The Spurtle Times

I have just finished an upgrade to the leaflet that comes with my spurtles. The Spurtle Times has lots of historical information gleaned from old newspapers  and books, dating back as far as 1829.

The mystery of lumpy porridge

The Telegraph have just published an article about porridge by Clarissa Dickson Wright. Clarissa, the co-chef of the TV show 'Two Fat Ladies', sadly passed away recently.

She tells how her grandfather witnessed the use of the porridge drawer in tenements in Glasgow. She goes on to tell how the porridge would be reheated, and the lumps broken down with the spurtle. Now, I have always read that the spurtle is good for dealing with lumpy porridge, but it has always been a mystery to me how anyone could cook lumpy porridge. Maybe the use of the porridge drawer is where this legend comes from?

Don't forget that you can purchase spurtles from my website, seafoamwoodturning.com, or in person most Saturdays at Halifax Seaport Farmers Market. You can also learn more about spurtles, oats and porridge on my Facebook page dedicated to the subject.

Kitchenware care

Caring for your spurtle or salad bowl is a simple case of washing it in warm soapy water and drying thoroughly. An occasional application of oil or wax may be called for, but for the most part timely washing will keep your wooden kitchenware in good condition.

But if it takes on an odour such as garlic or onion, try rubbing it with a slice of lemon, lime or orange, then sprinkle with salt and wipe with a paper cloth.

In more extreme cases where food has gone off in the bowl, such as fruit which has been forgotten, try making a mixture of mineral oil and pumice powder. Rub this into the bowl with a cloth. Many applications may be needed, but this is probably the safest way for consumers to fix a bowl.

I once had a customer come to me with an old bowl, not one of mine I should add, that had had some fruit go off in it. The bottom was a really sticky mess and I had to remove quite a bit of wood to get back to a reasonably good finish. Sandpaper is not much use in cases like this since it will gum up right away. I used a curved cabinet scraper, but even then it was a tediously slow job.