celery, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Sauté about 3-5 minutes. Add the broth and the cabbage and potatoes.

– Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

– Add the sauerkraut and the sausages and cook for another 20- 30 minutes until the potatoes and sausages are cooked all the way through. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. serve with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!