A time-honored tradition continues as Granville's skilled craftsmen make one-piece hardwood bowls with lathes that were designed and built in Granville, Vermont during the Civil War period and which were originally powered by water from the White River. About 150 years ago hardwood bowls were a practical item in Vermont pantries. They were used for holding grease, milk, butter, or for chopping, making bread dough or stirring butter. Nowadays we treasure them mostly as salad bowls, chopping bowls, and serving bowls. These bowls are unquestionably of heirloom quality, and with proper care will last for generations.
Wood products used in the kitchen need to receive proper conditioning and cleaning. A new bowl needs an immediate application of food grade mineral oil or wood cream treatment or the wood surface will dry out and crack open the wood grain. We like to say, "..once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and thereafter." Please do not use vegetable oils as a wood treatment since they contain ingredients that may tend to create a culture for bacteria to grow. They also tend to become gummy.
To clean a hardwood bowl, wet a cloth in warm, sudsy water and rub the bowl. Rinse quickly and immediately dry the surface with a clean tea towel or paper towel. Before a bowl leaves the factory, it is hand-sanded, dipped and boiled in linseed oil, dried slowly and buffed to bring out the lustre. From there, it is up to you to allow it to live out its life through many generations. Available in maple (consistent lighter wood tones) and yellow birch (darker and lighter wood tones) in the sizes indicated.
