In Kent’s Kitchen

Bertha: She’s been with me a long time. I’ve loved her, kicked her, cussed her, and even threatened to throw her off into the Mississippi River. But just like that old chuck wagon of mine, she’s never let me down. She’s my camp stove and an all-purpose kitchen unit. I had a feller make her for me in 1993 ’cause I got tired of digging a hole and having dirt blow in the gravy. She weighs 385 pounds and can reach temperatures unknown to NASA. She doesn’t have many friends in July but when it cools off, she’s a pretty popular ole gal.

Biscuit cutter: I don’t have anything fancy in my kitchen, but I’m sure even Martha Stewart would be proud of this particular item. I have discovered the best biscuit cutter is a green chile can with the top and bottom cut out.

Chuck box: Located at the back of the wagon, this is the cook’s kitchen. It is usually built with drawers and shelves and carries all the essentials any kitchen may have. A lid pulls down and serves as the counter.

Cream cans: Two large galvanized cans that formerly were used to carry milk from the barn to the house. I now put flour and sugar in them, and they’re secure enough that a mouse can’t get in.

Fly, wagon sheet: The canvas tarp that covers the area behind and over the wagon for protection and shade.

No one should come into the cook’s kitchen unless they are invited — especially if it is early in the morning.

Gourd dipper: A hollowed-out gourd used for dipping water from the barrel.

Hash knife: Talk about your all-in-one, multipurpose kitchen tool. I’m not talking about a fancy food processor. This knife is a slicer, a dicer, a chopper, and a scraper. I’ve even used it to get the ice off the windshield. Traditionally, the hash knife was used to cut up meat and vegetables to make a stew or hash.

Medicine box: Every kitchen has that one miscellaneous or junk drawer. Mine has medicine and a first-aid kit in it. I always keep a little dental floss there because I once had to stitch up a cowboy with the floss soaked in alcohol after he got into a battle with a mesquite tree.

Shovel with holes: I took a flat shovel and drilled holes through it, which allows the ash to sift through. Ash insulates and doesn’t cook so it’s important to have plenty of coals when baking in Dutch ovens.

Trivets: Although most Dutch ovens are made with legs, they don’t really offer much of a heat buffer when the oven is placed on the coals. Trivets help raise the oven off the ground and farther from the coals to help regulate the heat. I have short and tall ones depending on what I’m cooking and how hard the wind is blowing.

Water barrel: A thirty-five gallon-wooden barrel made of oak and secured with leather to the side of my wagon.

Wreck pan: Usually a galvanized tub that is used for washing dishes. I have two that sit under the water barrel; one for washing with soap and one for rinsing.