Little Māra went into the forest…
“Little Māra went into the forest, the green forest was her home.” I heard this from my grandmothers while going mushroom picking together in the beautiful forests of Latvia. Unforgettable memories. I lived in Garciems for the first six years of my life. During the Second World War, my family began the life of refugees. On October 4, 1944, we left Riga. Upon arriving in Germany, we lived in the barracks of the Fischbach camp. That’s where I started elementary school. The lessons were conducted in Latvian. In December 1949, my family had the opportunity to go to America, to earn a living as lumber workers. Later, we moved to Milwaukee.
Fermenting for three generations in Canada (Aija Zichmane)
Aija Zichmane (née Bramane)’s parents began fermenting cabbage in Canada in the 1960s. When they grew older, the sauerkraut-making tradition — along with the large fermentation barrel — was taken over by Aija and her husband Klāvs. Every autumn, they organized sauerkraut-making gatherings, involving a wide circle of relatives and friends. Today, the tradition is carried on by the next generation, and Aija’s son-in-law, a Canadian named Brad, has been crowned the “Cabbage King”!
Madara Riley – Mushroom Maddie
On Facebook, you can find Madara Riley, a Latvian living in the United Kingdom, who is very passionate about mushroom picking. She shares her stories, experiences, knowledge, and inspires others.
Certified mushroomer from Michigan (Larisa Mednis)
Larisa Mednis thinks that her interest in mushrooming comes from her Latvian roots. A number of years ago Larisa joined a mushrooming club in Michigan, USA, where she learned to forage and identify mushrooms from specialists in the field. Today Larisa holds a certificate in wild mushrooming from the State of Michigan, which allows her to legally sell mushrooms. As a vegetarian, Larisa uses mushrooms as a meat substitute in various favourite recipes.
Are you going to send me to mushroom school? (Austra Muižniece)
Austra Muižniece has seen mushrooms in the forest in the Lazio region outside Rome. Her inner Latvian recoils: it turns out she needs to undergo a 12 hour course in mushrooming to be allowed to pick them!
Sauerkraut-making workshop in Melbourne
A sauerkraut making workshop was held in the Latvian House in Melbourne on 26 July 2025. The workshop was organized and led by Arturs Landsbergs, and proceeds were donated to the organization of 3×3 camp. Video filmed and edited by Agnese Krūze.
London Latvian School mushroom foraging trip
Photos from the London Latvian School mushroom foraging trip in 1981.
From the “Latvians Abroad – Museum and Research Centre” collection.
Grandma taught me how to ferment cabbage (Kalvis Mikelšteins)
Every year, Kalvis Mikelšteins ferments cabbage, which he then sells at Latvian Christmas markets in the USA. Cabbage is almost his favorite vegetable — he enjoys eating it cold, adding fresh apple slices and sometimes freshly chopped onion.
It took two or three days and the sauerkraut was ready (Nestors Refbergs)
Nestors Refbergs was born in the Latvian colony Letonija in Brazil in 1933. He recalls how his mother made sauerkraut: she crushed the cabbage in a wooden dough trough and then transferred it into a special ceramic fermentation pot. After two or three days, the sauerkraut was ready!
Latvians in Bergen ferment cabbage for shared celebrations
Cabbage fermenting working bee in Bergen in the fall of 2025.