firkins

[Drygoods]

Good Day all,

As I live in a period style home, I try to use period things to hide modern things, for instance, I've got dog kibble in a large firkin, and bird seed hiden in the butter churn. One of the firkins that I have hasn't been used, but is one that is double lined. Since it's not held much other than extra packages of paper towels, I thought to put it into my LH service.

My question is this, what is the best way to care for a firkin and use it to keep cold goods? The condition is quite good, although missing it's bentwood handle. However, I thought to rub the inside of the firkin with bee cream to keep the interior surface in nice shape and prevent it from getting water damage should anything leak. Is this a good idea, and what advice do you have for the care and feeding of firkins? Also, since the original handle is broken, and I've not enough time to bend a new one, would a canvas strap, or a wire bale with handle suffice for the time being, or would that look hokey? Your thoughts please.

[Charles Heath]

Re: firkins

Ale, beer, or wine firkin? Let's hope it is not the latter.

[Hank Trent]

Re: firkins

I was picturing a butter firkin. That's not so bad! But I was wondering what a double-lined firkin was.

If it's like a regular firkin, if you want it to hold liquids, it'll need to be either kept full of liquid in storage, or soaked thoroughly before each use. If it's to hold something like butter, not much you need to do, other than to sanitize it going into or coming out of storage. We had a cooperage butter churn that we took care of by filling with antibacterial soap suds, letting it soak a bit, then drying it in the sun, and got no musty smell in storage.

Firkins were utilitarian, not meant to be kept pretty, so no worries about stains and such, and repeated wetting and drying, within reason, wouldn't hurt. But I wonder if I'm missing the mark here, because I'm not sure what the double lining would be. And cold goods? Not sure what that's referring to either.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Drygoods]

Re: firkins

Gentlemen,

Well, my guess, and that is all it is, is that the smaller firkin was double lined to hold butter, or more likely, soft cheese. After all, this has been dairy country for over 150 years. The condition is rather fine, has beautiful copper bands which now shows long wear of that icky green patina. I think that perhaps the reason the firkin is in such fine shape is that I live in such a mild, cool, salt air climate. I mean while the rest of the state is broiling in triple digits (3 hours east it was 116) while we are roasting at 63 with our daily high! I truly believe that weather has a major factor in how some things are preserved. At any rate, back to the firkin, the lining is pristine, I couldn't ask for anything better looking or clean.

In some respects I am reluctant to use it, but that it what I bought it for, to use, and I'm not so irresponsible as to ruin it foolishly. I'm just not sure how to keep the wood from being ruined by ice. In the past, I've often used crocks and buried them into the ground to keep things cool but now I need something larger and sturdy.

Neither commented on the carry handle, any thoughts there? As for the cold goods, that refers to a gentleman's beverages. It seems that a brandy-n-gum, or true julep is never served warm. (which I am well aware, but seem to hear often lately) I'm not partial to juleps myself, would much prefer to keep lemons in the firkin, but the fancies of those we love must be considered. Let us just say that cold goods means, ahem, chilled beverages.

Oh, and when I said small firkin, it's large enough to hold bottles. It makes me wonder just how large some firkins were, or what purpose my large kibble firkin was originally intended. Locally at one shop I've seen about half a dozen smaller firkins, which range in size, but is best described to be likewise a large modern coffee pot, up to a coleman beverage jug, and most are not double lined.

I've often seen buckets at events, but not really well carved firkins. It could be that I've just not noticed them in others' kitchens, but I think that they're quite useful for just about anything. As I said earlier, I use some for around the mud room to hide those modern things that spoil the look of a period home. If I could find something historic to hide my espresso machine, I'd be truly happy.:D

[Charles Heath]

Re: firkins

A standard 15 pound butter firkin is a much smaller animal than the 8 gallon ale, 9 gallon beer, or 84 gallon wine firkins. A little vinegar and salt will clean that verdigris from the copper bands. It's interesting someone would use copper so close to a dairy product.

[Drygoods]

Re: firkins

[QUOTE=Charles Heath;64891. It's interesting someone would use copper so close to a dairy product.[/QUOTE]

Ah yes, but Mr. Heath, it is only on the outside so it's probably just what the cooper used at the time. As for the patina, I know plenty of folks who love that sort of look. I don't. I think that no matter the age of something, if I'm going to use it in a period context, it should look new, and not 150 years old. Naturally, I don't remove the patina off of everything in my house, some things I let alone as I do not want to spoil it's value, but in this case, I don't want yicky green smears on my floors.

More than likely, plenty of folks reading this thread think I'm bats. Not many folks use things like this to hide modern stuff in their old house, let alone take these things along for a weekend for drinks.:tounge_sm

[Spinster]

Re: firkins

Mrs. Peebles,

We're the same sort of crazy. I've just got things hidden in crockery churns and oak baskets rather than firkins, and end up dumping things on the floor and leaving for the weekend because I need the churn. Now, I'm trying to figure out how I can evict a bedroom suite and replace it with the rope bed that somehow made its way into my vehicle on Monday morning....

[Drygoods]

Re: firkins

Now, I'm trying to figure out how I can evict a bedroom suite and replace it with the rope bed that somehow made its way into my vehicle on Monday morning....

Piece of cake Mrs. Lawson, all you have to do is walk it out to your cottage (the place that was formerly a guest house) and toss it on the pile of trunks, extra chests of drawers, crates, tubs, chairs, &c, with the other 9 beds that you have there. Well, that's what I do anyway. You should have seen my family howl this month when I came home insisting that I buy an arrowback deacon's bench, knowing full well that I had absolutely no place for it, yet MUST have it. I was afraid that it was going to be tossed on the pile too, but lucky for me my son is away and so it made it's way upstairs to his room.

I figure that when my children move out, I'm going to be one of those crackpot women who stashes furniture all over the house in unusused rooms. I mean, I've already got a cottage, a 2+car garage, and a garden shed packed to the rafters with excess furniture and housewares that I need only for events. The odd things is that some of this stuff gets unpacked only once a year, perhaps even longer than that, and when I find something, I exclaim, "Oh, that is where that's been as this time!" But that doesn't stop me from shopping, it might have slowed me down some, the reduced income part of it, but now I just refine my purchases. Doesn't talking/living like this frighten people?:p BTW, I also bought a cammode cabinet with the bench.

You know that you've got a real problem with antique furniture when you live in an old house and you buy stuff that won't fit through the doorway or up the stairwell......not to worry, have strong sons hoist it from the ground floor outside the house and upstairs through the upper exterior doorway. Now, when your neighbors see furniture swinging or being pushed up a ladder, then they know you're lost all your marbles.:D