Hazard A Guess: Week of November 14, 2002

Hello from Hazard!

We don’t have consensus, but we do have similar responses on Item No. 664, the wire basket-like item featured two weeks ago.

These readers – Rudy of Akron, Ohio; Jane Hoopes of Sebring, Ohio; Randy Winland of Prospect, Ohio – agree it is a basket used to gather eggs (although Randy wonders where the handle is, and admits he may be off base on this one… if he is, he’s not alone!).

But other readers identify it used for other purposes. Margaret Gray of Bowerston, Ohio, thinks it might be a vegetable steamer; Doris and Dale Gregg of Sycamore, Ohio, say it’s just a plain ol’ basket that folds flat for storage (Doris used to use one like it to serve rolls); Joan Bilek of Norton, Ohio, says she uses something like it when canning to keep the jars off the bottom of the pan; and Don Watson says it almost looks like an old toaster for the top of a wood stove. I’d throw in my own guess, because my mother has something similar that we always just used as a trivet.

That’s the “hazard” in Hazard a Guess – when the item’s owner doesn’t know what the gadget is, who knows what is right?

This week, even though he’s only ever seen two of them, H. Harold Mitchell of Pittsburgh knows exactly what this week’s item is used for. Do you?

Send your responses to: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460, or via e-mail to: editorial@farmanddairy.com.

We’re always looking for more “hazard-ous” items. If you have something that looks intriguing that you’d like to submit, send us a clear 35mm photograph (no Polaroids, please) of the item, along with a complete description of its dimensions and use. You can use the address listed above.

To all the veterans among our readers, we send a belated, but heartfelt, Veteran’s Day thank you.