Books, Bedlam, and A Lively Hope

Farmgirl in the Kitchen

12:32, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 .. Posted in Farm Girl Fun .. 5 comments .. Link

In the Kitchen is the theme for Week 3 of the Farm Girl Blog-a-thon!

I am taking this thematic opportunity to pay tribute to one of my favorite things from the days-gone-by era of farm kitchens: the hoosier!

Popular in the early 1900's, and now woefully replaced by cabinetry and countertops, the hoosier was the central work station in the kitchen. Originally made by a single company in Indiana, it served as a pantry and baking station in one. They were generally made of oak, with a porcelain roll-out counter, and featured a large flour bin/sifter, sugar bin, bread drawer, and included several spice jars and canisters. Convenient and space efficient, it became so popular that thirty or so manufacturers were soon making similar "hoosier" style set-ups.

For the farmer's wife who was making things from scratch, feeding threshing crews, and maybe even supplementing the farm income with baked goods, the hoosier would have been her executive work desk.

Today, you can still find these original pieces in antique shops, usually in poor condition with broken flour bins. Some shop owners pull out the bins and remove the cabinet doors to use them for display cabinets. Often they are in fragile condition. And of course, there are a few companies making updated copies.

Perhaps the farmer's wife stood at her work station making breakfast hash, the traditional second breakfast eaten by a farmer at mid-morning, after the really really early first breakfast. Here's a tasty version, adapted from a 1970 recipe.

2 T cooking oil
2 cups disced hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers
1 cup diced cook ham
6 beaten eggs
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Coat a large skillet with oil. Add potatoes and cook covered until potatoes are tender. Stir in ham. Combine eggs and water, and pour over ham-potato mixture. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until eggs set, turning mixture occasionally with a spatula. Sprinkle with cheese and serve. Makes 4 servings.

To share with other farm girls and to learn about the Farm Girl way of life visit: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/
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great post

08:52, Thursday, April 24, 2008 .. Posted by deedee06
I have seen an occasional Hoosier in people's homes and have always thought they were beautiful. Thanks for a very informative article. I saw the picture of your area in your previous post. How beautiful. We are just beginning to get green grass here. It is such a welcome sight. Bless you this week. ..........Denise (prairiemom)

Hi

04:00, Friday, April 25, 2008 .. Posted by MyThreeDaughters
Wonderful post. I had no idea what they were, but had heard of them. My Nana would have loved one. The Australian version had none of those inclusions and some were made of kauri pine. My Nana had to get a built in kitchen for her flour bin. We were thinking of buying her house once and I pulled out the drawer to see if the flour bin still worked, but the real estate guy lifted his eyebrows. He didn't know I had a good reason to do that.

There

04:03, Friday, April 25, 2008 .. Posted by MyThreeDaughters
is another type pictured on this page:
http://www.squattersantiques.com/furniture.html

I love these!

10:20, Friday, April 25, 2008 .. Posted by specialmom42000
Thank you for sharing....I lvoe reading your posts.

I have always wanted one of these...mayhave to talk dh into one! (grins)

Blessings, Kelly

***Thanks, Kelly. We have looked into buying one, but we just do not have the room right now. Plus, they are difficult to find in good condition. Tell your husband that having one of these in your home will make the food taste even better! :-) Monica****

Edited by Mennobrarian on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 10:08

Untitled Comment

10:26, Saturday, April 26, 2008 .. Posted by ByHisForgiveness
Oh, the old Hoosier cabinets!! I love them and wish I had one. I think Lehman's catalog sells the newly made Hoosier cabinets but of course they're very expensive. A lifelong investment though, to hand down to generations.

Thank you for mentioning these treasures of times past.

God bless you in your kitchen~ Andrea