The EssentiaList

Antique Ice Box

by Catherine Haug, Aug 5, 2014 (photo, right, from Ruby Lane Antiques (1))

When I was growing up in Bigfork, all of us town kids had a very special playhouse: an old 2-room cabin on the Dockstader property, overlooking Bigfork Bay. It had a parlor room for entertaining guests, equipped with an old floor-model radio from the early 1900s (it still worked), a treadle sewing machine that also worked, a cushioned bench and a wooden rocking chair arranged around the wood heating stove and a braided rug.  The other room served as kitchen, dining area and bedroom. It was equipped with an old cast iron cook stove, a dry sink with pantry shelves above, and an old ice box that could be kept cold inside with a block of ice (the ice house was only a block away). There was also a wooden table that seated four, a dresser, and a creaky old bed.

We girls loved to play pioneers, and even had live chickens and a couple rabbits to take care of (and an out-house for just-in-case). The boys played Indians and gave surprise attacks on the homestead, just to keep us alert. Ah, the good old days.

Most of us don’t have an ice-box – we have a fancy refrigerator-freezer that may even deliver ice through a dispenser. We’ve come a long way, but how many of us know how to use our refrigerators to maximum advantage – to keep foods fresh for the longest time, and minimize the amount of food we throw away?

Take Part has a great article by Sarah McColl (2) that offers tips on how to do this; I’ve condensed it and added a few of my own. (more…)