Cast Iron Collection

  Of course we have a very large cast iron collection. 😃

   We had picked up pieces in the early years of our marriage, mostly at farm sales and garage sales, a few flea markets. We only buy vintage, with the exception of a few Lodge USA pieces.
  I have never had a good place for my collection. Allot of it has been stored in an outdoor shed or garage over the years. So some of it needs to be scrubbed down with fine steel wool to get the rusty spots off and re season.
  We had a big discussion that I could not keep all of it-sigh-I understand really I do but I compromised suggesting that I was looking for a  heavy duty wire shelving that will hold at least 800 pounds per shelf-and would take only what I can store there with a few pieces I use every day in the kitchen oven. Hubs agreed to that.
  This home in the woods has really never gotten finished to our liking, mostly do to Hub's poor health and going back to work when the economy crashed back in '08. That really hurt our retirement-but then it hurt all of us in one way or the other. So since we have always in the past enjoyed flea markets and sales and with Hubs keen eye on vintage-well we ended up with too much clutter. So I understand he wants to do away with most of the clutter but still have a home that is homey and easier to clean. I am sure the Property Brothers would go nuts with our collectibles lol.

  I just took a few photos-please excuse all the dust. So far this is what I want to fit on those shelves. In the kitchen I do still have around 6 or 8 more pieces I use every day.

These were quite a find and the three lamb molds are three different sizes and we bought them from someone selling them at a garage sale that were their Grandparent's pieces.  So no I don't want to part with these yet. A few months ago I finally found a recipe for these cast iron lamb molds.  I have tried several times with pound cake recipes and just never worked-so hoping to do that one of these days.
  On the top left is a vintage chocolate candy mold-I may do some research on value and sell that one-maybe lol

Close up of rabbit candy mold

This is pretty much all of it except for the two large Lodge dutch ovens, and the ones in the kitchen

I remember when we bought these pans which I thought looked like soap molds-perfect size for soap. We bought them at a house estate sale and was told they were all primitives USA pieces.  The heart pan was unusual and has a different marking on the back, the top piece is upside down and has tall legs-perfect for over the fire

These small pieces are salesman's samples and the upside down one has the legs too. Under that is a corn bread pan and under that is another more rare piece for corn sticks or bread sticks I also saved one fish shapes cornbread pan from Lodge.

Waffle iron I did sell one large cast iron waffle pan on Ebay-that one was designed to cook over a wood cookstove-or outdoors over a fire-it had a deep base that it sat on  That blue enameled cupcake pan is a newer piece but I always loved it.

Numerous dutch oven type pans with lids, I love that taller sauce pan with lid in the back-perfect for beans over the fire. The larger piece in the middle is hand hammered copper  and I use that square pan for brownies

My newest pieces the two lodge dutch ovens with legs-for cooking-baking outdoors over fire. The two water steamers need a good cleaning, one for each of our woodstoves here in the woods-my favorite is the one with the bear on top-My Mom bought me that one for Christmas one year. In the back right is a vintage piece.  We have a large woodstove up at the lake house too.

  I have about this much cast iron left over to put in the auction, so I have really cut back-thinking on what I would use as well.  This move has really been difficult for me-but I am getting there.  Deep down I am just not ready to leave things behind where as Hubs is ready for it now. 
    Once moved I know it will all be ok in the end.