Granny Fricket's Thicket

Every once in a while, I go out hunting odd things on FB Marketplace. Nothing too outlandish. I mean, no one needs more than one taxidermy Lake Erie Monster. After three or four, it’s just overkill.

No, I don’t have one. Just saying. I have, however, seen one, so it’s not as outlandish as you might think.

I have found some amazing wool to crochet with. I’ve found some fascinating things I would love to buy if only they weren’t so big, expensive, and/or ridiculous. Boredom is a thing.

One thing I do, frequently, actually search for is cast iron. I’ve seen some amazing cast iron kettle/cauldrons for like $100 or so. They are always rusty and always look like they have lived a hard life (cracks, missing chunks, whatever). I’ve seen, a few times, smaller cauldron looking pots that have peaked my interest.

This week, I took the bait and bought one. Did have to drive a ways but I’m convinced it was worth it! I bought an 8 inch pot with wire handle. I don’t know the age (I will get around to researching that) but it looked loved and like it had a story.

Yes, it was kind of rusty, but only kind of (I’ve seen worse).

My kid told me that it looked like it was starting to rust through, there at the bottom. I didn’t think so, looking at it. He also said that it might not make a good cooking tool but it would be a cute conversation piece. By the end of this adventure (2 days) I think he’s wrong. I think it will make a good cooking pot.

I did a little digging on how to clean it up. Turns out 1-1 white vinegar to water is ideal. There are, of course, dozens of ways (some more destructive than others) but white vinegar seems to be one of the biggest go-tos on rust removal. And, low and behold… I just happen to have white vinegar (it’s a good cleaner in general and it is good, diluted, in a squirt bottle to deter dogs from being ornery when you’re training them… and yes, I got that from a trainer). 

I started with a little spray from my spray bottle here and there, and it started to work, but the pan was way too big for just spraying here and there.

Will it fit in the cast off pickle bucket? YES! perfect fit. In goes a gallon of vinegar and a gallon of water and the pot goes in to soak. Take it out, steel scrubby scrub it, stuff it back in. Rinche and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. I let it soak overnight and started in first thing in the morning. 

My hands were screaming.

I probably should have gotten rubber gloves… if only for the steel scrubby part.

BUT, turns out my home made pine hand salve works wonders on the rough dry scratchy parts of my hands.

After SEVERAL iterations in and out of the vinegar, it looked like I could start on drying it really well and starting to season it. I know you’re SUPPOSED to do that in the oven but when the oven doesn’t actually work, you do it how you do it. SO, stove top it was.

Low and slow, lots of thin layers of oil, let it smoke off and look dry and… again… repeat, repeat, repeat.

And now it looks well loved but very ready to use. Since it has a curved bottom, setting it on even the gas stove is kind of tricky but I think I’m going to maybe make a pot of chili in her tonight. Her inaugural cooking. I have Gwendoline, my soup stone all clean and ready to go. Small pot of stone soup chili for dinner.

Oh

And having done some research and gone down some pretty interesting rabbit holes, I have discovered that there are people who enjoy this about as much as I did. AND, you can flip cast iron (vintage cast iron, I guess) that you restore and sell it.

I found two pans on marketplace that look like they need loved (one is a Wagner grease free frying pan). I don’t think it is vintage but it looks like a good bacon pan if I can find the time to go pick it up.

BUT… thank you FB groups… I found out that scrap yards/recycling centers sometimes get cast iron pans in. Some will sell them. Some won’t Our local-ish recycler does get pans in and does resell them. He said he doesn’t try to make bank reselling them and he doesn’t always get many, but he does sell them for 40 cents a pound. AND, low and behold he has “a few”. Skinny Butt kid went to pick them up while I helped other son to load a trunk into his truck (he scored the trunk at Goodwill… AND there was a man looking at it drooling over the shape it is in after Squirrel already paid for it… HE said Squirrel got a really really good deal. A little refinishing and it will be a show piece. The scrap yard doesn’t take debit cards and was closing, but he’s holding them for me to pick up this morning.

Stop at the scrap yard. Stop at Walmart for more vinegar and some lamp oil (I’m almost certain the power is going to go out yest in this huge wind storm we are in the middle of) and some steel scrubbies… maybe a pair of rubber gloves.

Something tells me I’m going to go through a lot of hand salve… =)

Granny
1/13/2024