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My mom has many things from her grandmother who was born in Germany and came here when she was 18. She was born in the 1800's and lived to be 97. Anyway she gave me 3 things from her kitchen, a cast iron pot with glass lid that I just cleaned the rust off of and seasoned, a meat cleaver, and chopper. Here are some pictures.
Meat cleaver, well made not like the junk you buy today
chopper/dough cutter
Cast iron pot that my great grandma would make beef stew and chicken in.
My mom also has her rolling pin, coffee grinder and Iron. It's a heavy cast iron that you would heat up on the stove and then iron your clothes with. In order to come to America she had to pay her passage by becoming an indentured servant. My mom and I were reminiscing today about her. She gave me the stuff last night. I plan to use the pot but the other 2 items are just for show. Is it possible that this pot came with the glass lid?? It fits so we assume it may have. We also have her toaster, it was one of those where you lay the bread against it and place over the gas stove to make toast. I am not sure how else to describe it. It meant so much to me to have these things since my great grandmother died when I was 3.
Lubby, thanks again for great posts today! I have ten cast iron skillets that range over three generations. They've been discussed quite a bit on another thread regarding cornbread. When I moved this summer they went into the hotel room with me while we waited on our townhouse.
I love, love, love old kitchen things -- especially family ones. It is wonderful having some of your ancestors things. I'll write some more about my additional kitchen gadgets the next few days.
My mother was widowed at age 50 and essentially stopped cooking for anybody other than herself about that time. She made a cross country move and had to pare down a great deal and I was still single then myself so I did not get much from her. But I did get a few special kitchen items which I treasure. One is a little wooden toothpick holder which was made in Germany when we were stationed there in the 50's. It is a little man with a big red painted mouth where the toothpicks go. And a few nice aprons as well.
No cast iron pots or pans, knives or anything like that but a lot of useless fancy crystal and china which she could not bring herself to get rid of. I've been hauling that mess around myself for over 35 years and I don't know how to get rid of it myself. My grown daughter has already warned me I better not try to cast it off to her cause she doesn't want it either.
Those of you with warm memories and family utensils are surely lucky.
I have my grandma's cookie cutters. My mom doesn't cook much and I wouldn't want her stuff...she's more likely to end up with my kitchen castoffs than the other way around.
My mom also has my grandmother's mixing bowl. It's ceramic, bisque colored, and it has a floral design on one side with blue trim on the rim of the bowl.It is in excellent condition and she wants me to have it. My grandmother made her butterhorn cookies in this bowl, that's all she used it for. This thread got me thinking about my heritage so I am going to join ancestry.com.
Lots of stuff- cast iron, handcrank coffee mill, meat grinder, food slicer, bunch of bakelite and early fiesta wear stuff.
My favorite which I dont use are the Heavy Aluminum Guardian Wear from the 1930's with all the glass lids and an ice bucket. No one in the family wanted the stuff when she passed so I took it.
Only thing I actually use is the cast iron. Love the non textured surface of the only stuff.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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My husband's grandfather was a butcher and my mother-in-law gave us a few tools of his trade as mementos:
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