Oldest And Newest Items In Your Kitchen

[Winchester]

The oldest thing I have is either a pasta canister that my mother always had in the kitchen (I use it for decoration only) or the nut grinder type thing. I don't know exactly what it's called. It's got a glass jar at the bottom and the top is metal with a handle you turn. It was painted orange but it's lost a bit. I keep that in my china cabinet.

@mooch, we have a nut grinder like that, too; it belonged to Rick's parents and he wanted it. We don't use it either; it's on the hutch as a knick-knack, I guess.

We have a lot of very, very old glass liquor bottles. They're really pretty. I'm not sure of the years or anything; I've had them forever and they originally came from a great-aunt, who gave them to Grandma and she gave them to me. Does anybody remember when people used to put colored water in very old bottles and then place the bottles on window sills? My grandmother and my mother both did that. The sun would shine in the bottles and reflect the colors in the rooms. It was really pretty, especially in a kitchen, if you used reds and oranges and greens for the colors (notice how I tried to keep on topic there? ).

Guys, I really love your pictures. A very interesting thread.

 

[Winchester]

I finally got around to taking some pictures....

This is the hutch. I guess it would be considered Shaker style? It's probably oak, but I'm not sure about that. My great-grandfather made it eons ago. It was in my great-grandmother's kitchen; when we parents built their house, it was moved to their kitchen. It was always supposed to come to me. When my parents downsized, it came to our kitchen.

Oh, that red can on the top of the hutch? That was also Grandma's; she kept her flour in that can and I also have her flour scoop. It's still inside. I have her sugar can, too, along with the scoop. I have a lot of Grandma's things. Long story....Grandma was actually my great-grandmother, but legally, she was my grandmother. She was actually my mother's grandmother, but adopted Mom was she was seven years old, when my mother's mother was killed. Get that? So even though she was my great-grandmother, I always called her Grandma.

An interesting story about the hutch. The doors won't stay closed sometimes. We'll come out to the kitchen in the morning and a door may be open or I'll be putting clothes in the washer downstairs, come back upstairs and a door will be open. We don't know why as they're not easy to open. We started keeping that clawing board on one of the doors, so it doesn't completely open anymore. But it will open just enough that you can tell it's open. The hutch is ancient by now, so it could be anything....the cats could be toying with it for all we know.

Those recipe books with the green and white stripes belonged to Rick's mother. She had them forever and I took them when she went into assisted living. Rick's sister didn't want them and suggested they be thrown into the trash. I couldn't let them do it, so they found a home here.

And these are two of my rolling pins. The one in the back belonged to Rick's mom. The one in the front was Grandma's. Rumor has it that my great-grandfather made that, too, but we don't know. It's as old as the hills and I can't even begin to think of how many dozens of sticky buns and cookies that rolling pin has rolled out.

Rick's sister didn't want their mom's rolling pin either. I took it because I couldn't bear to see it just tossed into the trash and will give it to our granddaughter when she's older. I use both of them, just because, I guess. I think they both have a beautiful patina and you can't get that unless you actually use them. Things are made to be used, IMO. It's not enough that somebody owned them; it's that they were used. It's the memories that make things special, memories of rolling out dough and frying doughnuts with my MIL, of watching Grandma roll out her sugar cookies and me helping to decorate them. I hope that makes sense.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Winchester What an interesting reply and thank you for the pictures. In looking at the hutch, by the picture, my guess would be it is pine or maple, probably maple. Beautiful. Has it been refinished or is it the original finish. I love the red can. I have a can like that but it is a lard can. It is full of my grandfather's old deeds, all kinds of papers, etc. Is there a story about the basket on top? The rolling pins are special. They are not a tool that get used much anymore. I still have one, but it has only been mine. Baking, will it become a lost art? I hope not. I understand how you feel about these things. When things have been saved for so long, they just simply cannot be thrown out. By the way, interesting story about your grandmother. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Winchester]

Thank you! It is the original finish and it's quite scratched and has a lot of marks on it. I've thought about getting it refinished because I have no intention of ever selling it, although I don't know what our son will do. And I was talking to my sister last night and we do think it's maple, not oak. Sorry.

The basket on top of the can is just a basket that I like. A few years ago, for Christmas, we ordered a wine and gift basket from a company for my sister and BIL. Rick was really intrigued and decided to order one for us, too. That's the basket that came; it was full of items. I like the basket, so I tucked it up there on top of the can. The cats can't get to it up there (at least, not that I know of!).

We're really rural here and down the road from us is an Amish family (I may have mentioned this before) and the old father makes baskets. He does simply beautiful work; in 2016, we bought a basket from him and filled it with items that are locally made (cheeses, candies, chocolates, etc.) and gave it to my sister and BIL for Christmas. I want to go back to get a laundry basket for us; the man's work is gorgeous. He signs the bottom of every basket that he makes. The family also sells some relishes, fruit butters, and some bakery products.

Some things are important to me, not because they're things, but because of the memories they invoke for me. I mentioned that I have Grandma's old cookie cutters. I'll have to take some pictures of them, too. They're kind of unusual with the way they're made; Rick thinks they were probably hand-made. I still use them and they do a fine job....I just don't put them in the dishwasher.