I watched my Grandmother cook and bake using this stove. Adding wood to get a quick hot flame for frying and such. A bank of coals was needed for the oven. The temperature was always tested by wetting your fingertip and quickly pressing it against the hot surface. My Grandmothers internal thermometer was very accurate,mine not so much. Stews and samp would be left simmering on the back section of the stove. Out of this oven came the most amazing pastries I have ever eaten.
The stove was also used to heat up those cast iron flat irons used to press the laundry. They would be lined up according to their size on the front portion ready for use. Although my Grandmother did have an electric hot water heater she would often heat water on this stove for doing laundry or cleaning.
My Grandmother did laundry as a means of support. This was of course done in the kitchen. Seems funny to us now but there was no such thing as a laundry room. The kitchen had all the necessary space and the water
was available there. At the time of my remembrances she was the only person living in this house so she could pretty much leave everything set up. The washtubs and wringer.
People would come and go throughout the day picking up their laundry or dropping some off. In addition to those picking up or dropping off several merchants would stop by as well. There was The "Duggan Man" he delivered bread,cakes.pastries and potato chips. The Duggan Brothers owned that company. The milk man would come by. Sometimes a peddler know by me only as Goldstein would come by as well. He sold just about everything and on a time payment plan. You could order what you wanted and he would deliver to you when it came in. You made payments to him. Grandma rarely purchased anything and always paid in cash. Occasionally the coal man would stop and see if more coal was needed. A man would drop off wood and kindling . It was a busy place that kitchen.
When I was real small Grandma kept me busy being helpful. One of her favorite chores for me involved tacking down the metal strip that bridged the seam on her linoleum floor covering. Over time there wasn't much of a strip left but a whole lotta tacks!
Grandmas kitchen was up and operating by six in the morning every day and stayed busy until early evening.
If you stayed late enough Grandma would move into the parlor and rock in her chair. She had a small television set but rarely if ever turned it on. I would venture to say the majority of her adult life was spent in that kitchen.
I have been around the world ; literally, and if there was one place I could go back to, it would be Grandmas' Kitchen.
So many memories! The house next to ours, where by great-great aunt lived, had an oven like that. I remember watching her feed small pieces of wood into the top and then putting the burner back on.
ReplyDeleteAnd of those Duggan birthday cakes! Special orders and SO GOOD! Loved seeing the Duggan man!We also had Mr. Iaconna who brought us eggs every week and Mr. Brullo who brought corn and other vegetables in the summer. And there was the Fuller Brush man and the man who brought a suitcase full of beautiful linens which were wrapped in brown paper and twine. He would lovingly upwrap to display each piece. They all had heavy accents and I would struggle to understand them.
I imagine since we lived in the village we attracted all the peddlers! My mother even rented rooms to a couple of salesmen for years. It was nice income for my parents and we were in a convenient location for the men.
Thanks for all those memories!
I remember my Grandma's kitchen with the fondest of memories. I would spend my weekends with my Grandma, she was like a Mother to me. She had a large gas burner stove and oven, and it had a flat part that was always hot in the winter, fueled by kerosene, that would have to heat two bedrooms and a living room. the bedrooms never seemed to get above fifty-five degrees even when the kitchen seemed like it was ninety! When it was really cold outside they would close off the living room so the bedrooms would get more heat. Did I tell you the bathroom had no heat even thought it was off the kitchen, because that door was kept closed. It consisted of a claw foot tub and a toilet. Using it was an experience in the cold months of winter. There was no hot water either. When it came time for a bath, my Grandmother would have to light the gas burner under the water heater and crack open a window. That third floor apartment must have been in violation of many building codes. Back at home our back door faced the neighbors, and she would have the Dugans Man come to her house about once a week. Maybe once every two months or so she would call him over. My eyes would light up when I gazed at his basket of "goodies" as he showed my mother his wares. I always wanted the cupcakes. Six came in a box, two vanilla, two strawberry, and two chocolate iced ones. Heaven in a box! Once I discovered you could peel away the frosting without leaving a trace on the cupcake, I would carefully peel it off. It must have been a good quarter inch thick, I always ate the cake first, and savoring every delectable bite of the fudge-like frosting. My grandma had the Hood Dairy deliver milk and eggs. To sell their cottage cheese they would pack it in glasses or mugs. I still have the mug my grandmother would serve me hot cocoa in. I also have a tall green ice tea glass with a couple riding a bicycle built for two. Thanks for a walk down memory lane. Marianne
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