OLD KITCHEN WOODENWARE EVOKES MEMORIES

As my daughter organizes our family recipes and stories about the various cooks, going back to her great, great grandmother, she also takes pictures of the old dishes and implements they used. I found I had saved the large oblong wooden chopping bowl of my youth. As I held this item in my hands, my thoughts reflected upon cooking in the kitchen with its wood fired stove. Many times, I chopped cabbage, carrots and onions from the garden for coleslaw or potatoes and meat for hash, in that bowl.

We couldn’t run to the store for ready-chopped cabbage or cans of hash. Most everything was handmade and often mixed in the oblong wooden bowl or a smaller round one Mother had.

Bowls of Great Variety

The wooden bowls of early America were of great variety, ranging from small salt dishes to round and oval bowls for preparing and even serving meals. Large round and oblong ones, often 20 inches in length were used as chopping and mixing bowls.

Not many of these old bowls exist today. They were made for daily use, so wore out.

However, if you have one from childhood, treasure it, more for its nostalgic value than anything monetary. It probably will have nicks and scratches from the metal chopping tool, but that gives it character, as someone once told me of old woodenware and furniture.

The Early Wooden Bowls

The pioneers shaped the earliest bowls with simple tools, such as chisel, knife and plane. In the 18th century, colonial tradesmen used lathes for turning the insides of bowls, cups, and mortars. From this came the name of turner’s ware for such items.

Another early name for wooden items was treenware. This supposedly came from the word tree, the material for making them. The craftsmen who made wooden items for a living, often were called coopers.

Restoring Wooden Chopping Bowls

The large chopping bowls, like the one of my childhood, are in great demand nowadays. You can restore them with little work. However, they are more authentic looking when knife marks and chips remain.

To obtain a nice finish, sand the inside and out with fine sandpaper, then rub the outside with 0000 steel wool. (Some people maintain that you shouldn’t even lightly sand or rub with steel wool. So use your judgment.)

The outside may be waxed until it has a high shine, while the inside is usually left as is. You might rub salad oil over the inside lightly to keep it from drying out and cracking.

VEGETABLE SAUTE OR STIR FRY is a tasty combination. You can vary it, depending on the veggies available.

In a large skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, one thinly sliced medium red onion, 1 sliced medium summer squash, 1 sliced medium zucchini, 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms, 1 medium tomato cut into wedges, 1/4 cup chopped celery. (You can vary the quantities and types of vegetables, if you desire.)

Season, before cooking, with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon dill weed, 1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, salt to taste. (Vary seasonings, if desired.)

Cover and cook 5-7 minutes over medium heat until vegetables are of desired tenderness.

(Mary Emma Allen researches and writes from her woodland NH home.)

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