Can anyone tell me what this is?

[greenacres]

If you look down, as in the last photo, there are slats in the bottom. It could be some kind of strainer!

[KC]

Need to verify = are both ends open?

Does the wooden "shelf" appear to have liquid staining on it?

Are there any wear marks on either end.  Notice the double ridged opening - as if you could secure a bag with a tightening cord.

[cogar]

Good one, KC,  ..... could securely tie that cheesecloth over the top opening.

[mart]

Mybe a "curing" barrel ..... where a liquid would be put in the barrel and the item(s) to be cured or flavored were placed on the shelf or rack?

I thought about that, but the way its made doesn`t look tight enough to hold a liquid !!

[fancypants]

Perhaps the double-rim was inserted into a ferrule/opening at a 'feed' (maw) location for the raw grain to be 'metered' through before grinding , as a funnel (wide portion goes up) .....

Having seen only a couple of old stone gristmills (waterpowered) in operation , I will comment that they seemed to grind rather slowly .... seems like they all had good-sized feed-hoppers/bins , not small like your cool little feller , TNVFL3 .

I'm in the dark on this one ... sorry for just guessin' !

[bigwull]

Perhaps the double-rim was inserted into a ferrule/opening at a 'feed' (maw) location for the raw grain to be 'metered' through before grinding , as a funnel (wide portion goes up) .....

Having seen only a couple of old stone gristmills (waterpowered) in operation , I will comment that they seemed to grind rather slowly .... seems like they all had good-sized feed-hoppers/bins , not small like your cool little feller , TNVFL3 .

I'm in the dark on this one ... sorry for just guessin' !

why be sorry...we,ve all been guessing....but i,m sure that when someone finally says Eureka...we.ll all applaud.....

[cogar]

The old folks had many different ways of preserving their food. The following is but one example.

My grandparents on my mother’s side were farmers and I remember many things about my visiting them during my pre-teen years. They lived in a single-story house and there was a small doorway in the kitchen that opened to a steep flight of stairs to the attic area and which were akin to climbing up a stepladder.

Now hanging on nails or pegs on the sidewall of that staircase were several long strings on which each had been “threaded” with a couple or three dozen peeled apple slices and hung there to “dry”.

Those apple slices sure didn’t look edible to me because they were kinda dark brown, all shriveled up and yucky looking …. but I think every time I went “investigating” up those stairs my grandmother would warn me …… “Don’t you eat any of those apple slices because they will swell up in your tummy and then you will be wishing you hadn’t eaten them”.

Her “warnings” is probably why I often remember about those strings of dried apple slices and what she used them for. And if the truth be known, I’ve surely eaten something that she prepared via use of those dried apple slices ….. but I just didn’t know it. 

Cheers

[mart]

Some type of food storage is what I think on this one but,, I have not thought of anything it would be suitable for made as it is !!  But may be way off base !!

[KC]

Was just trying to rule out as a liquid for curing.

But I believe it was for tying to a feed sack (or like item) and filling with corn/rice/etc.  The moveable item stopped/started the flow.

Was for a small operation (on an individual farm).

[bigwull]

Was just trying to rule out as a liquid for curing.

But I believe it was for tying to a feed sack (or like item) and filling with corn/rice/etc.  The moveable item stopped/started the flow.

Was for a small operation (on an individual farm).

posts 5 & 6...more so 6..figured that out...