Buy American!
Lodge Cast Iron Griddle
This post contains info on how to directly contact some merchants and manufacturers still in business in the good ol’ USA, so mind the linky-things.
These are sources for American stuff, with stores closed but they will ship stuff to you. If there is a delay time for shipping, ask about it when you place an order. All these business are just trying to keep going in a tough time, like the rest of us.
Lehman’s https://www.lehmans.com/ Lehman’s store is open, but they will gladly ship stuff to you. They are located in Ohio, and have served the Amish communities for a very, very long time. They carry everything from kitchenware to household stuff, books, games, toys, old-fashioned wood-burning stoves and kitchen-sized grain mills.
Vermont Country Store https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/ Like a lot of other businesses, the physical stores are closed, but the owners are happy to ship stuff to you. They offer real Vermont maple syrup in three grades, pancake mix, all sorts of treats, kitchen stuff, dinnerware, clothing, and all sorts of things to keep you going.
Lodge Cast Iron https://www.lodge.com Their products can be bought at Ace Hardware and at Lehman’s, as well as purchased directly from Lodge. They’ve been in the iron casting business for nearly 100 years, and are located in South Pittsburg, TN. They offer a Dutch oven as well as the standard skillets and griddles and pots, and yes, I am going after the Dutch oven.
McIlhenny (tabasco sauce) https://countrystore.tabasco.com/ Their online catalog is up on their website. They have everything from tabasco (need I run the exploding mosquito commercial?) to t-shirts celebrating hot stuff.
Dearborn Denim: https://dearborndenim.us/ They usually make jeans, but they are now including masks in red, white, blue and black, for CV19 protection for $10 each. When you click on their link, go to the link marked “everything”. It’s a small American business, trying to stay afloat in these trying times.
These are just a few companies that are staying afloat. I can only imagine what it was like during the Great Depression, when Al Capone set up his soup kitchen on South Dearborn in Chicago. And rather than let American companies, especially small businesses, go under, let’s give them as much support as we can. If you know of a good one, please post it.
In case you are interested in the area of food preservation, here’s a link to the absolute definitive site for how to do it safely, forwarded to me by a good friend.
Lots of great info, the latest science, and tested recipes. https://nchfp.uga.edu/
A couple of sites with good suggestions and recipes:
And finally, a trusted source for a variety of containers: already posted last month (April) https://www.fillmorecontainer.com/
Here’s the exploding mosquito: https://adage.com/videos/tabasco-mosquito/989
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", America, COVID-19
If you won’t post it, I will.
*grin*
Been told by those who know, Grade A Maple Syrup is for customers. What’s on the table at home is Grade B.
I get the dark amber dregs from a local producer.
That’s where the real flavor is. Stuff has solids in it.
Vermont Country Store does sell the darkest maple syrup as well as the other grades. 🙂
Hahahaha! Now that is funny!!
Lodge cast iron. Have lots of them hanging on the
kitchen wall. Large pot for pot roasts. All the
covers both glass and iron on the shelves.
The inside finish of the pans are rough and a
grilled cheese sandwich doesn’t stick when you
flip it over. Don’t like the Ripple surface square
pan for bacon. Makes a mess. Might try it for
french toast but have not found it’s real purpose.
Maybe meant for roadkill over a tire fire.
Made no secret here of my pushing to buy from Mom & Pop and going for American Made every chance you get. The NAFTA Treaties that Slick Willy pushed thru and then the MFN deals that the ChiComs got are two of the main reasons that a lot of independents went out of business. It is for sure what eliminated my very good job and put a company down that had been around since 1929 when they closed the doors in ’97.
I have done mail order with Vermont Country Store and will check the denim store. I need some new jeans anyhow and didn’t know they were around. I guess since TAH has dragged me kicking and screaming into the computer age, you may as well take blame er..er credit for my looking to buy “on line”. Haven’t done that yet but it is apparent that I will soon not have a choice for truly independent American Made Products.
Thanks Ex.
ps…I have some Lodge pieces but most of my cast iron is Griswold, oldener than all hell and very well seasoned. Gave my Baby Girl the Lodge Dutch Oven for an I Love you Gift last year. She uses it for all kinds of stuff.
“ldener than all hell”
I have Wagner Ware Sidney 8D 6″ pan that my
grandmother would make fried egg sandwiches
in for me. Never scrubbed, just wiped clean.
Nothing sticks to it.
