Hello from Hazard!
So is Item No. 1132, shared by Deb Warner, of Tyler County, West Virginia, a “masher” for potatoes (or berries) or not?
David Roenigk, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, was the first to email us that, yup, it’s a potato masher. He inherited his (instead of money, he adds). Nancy L. Ganyard, of Canal Fulton, Ohio, agrees. Hers belonged to her mother-in-law, and her husband tells her his mother always used it to smash berries to make jam. Nancy has used it for both berries and potatoes, and attests “it works great!”
Another reader says it looks like the pizzelle cookie maker, which is dipped into batter and then hot oil, and another reader adds it looks like an old wax seal (but we’re guessing that’s a bit big for a seal — Warner’s item measures 9 1/2 inches and the base is 2 7/8 inches wide).
We’re going with the stomper/masher, unless someone can confirm or refute us with any specifics.
This week, we have a mystery item, Item No. 1133, submitted by Richard Bader of Middletown, New York. He says it has a diameter of 13 inches and is 14 inches high. The handle turns clockwise only. It opens on one end and inside there are two metal disks with felt attached, which are spring-loaded and tight when closed. The item is marked with “O.N.O.A.”
Hmmm. Anyone know how it was used? Email us at editorial@farmanddairy.com; or by mail to: Hazard a Guess, c/o Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460.
Is it a grain mill?