I grew up in Loves Park, IL and knew the sumptuous taste of Thuringer Summer Sausage from the local butcher shop-down to the cheaper version of Oscar Meyer.
I married in 1979 and moved to the South with my husband. The South did not produce Thuringer, so Oscar Meyer was my supplier until it stopped producing it.
Eventually, Hickory Farms set up in the malls at Christmas time in TX, MS, TN . . . , and their Hickory Log satisfied my longing for sausage. We would buy a THREE pound "log" and celebrate every Christmas Eve with sausage, cheese and crackers, and a hot bowl of chili. It is a 45-year family tradition for our four sons. Now our grandchildren expect sausage alongside their chili. (I know it's not healthy--but it's Christmas!)
Alas, Hickory Farms bit the dust about ten years ago and substituted a messy, greasy, nasty imitation of their best sausage. They broke my heart. Schnuck's in Rockford also stopped selling that 4-inch tall Thuringer that had the perfect blend of tangy and salty. Tragedy!
For years I have bought every conceivable brand of Summer Sausage on the market--just longing for the perfect Christmas Eve meal--from store brands to a few family farm brands online. I had given up hope of EVER finding a quality substitute of the original taste and drier texture of my longed-for Thuringer Summer Sausage.
But with Christmas being here again, I had to try just one more time to find that taste of Christmas. It is such a treasured memory.
Thuringer, in particular, is not only a tradition, but it is a bittersweet memory of a blue-collar, self-employed father who labored daily to feed his family of six. He was the "working poor." Severe summer heat or Arctic winter snow and wind, Zane Carter would be hanging siding, doors, windows, etc. . . whatever it took to "put food on the table." Freshly sliced Thuringer from the butcher shop in Loves Park, Il. was a luxury. You say "Thuringer," and I think of my daddy savoring a slice of this unique sausage covered in mustard lying between two slices of soft white bread. Monroe, Wisconsin was a trip he would ask us to make when we came home to visit. It was a treat from him. There is a beautiful old tavern there that serves plates of cheese and sausage---and chili. :-) For the memory for Dad, I just HAD to find some good Thuringer this season!
So with fingers crossed--and even a prayer to the Lord for an unnecessary but perfectly seasoned Thuringer sausage--I hit the Google button again this year.
Behold! Wenzel Farm appeared. I will tell you that I didn't hold out much hope from all my past expensive experiences with sausage.
But when the box arrived and I lifted that thick, firm sausage from the box . . . I just knew it was a winner! And I was RIGHT!!!! We love it!!!!
I am just down right thankful for a summer sausage that is drier and tasty. Salty and a bit tangy. And even though the mustard seeds are missing from this sausage (it's an aesthetic thing with me), this sausage is just plain good! My dad would be so happy!! I have bought one for each son. :-)
This 66 year-old grandmother is at a loss for words for her joy. So let me close with the words I know the famous wrestler, "NACHO LIBRE" would say . . .
"This sausage IS THE BEST!!!!!"
Sherry Coleman -- Georgia :-)
