THE KITCHEN STOVE
by Mike Menges
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Photo compliments of Nina K
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CLICK PICTURES FOR ACTUAL SIZE
FROM: Peter, on Oct 25, 2000
In many ways the Stove was the center of Sunnyridge,in some ways it's heart. The fire was on virtually 24 hours a day. It was wonderful to come into the kitchen in the early morning, the first one to open the fire door and find a few embers still glowing under the ashes and use them to light the fire that would now burn for the next day and heat up the stove and the room so that it was the first place people would go to upon entering the room. They leaned against the wooden pole and spread their hands over the warm black stove top and felt the welcoming warmth... and then what it produced... Though the children remember only fried oatmeal, I remember the almost daily aroma of loaves of bread rising behind it and the smell of them becoming baked and crisp in it. I remember delicious brioches and bagels and pies and cakes and granola baked in it. Then there was yoghurt, in a rag wrapped gallon can, keeping at an even temperature til ready, buckets of water heating for washing dishes or for someone to add to their bath water so the bath would be hotter or ready faster. Of course, coffee and water for tea. Then the great soups, fried potatoes, pancakes, french toast...we did it all and the stove just performed like a charm... just keep feeding the wood in, manipulate the draft and watch it burn and have your soul warmed..
FROM: jim, on Oct 25, 2000
....amen......
FROM: Teddy, on Oct 25, 2000
Whoa...wonderful description, Peter...I mainly remember the Coffee..and all the expert opinions on how to settle the grounds...sprinkle cold water, egg shells, etc. I drank so much coffee at Sunnyridge that when I got a cold and blew my nose...well, never mind. Also the coffee headaches...missed a wonderful spaghetti dinner ( my absolute favorite) from a coffee headache because we sacrificed coffee to buy the meal. Very disappointed. Also remember the mushrooms frying on the stove top...
FROM: Teddy, on Oct 25, 2000
My apologies...when I upgraded the pictures, I lost the previous text. I think they were taken from an archived chat anyway.
FROM: Nina, on Nov 1, 2000
As I think I said before, my biggest memory of the stove is sliding hunks of yellow cheese down the back of it and then peeling the melted part off and eating it. This sounds very disgusting to me now...
FROM: alice, on Nov 3, 2000
In winter we would gather by the stove to warm ourselves after coming from another cabin....or maybe just the other end of the kitchen...all huddled together. on those hot summer days, when it was too hot to wear clothes outside, if we were cooking on the stove, we needed to wear clothes near the stove to protect ourselves from the scorching heat, or our legs would turn bright red.
for me, i have stronger feelings for the stove in the old kitchen, it was cozier and more intimate.
FROM: peter, on Nov 7, 2000
Yes, my memories also are more of it in the old kitchen...
FROM: Teddy, on Mar 9, 2001
What were the initials on the wood door...A&B?
FROM: SIG, on Oct 13, 2001
It was "P&B"--but the Koricans claimed they had NOTHING to do with that.....
From: Ted ted@pilger.com 11/17/2002
7:41 A.M.
Just re-read your comments, Peter.
Got me hungry!
I forgot some of the great stuff we cooked and rather remember stuff like burnt pancakes and soy mayonaisse.
I think the food at Sunnyridge tasted so good
because we were so damn hungry.