Cool rainy fall days make me start thinking about projects I want to do. When I was growing up my Grandma Steinhauser used a pig cutting board and I have fond memories of helping her in the kitchen. Years ago I made one similar to hers, but it needed to be replaced. Fortunately my husband just finished setting up his wood shop, so I went in to play. I made one out of oak for me and one out of walnut for Kari.
There is something so soothing about working with wood! Cutting it out, shaping it with sandpaper and watching the grain come alive when you apply the finish is always just amazing! I use most of my wooden cutting boards more for decoration and charcuterie than cutting, they add such warmth to a room.
My husband gave me a custom branding iron so that I could stamp my name in my finished projects.
My husband’s dad harvested walnut from his farm, so we have some beautiful walnut boards. We created boards, like above, for our kids. So they have walnut boards that they can use for charcuterie, cutting or serving that were made from trees from their Granddad’s farm.
We traced around Grandmother Carr’s favorite cutting board to use as a pattern to make gifts for family.
This is one of my favorites! It is about 19 inches across, perfect to pile a bunch of pumpkins on for fall.
I used templates that I found on Pinterest to create these fall trivets.
You will need to maintain your boards using a food safe oil or food safe wax. Some do it once a month, some once a year, it depends on how often you use and them and what you use them for. When they start looking dry, it is time to treat them.
Using a paper towel, I apply mineral oil to both sides of the boards and let them set for about 20 minutes. Then wipe off excess oil, if all of oil is soaked up, repeat the process. Let set overnight before using.
Cutting boards and charcuterie boards come in all shapes and sizes. If you want some inspiration, there are so many ideas on Pinterest. Be creative and enjoy the process! Plus these make great gifts! Enjoy!
