Ovedia Peterson Nelson: 52 Ancestors Prompt “Tradition”

Ovedia Peterson Nelson and Her Famous Christmas Lefse

No Norwegian Christmas would be complete without lefse on the table. In our small town of Hanska, Minnesota, my Aunt Ovedia was probably the queen of lefse bakers. Every year she made enormous amounts of lefse which she sold and gave as gifts to families in the area.

Ovedia Peterson was my father's sister, the daughter of Paul and Regina Peterson. She was born June 4, 1904. She married Joseph Nelson on August 24, 1928, and they had five children. She died May 19, 1993.

Ovedia is still remembered with love in Hanska, and her delicious lefse is remembered fondly as well. I have never made lefse myself, and never had the opportunity to watch my aunt at work. Luckily for me, a book recounting the history of the town and township was published a few years ago, which my brother shared with me. To my delight, there was an article on my Aunt Ovedia and her lefse. It described her baking process, and even included her recipe!

Until I read the article, I never knew she made an amazing 1000 pounds of lefse every year, selling it to several grocery stores. When I was young, I had no idea that my sweet aunt was in reality a hardworking businesswoman, earning a sizable part of the family’s annual income with her lefse baking.

I still remember eating Ovedia’s lefse. It was so thin, with lovely brown markings from the heat of the stove, and it had the most amazing smell. My brother sent me a package of lefse a year ago (baked by someone else since my aunt died years ago), and when I opened the wrapping, the smell transported me back to my childhood. I felt like I was back on our farm at the kitchen table, spreading butter on Ovedia’s warm lefse. What a wonderful memory of a family tradition!

                                  Ovedia's recipe from the Vaer Sa God church cookbook