Today was a raw gray day, blustery with occasional showers, the temperature only in the low 50s. It was the perfect day to fire up the woodstove, the first time this season. Although I have a gas furnace, I primarily heat the house with wood. (You can see my woodpile in this post.) Wood heat fills the house with an even warmth. The stove becomes a center of comfort, to sit alongside, to warm the body after a cold walk.
The cookstove came with the house; it's not an antique, but a modern airtight model. It has a small firebox, which you can see above, but it manages to heat my house on all but the coldest of days. And I cook on it all winter long, using the oven for such things as roasting vegetables and baking beans.
Out in the mudroom is an old handmade box for stovewood, and an old washtub for kindling. Both were here in the house when I moved in. The wear on the back of the box speaks of years of wood piled up against it.
Also in the mudroom are bunches of drying onions, garlic, and herbs. Looking at them, I feel a great sense of satisfaction; summer's bounty, ready for fall and winter meals.
Alsoon,
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing today. It is so pleasant, that first fire of the fall. All summer, inside and outside aren't so different, with doors open a lot, the damp air and the breezes. Now they are separated.
My folks' woodbox looked so much like yours...I hadn't thought of that in years. Mine is different, and not so historic.
that's your stove? I had no idea. it's nearly identical to one in a little house I used to rent in Nova Scotia in the seventies, only that one had been converted to oil. it was amazing to cook on that surface and bake (bread) in that oven. and indeed it heated the whole little house, even when heat wasn't needed.
ReplyDeletehi Susan, I agree that the first fire of fall feels good; to me it's almost like a ritual practice.
ReplyDeleterappel, I'm not surprised to hear that my stove is similar to one in Nova Scotia; it was made by a Canadian company, Elmira Stoveworks. My stove model is a "Sweetheart". I don't dare to bake bread in the oven because it's hard to control the heat, but I've made some excellent pizzas in it.
That would be the original wood fired pizza instead of all the chic restaurant versions! I am amazed at your stove; you are so intrepid.
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