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‘These ladies work their fingers to their bone’

Turner Ladies prepare for 70th annual Sauerkraut Supper

By Dylan Jackson 3 min read

NEW ULM – One Hundred gallons of sauerkraut and 400 pounds of landjaegers make up the foundation of the Turner Ladies 70th Annual Sauerkraut Supper, which will be served from 4-7 p.m. Thursday.  

Although the Sauerkraut Supper dates back to 1956, the origin of the Turner Ladies goes back way to 1889. 

"The men decided they needed some ladies so they asked their wives and that's how it all started," said Treasurer Jeanne Kretsch. 

Kretsch has been a Turner Lady for 46 years, but her time at Turner Hall dates back to the 1960s.

"[I would] dance, listen to the jukebox, and have rib sandwiches," Kretsch said. 

Elvis and country music were her favorites to play on the jukebox. 

The years of familiarity with Turner Hall has allowed Kretsch to become familiar with Sauerkraut Supper regulars. 

"When I'm taking out posters I know the people who will buy tickets," Kretsch said. 

Tickets are not required for the meal. Cash and checks can be paid to the Turner Ladies. 

The meal is takeout only, which was a change implemented after COVID-19.

Another recent change was the date. The supper used to be held the last Thursday in September, but is now the first Thursday of October. 

"Last year [attendance] was a little bit down because there was another big fundraiser on that same day," Kretsch said. 

Sales are essential for funding Turner Hall. 

"This is an old building that needs continuous work," Kretsch said.

The goal is for 700-1,000 meals to be sold. 

Meals include sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, landjaegers, rye bread, and apple crisp prepared by 25 to 30 Turner Ladies. 

Recently dessert shifted from apple turnover to apple crisp. With prices getting expensive for apple turnovers, members began offering up their own apples. 

"One of our Turner Ladies said 'I've got this big apple orchard out on the farm. If we want to do apple crisp we could do it easily,'" Kretsch said. 

Collective efforts and a giving nature are essential traits of Turner Ladies. The group, which sits at 85 members, at one time had more than 200. 

The group's pledge is to "Help Turner in any way we can."

And they do just that. The Ladies set up tables for events, provide decorations, cook food, and do much more, all for free.

"[Kretsch] was here at 7 a.m. setting up all the napkins, placemats, tablecloths. She shined all the glasses," Turner Lady Jane Heath said. "They're plating food, hauling it all back and forth."

Health is from Texas, and has recruited roughly a dozen current members. 

She shouted out Turner Ladies President Carol Steinhaus, "Carol's in a wheelchair but she is here all the time and will be in the wheelchair doing whatever." 

Steinhaus has been a member for 52 years. 

The collective effort that goes into the Sauerkraut Supper and other events are not limited to Turner Ladies. 

Describing it as her favorite, Kretsch said that the apple crisp recipe came from her friend Maggie Bauer.

"She's not a Turner Lady, but I worked with her at Citizens Bank and she gave me the recipe years ago," Kretsch said. 

Prep work for preparing the apples began a month ago. Sunday and Monday were dedicated to working on the sauerkraut. Apple crisp began Wednesday morning. Prep work would start at 7 a.m. and finish well into the afternoon. About 25 to 30 Turner Ladies helped prep Thursday's meal. 

"These ladies work their fingers to their bone," Heath said.

The Turner Ladies Society will be serving sauerkraut for Schell's Oktoberfest Saturday, Oct. 10.

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