Stone Weights for Crock -literally

[framing fowl]

So here are the two stone weights for my crock that I bartered for this morning. They are not like anything I have ever seen and I don't know their history. I'll have to ask Tom when he's not at work.

They are literally stone. Not the ceramic split halves like for the Harsch crocks. On the front, it has a depression in the center with a hole that a steel ring goes through so you can lift them out. It also has two half circle depressions along the edge. On the back, the ring is split in half and fits inside another groove to keep the ring locked in place. They fit perfectly inside my crock, leaving about 1/4" all the way around for the brine to come up.

I tried to find more information by searching but the only thing I came up with was the ceramic weights.

Anyone ever seen anything like this or do I just lead a sheltered life?


Front






Back

 

[TanksHill]

Did they come with your crock?? They look very cool and must work well.
Does the crock have a manufacture?

 

[framing fowl]

No, they didn't come with the crock. My crock is from the Robinson Ransbottom Pottery in OH. I got it originally off of CL too. Tom also said he had some 6" weights for smaller crocks that he might be interested in bartering but he had to taste my pie first. He also said he had some 1880's cookbooks he might let me look through.

I posted this in my journal too but here is the story of how I bartered for the weights.


I had listed my crock on Craigslist because I wasn't have much luck fermenting with it. It didn't have the weights and I didn't have the right size thing to keep all the floaties down. I switched to fermenting in a gallon jar because that was easier. I loved the crock because I love old things but if it's not useful in my life right now, it's got to go. I had two calls on it and when MyT Man got home from work last weekend, he said don't sell your crock yet.

A guy in the paint department asked him if he knew of anyone who could use some weights to go in an old crock. He'd found some somewhere but didn't have a crock to put them in. MyT Man said he thought he knew of someone but what was Tom asking for a price? He said, well, I don't know what they're worth, who do you know? MyT Man told him it was me and he said, well I've heard your wife makes a mean peach pie and I drool over them every time you bring them and the other Tom brags about how he has helped you with a couple of plumbing projects in exchange for blackberry pie. Why don't we call it a pie and call it even!

 

[valmom]

What a deal! I love old stuff, and have been thinking about getting a crock. They sell nice big ones in Agway, but they want $30 or so for them (and no weights ). So, I haven't taken the plunge yet. I really need to stop at yard sales and look.

 

[framing fowl]

Well, when I was trying to find info on these stones today, I did find that you can purchase the ceramic weights new from TSM products on Amazon .