Small bowls, big bowls. Red bowls, green bowls. You name it, and we have a bowl for it!
Bowls are probably one of the greatest inventions in the world. You never know what you are going to be doing in a farmhouse kitchen,but more than likely the first thing you will grab is a bowl.
The smallest bowl I have will hold one egg yolk comfortably, or a Tablespoon of spices. The largest one will hold approximately 30 pounds of ground meats, fats and spices for mixing up some fresh sausage. I even have two sets of bowls that are actually measuring cups, but do dual purpose for many other things.
Even though we use any bowl for just about any purpose, I have a few bowls that are used for only one purpose, and that is due to size. When we started out making our own sausage, I used a large blue speckle ware bowl. As big as it was, it still wasn’t large enough to hold all we needed to do, so we ended up doing two batches. (See the comparison in the first photo…)
Many years ago, on a trip with friends to Jefferson, Texas, we strolled into the Jefferson General Store. We were almost ready to leave when I spotted a display of ‘penny candy’. Without a second’s hesitation, I grabbed the Country Boy and pointed. His eyes lit up. The candy was stored in a huge red speckled enamelware bowl. As casually as we could, we asked the clerk if they sold those bowls. She couldn’t find it in the computer, so she called the manager over. He offered to check for a price. After about fifteen minutes, he came back and said he couldn’t find a price anywhere, but if we really wanted it, he would sell it to us. The price he offered was so reasonable, The Country Boy quickly looked around for a second one. Unfortunately, it was the only one, but it went home with us.
We have earmarked that bowl for sausage, and considering the size, there is little we can use if for. However, it is perfect when getting snap beans ready for the canner. Give me time, and I know I will find a million other uses for it!
What is your favorite bowl, and how do you use it on your homestead?
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to read the Kitchen Series – Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3!
Hi Julie, I am a bowl collector!!! I love my bowls!!! Some day I will have to get them all set up and take a picture and send to you. I am really enjoying your articles! Ellen
Thank you, Ellen! I would love to see your bowls. I never intended to have a collection of bowls, but they are just something
I haven’t been able to resist, especially the vintage ones! One of these days you need to ride out to the farm and see all of
mine. I would love to have you!!