From stalk to shock to fodder, harvesting the corn crop required a myriad of...
Paul Locher explains how early settlers of Ohio country would have harvested corn, detailing the tools they would have used.
Dough Boxes: A much-kneaded item of pioneer Ohio country furniture
How did pioneers bake bread for large families? Columnist Paul Locher explores the history of the dough box—a distinctive piece of early American furniture used by settlers to knead and rise dough.
Trammels: A pioneer cook’s best friend
Discover the history of iron trammels, the adjustable pot hooks early Ohio settlers used to control hearth heat and master open-fire cooking.
Johnny Appleseed’s trees gave rise to J.M. Smucker Company
Paul Locher provides a history of how Johnathan “Appleseed” Chapman's orchards became used by Jerome Monroe Smucker to create the J.M. Smucker Co.
Of schnitz and rye straw
Paul Locher outlines the use of rye straw to make baskets and store dried apple slices, schnitz, at homesteads in the early 1800s in Ohio Country.
It’s time to bring on the schnitzelbank
Paul Locher details the special tools early settlers required to construct sturdy roofs for their homes in Ohio and Pennsylvania in the 1800s.
Spiders and salamanders were denizens of early fireplaces
Explore early Ohio frontier kitchens, where nonstop fires, ash piles and iron “spiders” and “salamanders” shaped daily cooking and pioneer life.
How pioneer families finished butter for market in early Ohio
From Scotch hands and butter-working tables to saffron coloring and decorative butter stamps, discover how Ohio pioneers finished, packaged and sold homemade butter.
Cabin fever and the surprising history of early American butter prints
Columnist Paul Locher how Ohio pioneers fought cabin fever by carving intricate butter prints, creating early American folk art and a clever way to brand farm goods.
Some trivia about trivets
Early Ohio cooks relied on iron trivets to control heat over open fires. These tools evolved from simple cookware to ornate cast-iron household staples.
