RFA Ethanol Podcast

Into the Icebox

Melissa Sandfort

20150126_130124I’ve written before about ice hooks: In the early 1900s, folks would use this tool to “harvest” blocks of ice from ponds, wrap them in straw or sawdust to keep the ice as long as possible, and store them in an insulated building. They’d later pop one of those blocks in the icebox to keep food from spoiling … this was done long before refrigerators/freezers came about. The horse-drawn ice wagon and the daily occupation of the iceman, who made regular door-to-door deliveries of block ice, was as much a social institution as the milk man.

This is a picture of an old icebox. We are used to having the luxury of butchering a steer and hog and storing the entire thing in a deep freeze, not having to worry about it thawing unless the electricity goes out for a long while. I’m glad I don’t have to grab blocks of ice to fill the icebox to keep our food frozen!

It’s missing the door latches and needs a fresh coat of paint, but that’s part of its uniqueness. Since it’s a front porch decoration now, I just imagine that this summer it will be filled with sidewalk chalk, sticks, bubbles and cat food. Not quite the intended use, but with a 2-year-old in tow, anything is possible!

Until we walk again …

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