Copper
Kettle and Apple-Butter Stirrer
Spring
and Summer on the farm produced large quantities of food that had to be
preserved for winter use. Apples,
tomatoes and pumpkin, for example, had to be cooked and canned. Above is a copper kettle that was used for
cooking large quantities of foods for canning.
This kettle could be used outside over an open fire to avoid having to
cook in the house where the only air conditioning was to open the doors and
windows. In the early 19th
century it might also have been used for also cooking down (concentrating)
maple syrup. But by the early 20th
century very little maple syrup was made in Monroe County. In the late fall or early winter, during
butchering season, this kettle might be used to cook down animal fat to produce
lard.
The
stirrer was used to help reduce the fruit to a fine texture as it cooked and to
keep it from sticking to the hot kettle.
Stirring this pot was a hot, boring job and the long handle of the
stirrer allowed the person doing this work to stay a little away from the
fire. However, the radiant heat and
smoke from the burning wood fuel still took its toll.
The
original known owner (there may have been an earlier owner) of this copper
kettle was William Lallathin
(1858 – 1946), grandfather of the sisters, Dorothy (Jones) Bayes and Hazel
(Jones) Barker. The kettle and stirrer are now owned by Hazel
(Jones) Barker.
Provided by Dorothy
Bayes
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