There is an in between option for those of us reluctant to put PII on computating and telephonic machinery. You can shop, as in window shop, at the website, find the Contact Us button to secure a telephone number, then call them to actually place the order. Have had great luck in doing that. (Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes they even offer a bit of a discount if they have items in the scratch & dent section of the warehouse.)
eBay is a good place (again) to spot items sold directly by the manufacturer.
This is my recent example..
RHINO USA Ratchet Tie Down Straps (4PK)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RHINO-USA-Ratchet-Tie-Down-Straps-4PK-1-823lb-Guaranteed-Max-Break-Strength/133095862264
Buy American!!!
Better yet, nothing pisses off the murdering chicoms and poking the bastards in their eyes than to purchase products from the Free Chinese on Taiwan (ROC). The Free Chinese have great food and consumer products to sell. They grow lots of pineapples and make lots of good foodstuffs. They make great desserts and snacks that taste delicious, as I can attest to myself from having a sister that works as a missionary in Taiwan. Below is a link to a company in Free China Taiwan that sells desserts, snacks, and arts and crafts made by the good Free Chinese People of Taiwan. Please check it out and support our friends the Free Chinese…
https://twkeyfood.en.taiwantrade.com/
I try to American made products when at all possible. I also try to support local businesses whenever possible. And now especially with this crap that Communist China is responsible for & doing, I have intensified my focus. But, it seems no matter what I do around the hovel, China crap comes into play.
A couple of examples.
I totally remodeled my kitchen myself this winter.
Gutted everything out and put in new plank flooring (N. Carolina) cabinets (Indiana), paint (Arizona), counter-tops (Wisconsin) and then we come to the backsplash.
Total amount of a rustic stone tile required, was 54 sq. ft.. Had purchased it from Home Depot and already had about 40+ sq. ft. installed, when I happened to look at the cardboard backer that they were packaged in and noticed “Made In China”. WTF!!
We have to go thru effin’ Communist China for tile? We don’t have quarries here in the USA??
Just finished refreshing my John Deere (Iowa) and did rust control (PA) under the deck, touch up paint on the deck (Illinois) and then we come to the blade spindle bearings…Communist China!!! WTF!! Can’t find any bearings made in the good ole USA to save my soul.
For canning, vegies from the garden and of course Ball jars(Indiana).
This country really needs to bring back home the items that used to be made here but are now crap made in Communist China.
I’ll buy American first if at all possible and then look at Germany and a few other countries.
This inferior Communist China crap has infiltrated our markets for way to long now.
Sorry about the long rant, but one of the things I feel strongly about.
Thanks for the linky-doos Ex-PH2, I’ll have to check them out when I have some free time.
It’s one of the things I feel strongly about, too. Most of the jobs that we took for granted went out the back door or overseas, including auto and household goods (e.g., stoves) manufacturing. So we’re dependent on “other” for what we need instead of making it ourselves.
There are plenty of small businesses in this country that need our support.
I would put in to check out All Clad. A cookware manufacturer (kinda high end) near Pittsburgh. They use a proprietary process to bond different metals together to make pans, etc. Got to tour the place once too.
I am in need of new cookware. All-Clad is on my list.
Was tired of all the cheesey cookware I had purchased in the past and being disgusted on their life span.
Finally (four years ago), I purchased Calphalon Tri-Ply. Purchased them as individual pieces with some Amazon gift cards I had.
While pricey, they do all I ask from them and then more.
I have several sizes of Lodge skillets, and two Dutch ovens (one is enamel). Love them so much that I give them as gifts to my grown kids. Use them on the stove, oven, smoker, and grill and always pack them when we take our 5th wheel on the road. Great American products.
Would love to be able to use cast iron skillets, but I have a electric stove ( I know, I know. Bad dog no biscuit) with a glass top that the manufacturer recommends using no cast iron.
Grew up with my Ma & Pa & brother using a cast iron skillet making eggs & bacon and frying up liver sausage and tongue & blood sausage before putting it on homemade German rye bread.
Mmmmmm, mmmmmm.
“…a electric stove…” Sacrilege, turn in your Man Card. I will pretend that I didn’t read that and/or blame that choice on your wife…for…reasons. When Baby Girl and her husband bought their new house it came with one of those abominations. She wanted to get rid of it and put a gas one in, but hubby liked the “modern design.” Bless her heart, she lost that battle. It will prolly be brought up in the divorce papers at some point in time as one of the causes.
