We always do a special dinner the weekend before Christmas before things get busy with the rest of our families. Prime rib, bone marrows, Yorkshire puddings, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Cast Iron Cooking And Collecting
- Thread starter hashbrown
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Now that looks wonderful!!!!! Way to Go! A lot better than my dinner. I put some lamb shoulder in the crock pot but made a mistake with the lemon slices and rosemary (cataracts). All afternoon my house smelled like a lemon tree threw up on a pine forest. Reminded me of lemon scented pine sol!!! 
@hashbrown That's a mighty nice outdoor cooker setup you've got there. Where did you find that at?
I cook with cast iron and revere ware all the time. Most if not all of it is twice as old as I am. On a coil top stove. Used to have a glass top and the stupid thing wouldn't heat worth having (we've had 2 in the last 7 years) and couldn't can on it so got rid of that. We also had natural gas for awhile but that is dangerous/expensive in a house that's only 576 square feet. Now I've got a outdoor Camp Chef propane stove but it'd be smart to have a way to cook over a wood fire as well like Hashbrown does.
I will say that we don't have all the accessories some of these folks have because I've only been collecting cast for about 10-15 years... it's all the old unbranded smooth cast iron though. Could use a dutch oven with a lid and a cast iron pan lid if I was cooking outside.
I cook with cast iron and revere ware all the time. Most if not all of it is twice as old as I am. On a coil top stove. Used to have a glass top and the stupid thing wouldn't heat worth having (we've had 2 in the last 7 years) and couldn't can on it so got rid of that. We also had natural gas for awhile but that is dangerous/expensive in a house that's only 576 square feet. Now I've got a outdoor Camp Chef propane stove but it'd be smart to have a way to cook over a wood fire as well like Hashbrown does.
I will say that we don't have all the accessories some of these folks have because I've only been collecting cast for about 10-15 years... it's all the old unbranded smooth cast iron though. Could use a dutch oven with a lid and a cast iron pan lid if I was cooking outside.
We love cooking outside that is a cowboy cooker I bought at Home Depot less than $200. The old smooth unbranded cast is awesome! All of our cast is used daily.
@hashbrown
I knew that I'd seen it at Menards/Home Depot... no idea what it was called and wanted to confirm it was the same as I'd seen there. Thanks!
You'll be getting a Menards down there in Springfield soon if you're anywhere close to there. So much better than Home Depot
I knew that I'd seen it at Menards/Home Depot... no idea what it was called and wanted to confirm it was the same as I'd seen there. Thanks!
You'll be getting a Menards down there in Springfield soon if you're anywhere close to there. So much better than Home Depot
I'm in the Branson area we got a Menards last year. Pretty awesome store!
@hashbrown
That's where we go for vacation and hope to buy a home down there. Preferably points east.
If I have my way and get my wife on board we'll be buying at least 3-5 houses before we get what we want. Buy something for less than $10,000, fix it up and sell it for $50K, do that a few times and save up $100-150K to buy a nice acreage with 20+ acres with at least 5-10 farmable.
Will be getting 50K before next christmas... if the world holds together that long, lol.
Last time we were down there was in 2012 and I said I sure hope they've got Menards before we get down there cuz I would sure miss it. When I was remodeling the cabin we missed Menards compared to the prices we were paying for a lot of stuff down there.
That's where we go for vacation and hope to buy a home down there. Preferably points east.
If I have my way and get my wife on board we'll be buying at least 3-5 houses before we get what we want. Buy something for less than $10,000, fix it up and sell it for $50K, do that a few times and save up $100-150K to buy a nice acreage with 20+ acres with at least 5-10 farmable.
Will be getting 50K before next christmas... if the world holds together that long, lol.
Last time we were down there was in 2012 and I said I sure hope they've got Menards before we get down there cuz I would sure miss it. When I was remodeling the cabin we missed Menards compared to the prices we were paying for a lot of stuff down there.
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I like the area since people are so friendly there and there aren't any Catholic churches. I'm Baptist and my wife is Free Methodist, would like to find a good conservative home church or church to attend regularly. Easy to find there... hard to find here. Biggest church in my current town is Catholic while the Lutherans and Methodists have smaller churches, Baptist only gets 15-20 people a week here. Evangelicals in the area are pretty popular but I don't care for watered down theology at all.
Wow! You have been all over this area! I spent my first 38 years inthe Blue Eyearea and moved just North of Branson in 2007. Mansfeild and Seymore is a nice area I have some property close up around Marshfield.
