Flour Sifting for Nostalgia...A Flour Sifter Story
Am I really writing about flour sifting? About something so banal as a flour sifter?? In a word, yes. I kind of like my flour sifting story (and the education I've had pertaining to the history of/ uses of/ reasons for flour sifting). I hope the kids won't read this one day and think about what a simpleton their mother was :).
There used to be flea market in a building just adjacent to the building where Abby's dance studio is. Sometimes, if Abby had dance practice on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and if upon the dance class ending she wasn't too tired/ sweaty/ hot and if we didn't have to be anywhere else for a while, we'd walk over to the flea market to look around. We'd occasionally buy something that caught our eyes from the multitudinous selection of dishware, books, toys, tools, records, costume jewelry, musical instruments and more from bygone eras. I once found a large serving bowl in the pattern of my now discontinued Christmas china that I snapped up. I bought some hardcopy books of favorites that I'd read on my Kindle- War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov- that I thought would look sharp in the study (for I may be a simpleton- but a simpleton who enjoys reading nineteen century Russian literature). I bought little trinkets for the girls and their Barbie Doll/ American Girl Doll collections when the girls were into those toys. A couple of times I noticed a flour sifter that looked like the one my mom used when I was growing up. I thought it was retro and cool but owning a used flour sifter held little appeal to me.
The building that housed the flea market was torn down a couple of months ago due to a large construction project in town. The flea market was moved to nearby Franklin. The last time that I was in the flea market when it was still in Springboro, the proprietor told me of the upcoming move to Franklin and to be sure to visit the store there. I couldn't imagine going to the flea market with that destination in mind. That I went to the flea market in Springboro as often as I did was because my car was parked literally in the same lot as the flea market a lot for dance so it was convenient to walk to the flea market when time permitted.
Two weeks ago, Abby and I were in Bellbrook for an arts and craft show. Abby and I enjoyed the Bellbrook arts and craft show a lot- the pride with which the crafters explained their crafts and wares, the quality of the items, the wide selection, the reasonable prices- all of it, we loved. My GPS took me to Bellbrook the back roads way (the drive was so pretty!) but home, it took me on the interstate. On our way home from Bellbrook, I couldn't help but think about how impressive all the crafts were. And also how seemingly fewer people now have arts and crafts skills compared with not long ago when many people possessed various crafting skills. That got me thinking about the past and shopping (which was still on my mind from buying things at the arts and crafts show). As we made our way down I-75 towards the Franklin/ Springboro exit, I asked Abby if she'd be interested in stopping at the flea market in Franklin. She said she'd like to go. I happened to remember the address of the new location of the flea market only because its location (street name) is one of the few streets in Franklin that I'm familiar with.
We found the flea market in Franklin and began our browsing/ shopping. Once again, I saw the flour sifter (can't say for certain if it was the same flour sifter as the one from the Springboro flea market; don't know the rapidity with which flour sifters move in flea markets). This time, I decided to buy it. Maybe it was nostalgia- after all, Jay had recently died which had me thinking about our childhood; seeing the ladies at the craft show reminded me a little bit of my mom and the pride she had with her crafting talents- maybe it was the price ($5.00), I don't know. But this used sifter had my number on it and I bought it.
The weekend of the craft show in Bellbrook/ our trip to flea market in Franklin was the same weekend that Alyssa and Donnie were in St. Louis at a soccer tournament. When Abby and I were in the flea market, Alyssa was in between games. Abby and I texted her pictures of some of the unique items for sale that we saw at the flea market. I texted Alyssa a picture of the flour sifter and wrote, "I'm buying this flour sifter." Alyssa texted back, "What does it do?" I suppose it's not astonishing that she hadn't heard of the agent noun "sifter." I resisted the urge to text in all caps "IT SIFTS FLOUR. WHAT ELSE WOULD A FLOUR SIFTER DO?" But I didn't. I just texted her that it sifts flour.