You can put cast iron in the oven, though.
Bake in it or put ion in by itself, let it got hot (be careful handling it), take it out and use it to sear or flash cook.
Lodge has their new line of porcelin skillets now made in china. I have a couple of Lodge skillets. I bought stuff from Lehmans and Cumberland general store. Have a Cumberland catalogue on my book shelf and once in awhile I get a Lehmans catalogue in the mail. i get Vermont countgry store catalogues every couple of weeks. Some of their stuff is imported as well as Pendleton mills where I buy Wool American Indian design blankets. I do see some items are imported though but most are USA made. So now I’m sitting here typing this out while it’s raining out and thinking of buying another Pendleton wool blanket to make it 6 blankets/throws. Woolrich mills is another one with some of their products imported..
Great idea about oven heating cast iron and then using it for searing. I only use the oven with cast iron is when they have to be re seasoned. Note: I only use peanut oil when I have to re season and coating the surface after I brush them under hot water after cooking.
I think the reason Lodge sent their enameling process over to China has to do with the chemistry involved. Enameling metal is a nasty, poisonous process, and the contamination goes into the ground (and water).
It’s fine by me if it comes from China. The pollution isn’t going here at home, so I don’t mind.
Talking about Lodge Cast Iron goods, they make a terrific Hibachi grill! I’m on my second one, the first lasted nearly 20 years. It’s all cast iron and does wonders on steaks, burgers, you name it! I’d purchase goods made in Taiwan just to give COMMUNIST China the middle finger, ditto with things made in Korea since they’re part of the Free World!
Primo Grills out of Atlanta, damn fine kamado grill ( think big green egg), and it’s less expensive as well!
Well done, Ex-PH2! Thanks for the links, also.
You’re welcome!
New Balance makes some of their shoes in the USA. (Others UK)
New Balance 990s for PT (one of the few “Made in USA” shoes, though New Balance also manufactures a lot of shoes here, albeit with some global materials.
Belleville 390s, or just plain issued combat boots. A lot of Soldiers love Garmonts (an Italian company), but I picked up a coworkers pair to check the country of origin a few years ago and saw China.
Nordicware trying pan in the kitchen, though I think I have a couple of Lodge pans.
Around forty pairs of various Channellock pliers.
Plenty of USA made Craftsman, Snap-On, Mac, and Matco mechanics tools.
I bought a couple of pairs of new Vise-Grips (made in China) for super cheap and to destroy when I need to abuse a tool, but keep an eye out for the Petersen Dewitt marked vintage ones. I believe they changed the markings in the mid-80s when American Tool (now Irwin) was formed. Then Newell Rubbermaid bought them in 2002 and decided to shut down the Dewitt, NE Vise-Grip plant, which employed hundreds in the community. The older Vise-Grips are unmatched for quality and such. If you want brand new locking pliers, I’d recommend Spanish made Grip-Ons over Chinese Vise-Grips.
Power tools are my weak spot now. DeWalt has started assembling some tools here with global components. Clearance deals has me heavily invested in TTI brands too, though (Ryobi, Ridgid, Milwaukee). TTI is a Chinese company and nearly all of their tools come from there. This is why I try to use my DeWalt stuff when helping someone. But I must admit that the TTI stuff is great, especially the weird Ryobi cordless stuff like the Devour sweeper and the 3-gallon wet/dry vacuum.
Sadly, every Craftsman-marked tool I have checked in the local Lowes is ChiCom.
They are now. Sears outsourced manufacture to China years ago, and Stanley Black and Decker (SBD) bought the brand a few years ago, with the stipulation that Sears can continue selling their own Craftsman tools for a while longer. Since then, SBD partnered with Lowe’s to sell their Craftsman products, while Sears still sells their own (different) Craftsman tools. SBD has talked of bringing some domestic production back (they own DeWalt, Porter Cable, and other brands) but I haven’t seen anything yet.
Thanks for the links, esp. the canning link! Now the proud owner of a 23 qt pressure cooker/canner and looking forward to putting it to use. Plan to check that link out asap.
When I can’t buy American, trying to buy from those who have been true friends to the US, esp. Taiwan.
I will also second the recommendation of All Clad. It is pricey, but well worth it and provided you don’t do anything too stupid, it lasts. The only pan I’ve had to throw away, other than one that was destroyed in an accident, was a non-stick that lasted 15-20 years. Almost all of their stuff can go from stove top into the oven (and back).