@hashbrown I live in the upper midwest... grew up in a small city and currently live in a small town. Land is too expensive here and factory farming is destroying everything. Butterflies/insects/birds/bees/wildlife and everything are no where near where they should be. Just in the 2-3 years I've been in this house I've seen it dropping. It'll be depressing to see what 2018 brings. In 2015 I grew a patch of zinnias and had about 20 monarchs on it for a couple months. Didn't grow them next couple years hardly saw any monarchs, this year I'll grow some more see if they come back. The Ozarks seem much more natural and wildlife of all kinds is far easier to find.
First time I was down there was to find a place. A good friend had spent many years watching cable TV and saw Bull Shoals Lake and the big bass in that lake on the TV fishing shows. So he wanted a piece of the action. His mother died and he inherited a good chunk of change, but was a tightwad through and through. We started east of Branson, stayed in Theodosia for a couple weeks for free until April 1 when the corps opened the campground and started charging, then ended up in Arkansas where someone let us park on his land for free. Then we found a good realtor there and he'd just bought a particular property that was 8 acres for a song. It had a junk cabin on it and it was on a paved road a mile south of town, my friend bought it for 20K. We got the cabin torn down so far that we could stand on the roof and watch the walls shake. Took the siding off of 2 sides I think it was and replaced with plywood. Did the roof, siding, insulation, plumbing, electrical, and drywall plus some. It was livable by the time I was done. A couple other people in the area wanted me to remodel their cabin too. Did that job for 3 months, pay was room and board and I think it was $2-3K cash, of which $1k went to pay for a car to drive home.
I wasn't ready to leave the upper midwest just yet... I've only just recently got honestly setup for handyman work. Been doing it for ~20 years just didn't have good tools and too cheap to purchase them. Now I realize that was a mistake. Live and learn. This year the goal is to buy a good cargo van and set it up properly to get stuff done. I used to charge $10-15/hour now it's $17-20 and needs to get up to around $25-35 an hour with multiple customers, to make a good living. My step dad has been doing it since he came home from college, he's ready to retire next year, and charges $22/hour.
First time I was down there was to find a place. A good friend had spent many years watching cable TV and saw Bull Shoals Lake and the big bass in that lake on the TV fishing shows. So he wanted a piece of the action. His mother died and he inherited a good chunk of change, but was a tightwad through and through. We started east of Branson, stayed in Theodosia for a couple weeks for free until April 1 when the corps opened the campground and started charging, then ended up in Arkansas where someone let us park on his land for free. Then we found a good realtor there and he'd just bought a particular property that was 8 acres for a song. It had a junk cabin on it and it was on a paved road a mile south of town, my friend bought it for 20K. We got the cabin torn down so far that we could stand on the roof and watch the walls shake. Took the siding off of 2 sides I think it was and replaced with plywood. Did the roof, siding, insulation, plumbing, electrical, and drywall plus some. It was livable by the time I was done. A couple other people in the area wanted me to remodel their cabin too. Did that job for 3 months, pay was room and board and I think it was $2-3K cash, of which $1k went to pay for a car to drive home.
I wasn't ready to leave the upper midwest just yet... I've only just recently got honestly setup for handyman work. Been doing it for ~20 years just didn't have good tools and too cheap to purchase them. Now I realize that was a mistake. Live and learn. This year the goal is to buy a good cargo van and set it up properly to get stuff done. I used to charge $10-15/hour now it's $17-20 and needs to get up to around $25-35 an hour with multiple customers, to make a good living. My step dad has been doing it since he came home from college, he's ready to retire next year, and charges $22/hour.
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Spent 3 months in Yellville and good land is scarce in that area unless it's in the river bottom.
Yellville Arkansas?
My mother was born and raised there.
I took her back in 2001 to visit.
I had to promise I would not lever her there.
She said if she never went back it would be just fine with her.
Her life was really hard back then and she hated the area.
Yellville Arkansas?
My mother was born and raised there.
I took her back in 2001 to visit.
I had to promise I would not lever her there.
She said if she never went back it would be just fine with her.
Her life was really hard back then and she hated the area.
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new cast iron:
Potjies come in different sizes
The best potjies for families and smaller parties are size 2 (6 L), size 3 (7.8 L) and size 4 (9.3 L). All these pots come with three legs, and you place them over a fire or hot coals in the outdoors or in an open fire place indoors. Some of these potjies (size 1-3) come with a flat bottom without legs.
A flat potjie can be placed on the hot plate of a stove, on top of a grill or tripod over fire outdoors. If you would like to know the weight of the different potjies, please take a look at our order form.
We usually say that a potjie size two is suitable for about 6-8 persons, a potjie size three for about double the amount of people (12-16) and a size four is good for about three times as many (18-24).
