~The Old Time Kitchen~
The front door stood hospitably open in expectation of company, and an orderly vine grew at each side; but our path led to the kitchen door at the house-end, and there grew a mass of gay flowers and greenery, as if they had been swept together by some broom into a tangled heap; there were portulacas all along the lower step and straggling off into the grass, and clustering mallows that crept as near as they dared, like poor relations. I saw the bright eyes and brainless little heads of two half-grown chickens who were snuggled down among the mallows as if they had been chased away from the door more than once, and expected to be again.
--The Country of The Pointed Firs
Perhaps no other room in the house so perfectly captures the essence of “home” as the old-time kitchen. From the herbs gathered in bundles, hanging from the rafters, to the braids of garlic and baskets of shallots and onions gathered from the garden, the kitchen overflows with goodness, spilling from every corner the sweet fruits of mother’s labor. Plentiful cupboard shelves and pantries, lined with mason jars carefully labeled, are filled with home-canned peaches and pears, while antique crocks of sweet pickles fill the air with the delicious scents of cinnamon, allspice and clove. A collection of hand woven baskets with a simple old fashioned elegance about them are hung on wooden pegs for fetching vegetables from the garden, while larger, sturdier baskets set about the room, overflow with apples and squash ready to be taken to the root cellar for winter store.
Everything within the old-time kitchen speaks of home and the warmth and comforts found within it. From the fragrant scents of mulled spices simmering on the stove to the crackling of a fire in the hearth, the kitchen is a cozy haven filled with all things delightful and delicious, and where homespun goodness is always found in plentiful supply. In this room, so full of character and charm and brimming with old fashioned treasures and antique wares, joy can be found in every nook and cranny, and time worn furnishings extend warm hospitality and a cordial welcome to all.
All throughout the year, the kitchen is astir with homebound pleasures and bustling with pleasant activities and old fashioned cooking is always at its delicious and flavorful best. With a wealth of country abundance and a full and overflowing larder, meals are prepared using such things as freshly churned butter made from the richest cream, farm fresh eggs gathered from the hen house, and fragrant herbs picked fresh from the garden, all blending together in delicious harmony, and serving as a source of pleasure and pride to the homemaker who delights in cooking the old fashioned way.
