Variation

This small selection of treen (woodenware for cooking and eating) will be shipped later this week. I’ve finished the hand sanding with four hundred grit sandpaper and a final scraping of the spoon bowls. Right now, they are soaking up the first of at least two coats of mineral oil. I’ll ship them with a third light coat that can be wiped off after arrival. To use a term from boat work, the wood “takes up” the oil. The oil adds luster, but also protects the wood, and prevents penetration by what you are cooking into the wood.

But right now, my point in showing these to you is to illustrate how variable cherry can be. Each one of the blanks that I worked the spoons and spatulas from was a different hunk of cherry. Different ages and different growing conditions. The end result was wood that looks very different. Stuff made from plank stock doesn’t have this variation.

If a customer specifies a more uniform appearance I have a stock of Alleghany cherry planking that will provide a more uniform appearance; and it’s nice stock too! But I prefer our native New England cherry when I can get it, I consider the variability to be a plus. It’s not boringly uniform.

Depending on use and care, the cherry will darken. To keep it looking its best, don’t forget to give it a few drops of mineral oil once in a while; you’ll see the glow and the grain pop out again.