If you are uncertain of which size to buy, rather buy a larger potjie. Then you can cook either for 2 or 20 persons! We sometimes sell larger potjies (size 6, 13.5 L, to about 30 & size 8, 18.5 L, to about 40) to schools and societies etc.
It may be necessary for two people to lift a larger potjie (size 6 or 8) when it’s full. In Baobab Kitchen, our African outdoor kitchen, size 4 is the largest potjie used. The more potjies, the more cooks…the merrier!
Potjies come in different sizes
The best potjies for families and smaller parties are size 2 (6 L), size 3 (7.8 L) and size 4 (9.3 L). All these pots come with three legs, and you place them over a fire or hot coals in the outdoors or in an open fire place indoors. Some of these potjies (size 1-3) come with a flat bottom without legs.
A flat potjie can be placed on the hot plate of a stove, on top of a grill or tripod over fire outdoors. If you would like to know the weight of the different potjies, please take a look at our order form.
We usually say that a potjie size two is suitable for about 6-8 persons, a potjie size three for about double the amount of people (12-16) and a size four is good for about three times as many (18-24).
If you are uncertain of which size to buy, rather buy a larger potjie. Then you can cook either for 2 or 20 persons! We sometimes sell larger potjies (size 6, 13.5 L, to about 30 & size 8, 18.5 L, to about 40) to schools and societies etc.
It may be necessary for two people to lift a larger potjie (size 6 or 8) when it’s full. In Baobab Kitchen, our African outdoor kitchen, size 4 is the largest potjie used. The more potjies, the more cooks…the merrier!
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Cast iron / aluminum are our "go to" cookware. My wife gets strange looks from co-workers when she talks about the latest pot or skillet her husband bought for birthday/Christmas.
We like to hit the resale shops to find the old Wagners or anything else that's decently seasoned, but they are getting pricey. The last one I purchased new was a Lodge. They just aren't made like the old ones were and I end up polishing the cooking surface. I know you are supposed to wait for them to season, but their pans are so rough I'll be in the ground by then.
We like to hit the resale shops to find the old Wagners or anything else that's decently seasoned, but they are getting pricey. The last one I purchased new was a Lodge. They just aren't made like the old ones were and I end up polishing the cooking surface. I know you are supposed to wait for them to season, but their pans are so rough I'll be in the ground by then.
I have very little new cast for that very reason. The newer pans I do have all have been worked down and smoothed up.
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all cast iron I get I use --no dust collectors for me
Us too! We use every piece we have.
I haven't used any of our cauldrons or dutch ovens in a few years but maybe this summer now that we have a fire pit.
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A Scout master gave me all his spare equipment, when his son lift scout at 18.
He lift with his son & only kelp what the family could use.
It was not much, but the two dutch oven came in handy, I have not used them in a few years, because we BBQ mostly.
We have baked wheat bread in a frying pan like corn bread.
He lift with his son & only kelp what the family could use.
It was not much, but the two dutch oven came in handy, I have not used them in a few years, because we BBQ mostly.
We have baked wheat bread in a frying pan like corn bread.
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now that winter is here I will be using the wood cook stove down in the building
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marlas 1too , that nice!
I still need to get one, I have two heater stove you can cook on, but not a"cook" stove.
I still need to get one, I have two heater stove you can cook on, but not a"cook" stove.
My friend lives on the mountain across the road from some nice river bottom ground that's all developed up into houses. That's why I'm looking elsewhere for land... he doesn't have any good ground on 12 acres.
My Aunt and Uncle had 20 acres of land.
They couldn't even grow a garden.
Nothing but rocks and scrub oak trees.
On the good side their taxes were $10 a year back in the 90s.
It was no wonder why my Mom hated it there.
They couldn't even grow a garden.
Nothing but rocks and scrub oak trees.
On the good side their taxes were $10 a year back in the 90s.
It was no wonder why my Mom hated it there.
He pays $35 for his 12 acres. $165 personal property. Still way cheaper than my taxes.
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gardens can be grown above ground as I do it all the time here on the side of a mountain in wv.------would love to own 20 acres od scrub land
Yep!!
My mother thinks I'm nuts for wanting land in the Ozarks that's no good. She doesn't realize that I fix the land... I can't fix the environment or the rainfall, both of which happen to be nearly ideal there.
Yeah, this ole rocky scrub land is pretty sorry..... My bunch came here in 1872 we barely get by with what we are able to grow out of this crappy old ground its a wonder we have survived.... lol!
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Hashbrown
You have done a lot to your garden plot, I saw it a few years back(photos).
Not a scrub or rock any where, even the farm hand was good looking.
You have done a lot to your garden plot, I saw it a few years back(photos).
Not a scrub or rock any where, even the farm hand was good looking.
We try and take pretty good care of the old farm!