When we got home from the flea market, I washed the sifter and put it in a cabinet. I figured I'd get it out the next time I made cookies. This past weekend, I got it out of the cabinet and really took a look at it. The first thing I noticed was that, embossed on the tin, were the words, "Made in USA." I wasn't super surprised because the sifter seemed likely to have been manufactured in a time period when our trade deficit with China wasn't so high as it is now. It looked like it came from the good 'ol days when numerous manufactured goods were made here in the USA. That got me wondering about how old the flour sifter might be. There was other information embossed on the tin, including the manufacturer's name. I wondered if that would give me a clue as to its age.
The manufacturer's name on the tin said "Bromwell's" so I did an internet search of "Bromwell's flour sifter." From the search results, I wasn't able to ascertain the age of my tin. However, I found out some INCREDIBLE things. The first thing I found out was more interesting than incredible: used flour sifters such as mine sell for considerably more than $5. Not that I have an any intention of selling my flour sifter or anything like that, but it's good to know that I got a good deal on my sifter :). The most AMAZING things I found out were that Bromwell's is still in business, Browell's is still manufacturing flour sifters that are made in the USA and if I wanted to purchase a new one, I would have to pay $125.00. I could upgrade to stainless steel for an additional $50.00.
The Bromwell's website captivated my attention. The products, the prices, the history, all of it. Bromwell's now goes by the Jacob Bromwell company. All of its products are made in the USA in either Indiana (Indiana!) or Vermont. The company started in Cincinnati (Cincinnati!) in 1819. All of its products are sourced from domestic materials. The company makes a number of kitchen ware items in addition to an impressive collection of flasks and other drinking accouterments (impressive if you're into that sort of thing) . The flasks range in price from $199.99- $749.99. Unique items for sale include a knife to score chestnuts ($75) and a copper blueprint carrier ($499.99). If I had an unlimited supply of disposable income, I'd buy all of the kitchenware products. Since that's unlikely to happen, I'll settle for adding a Heritage Cookie Sheet ($49.99) to my Christmas list. The Jacob Bromwell company website can be found here.
After reading the information on Bromwell's website, I was more pleased than ever that I bought my Bromwell's flour sifter at the flea market. I couldn't resist taking some photos of it. She's a beauty and she's aging well ;).
When I first got my camera out, I put the sifter on the floor. Then I began to think that that location was kind of gross :).
On the dining room table...
That red knob...My siblings and I don't remember the color of the knob on mom's flour sifter.
I played around with different camera settings so the light is different in many of the pictures.
Made in the USA
There used to be flea market in a building just adjacent to the building where Abby's dance studio is. Sometimes, if Abby had dance practice on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and if upon the dance class ending she wasn't too tired/ sweaty/ hot and if we didn't have to be anywhere else for a while, we'd walk over to the flea market to look around. We'd occasionally buy something that caught our eyes from the multitudinous selection of dishware, books, toys, tools, records, costume jewelry, musical instruments and more from bygone eras. I once found a large serving bowl in the pattern of my now discontinued Christmas china that I snapped up. I bought some hardcopy books of favorites that I'd read on my Kindle- War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov- that I thought would look sharp in the study (for I may be a simpleton- but a simpleton who enjoys reading nineteen century Russian literature). I bought little trinkets for the girls and their Barbie Doll/ American Girl Doll collections when the girls were into those toys. A couple of times I noticed a flour sifter that looked like the one my mom used when I was growing up. I thought it was retro and cool but owning a used flour sifter held little appeal to me.
The building that housed the flea market was torn down a couple of months ago due to a large construction project in town. The flea market was moved to nearby Franklin. The last time that I was in the flea market when it was still in Springboro, the proprietor told me of the upcoming move to Franklin and to be sure to visit the store there. I couldn't imagine going to the flea market with that destination in mind. That I went to the flea market in Springboro as often as I did was because my car was parked literally in the same lot as the flea market a lot for dance so it was convenient to walk to the flea market when time permitted.
