There is something fascinating about seeing or collecting remnants that were utilitarian in their time and probably led to numerous inventions. If you’re a history buff then read on.
I have this super-cool antique piece to hang on the wall as it’s got a wonderful shape and everyone has no idea what it is. Do you know? Yes, it looks like a form of torture from Game of Thrones. But it was actually an incredibly utilitarian item.
This is an Antique Cranberry Picker. Like a hand rake. Who knew??
These hand-rakes were crucial in the early cranberry industry, gradually evolving from a simple hand-picking method (tedious) to these more efficient tools. Initially, cranberry pickers used their hands to pick the berries off the vines. Then they held small scoops, but these were replaced in the 1880’s with wood scoops with wooden teeth. And then eventually they evolved to have metal teeth for durability. By the mid-20th century, cranberry harvesting began to be mechanized, and hand rakes declined in popularity.
The original wooden “snap scoop” was invented by Daniel Lumbert in 1888, in Cape Cod. The day after Labor Day was when the cranberry season would begin. So the summer vacationers in Cape Cod and other summer locations would leave, and the cranberry pickers would move in for the season. The berries were mostly harvested in Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
Today, cranberries are harvested by both wet and dry picking methods. Wet picking involves flooding the bog and using machinery to beat the berries off the vines. Dry picking involves simply picking the berries directly from the vines with machines.
But metal machinery isn’t as cool to look at or hang on the wall as an old wooden farm piece, is it??
Stay Cool this Summer!
The Margery Wedderburn Interiors Team