About New Hampshire Bowl and Board

Mother Nature will not tolerate folks who cut corners

Stabilizing a wooden bowl's natural oil and moisture content, while keeping the bowl food-safe, is a 9-step process, more art than science. 9-steps you can't see, smell or taste make wood bowls food safe and ready to use and last a lifetime. No new equipment, just hands-on time, and here in New Hampshire, especially during the winter months, we have a lot of time. Hint: Oh, and we do use and reuse brown paper bags.

Our final step is the application of our great, great uncle Iddo Kimball’s Bowl and Board Rub, first sold circa 1863 here in Contoocook, NH. Today it is food safe, USDA approved, and allergen free. This is what we use to hand finish each bowl, carving board and wood cooking spoon. 100s of wood workers, bowl turners and wood shop teachers from around New England prefer Iddo Kimball Bowl and Board Rub.

Why 87% of customers buy and gift a large wooden salad bowl; the other folks just love a big salad

Bowls are as ancient as cooking fires. Like the ancient cooking fire, the round bowl represents the gathering of friends and family. Family tribes have gathered no matter how meager the meal to share protection, warmth, tall tales and the retelling of their family stories.

Our customers share their rich traditions of Sunday Supper, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day BBQ, New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday. All are names I have heard families use to describe Thanksgiving gatherings of the tribe more than once a year.

Wood Working Traditions

New Hampshire is the only American state still harvesting Cherry and Black Walnut hard wood trees. Mother Nature provides us with big diameter, slow growth trees for an outstanding quality not found elsewhere in the USA or world. Our small work shop sources from arborists, builders clearing lots, road crews and managed wood lots.

No big machines or modern, redesigned equipment found here, and I can’t say I reinvented the time-honored round Cherry wood bowl. Improvements have come along, like better sand paper, but I didn’t invent that either. My posse of furniture makers, wood turners, bowl makers and wood What-not makers work the hardest near our wood stoves during the winter (winter in New Hampshire is October – May, 8mos.) We’re busy drying, sanding, seasoning, and stock-piling our best sellers, getting prepared for wedding season, the summer craft circuit and the holiday gift season.

Our Warranty Promise

My hand stamp and maker's mark is my promise to you. We are not happy until you are happy. No forms. No excuses.

Please know your purchases make a difference to working families in rural New Hampshire and Vermont.

With an Eye to the Future

A portion of your purchase supports not-for-profit organizations that promote local crafts people and environmental groups supporting open land and well managed forests.