This picture shows the style of the Kalamazoo gas/wood burning cook stove fairly well except ours was black instesd of green and the top was larger because of the gas feature. The fire box is the top door on the left. Ashes were removed from the bottom door. All the ashes have to be removed before a new fire can be built. The temperature guage is on the center of the oven door. The area on the right side is a water reservoir to provide hot water. Mother had a large 2 gallon iron kettle with legs and a round bottom. She removed the stove cap and set the kettle closer to the fire. This hot water was mostly for washing and scalding the dishes and cooking vessels. Most of our pots and pans were cast ironware. Another use of the hot water was for 'Scalded Cornbread'
When it was time for a baby calf to be born, the milk cow would be 'dry' and the milk for making bread would be scant.
Scalded Cornbread
4 cups sifted cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fat (lard)
Boiling water to scald all the meal
Cut the fat into the meal until it is well distributed. Pour about a cup of boiling water over the mixture and toss it lightly continuing until all the meal is scalded. The mixture should be of a consistency to be held in your hand. Wet hands with cold water. Take about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the mixture in your hands, pat it into a small pone. Place on a hot greased griddle. Bake in a very hot oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.
There was a 'chop block' where stove wood was cut. Most of the time the wood cutting was done with an axe, so wood chips accumulated around cutting area and these were used for kindling. There was a woodland on our farm that supplied plenty of small logs and limbs for stove wood. As small children gathering chips and carrying stove wood were delegated to us. We eagerly accepted our responsibilities. Although we often were reminded that the wood box was needing to be refilled.
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