Two weeks ago, Abby and I were in Bellbrook for an arts and craft show. Abby and I enjoyed the Bellbrook arts and craft show a lot- the pride with which the crafters explained their crafts and wares, the quality of the items, the wide selection, the reasonable prices- all of it, we loved. My GPS took me to Bellbrook the back roads way (the drive was so pretty!) but home, it took me on the interstate. On our way home from Bellbrook, I couldn't help but think about how impressive all the crafts were. And also how seemingly fewer people now have arts and crafts skills compared with not long ago when many people possessed various crafting skills. That got me thinking about the past and shopping (which was still on my mind from buying things at the arts and crafts show). As we made our way down I-75 towards the Franklin/ Springboro exit, I asked Abby if she'd be interested in stopping at the flea market in Franklin. She said she'd like to go. I happened to remember the address of the new location of the flea market only because its location (street name) is one of the few streets in Franklin that I'm familiar with.
We found the flea market in Franklin and began our browsing/ shopping. Once again, I saw the flour sifter (can't say for certain if it was the same flour sifter as the one from the Springboro flea market; don't know the rapidity with which flour sifters move in flea markets). This time, I decided to buy it. Maybe it was nostalgia- after all, Jay had recently died which had me thinking about our childhood; seeing the ladies at the craft show reminded me a little bit of my mom and the pride she had with her crafting talents- maybe it was the price ($5.00), I don't know. But this used sifter had my number on it and I bought it.
The weekend of the craft show in Bellbrook/ our trip to flea market in Franklin was the same weekend that Alyssa and Donnie were in St. Louis at a soccer tournament. When Abby and I were in the flea market, Alyssa was in between games. Abby and I texted her pictures of some of the unique items for sale that we saw at the flea market. I texted Alyssa a picture of the flour sifter and wrote, "I'm buying this flour sifter." Alyssa texted back, "What does it do?" I suppose it's not astonishing that she hadn't heard of the agent noun "sifter." I resisted the urge to text in all caps "IT SIFTS FLOUR. WHAT ELSE WOULD A FLOUR SIFTER DO?" But I didn't. I just texted her that it sifts flour.
When we got home from the flea market, I washed the sifter and put it in a cabinet. I figured I'd get it out the next time I made cookies. This past weekend, I got it out of the cabinet and really took a look at it. The first thing I noticed was that, embossed on the tin, were the words, "Made in USA." I wasn't super surprised because the sifter seemed likely to have been manufactured in a time period when our trade deficit with China wasn't so high as it is now. It looked like it came from the good 'ol days when numerous manufactured goods were made here in the USA. That got me wondering about how old the flour sifter might be. There was other information embossed on the tin, including the manufacturer's name. I wondered if that would give me a clue as to its age.
The manufacturer's name on the tin said "Bromwell's" so I did an internet search of "Bromwell's flour sifter." From the search results, I wasn't able to ascertain the age of my tin. However, I found out some INCREDIBLE things. The first thing I found out was more interesting than incredible: used flour sifters such as mine sell for considerably more than $5. Not that I have an any intention of selling my flour sifter or anything like that, but it's good to know that I got a good deal on my sifter :). The most AMAZING things I found out were that Bromwell's is still in business, Browell's is still manufacturing flour sifters that are made in the USA and if I wanted to purchase a new one, I would have to pay $125.00. I could upgrade to stainless steel for an additional $50.00.
The Bromwell's website captivated my attention. The products, the prices, the history, all of it. Bromwell's now goes by the Jacob Bromwell company. All of its products are made in the USA in either Indiana (Indiana!) or Vermont. The company started in Cincinnati (Cincinnati!) in 1819. All of its products are sourced from domestic materials. The company makes a number of kitchen ware items in addition to an impressive collection of flasks and other drinking accouterments (impressive if you're into that sort of thing) . The flasks range in price from $199.99- $749.99. Unique items for sale include a knife to score chestnuts ($75) and a copper blueprint carrier ($499.99). If I had an unlimited supply of disposable income, I'd buy all of the kitchenware products. Since that's unlikely to happen, I'll settle for adding a Heritage Cookie Sheet ($49.99) to my Christmas list. The Jacob Bromwell company website can be found here.
After reading the information on Bromwell's website, I was more pleased than ever that I bought my Bromwell's flour sifter at the flea market. I couldn't resist taking some photos of it. She's a beauty and she's aging well ;).
When I first got my camera out, I put the sifter on the floor. Then I began to think that that location was kind of gross :).
On the dining room table...
I played around with different camera settings so the light is different in many of the pictures.
Made in the USA
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