Make a Cherrystone Bed-warmer

(Page 2 of 2)

January/February 1983
By Mary A. Piccard 
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Once the cherry seeds look clean, simmer them in a pot of water — stirring occasionally — for about 15 minutes, after which you should dump the cooked stones into a sinkful of cold water and rub them again. Then rinse your bed-warmer stuffing a few more times (it's absolutely essential to remove all the pulp) before draining the stones and placing them on clean dish towels to dry. You can finish the dehydration process by spreading the pits in one layer across a shallow pan and baking them in a warm oven. Stir them now and then so they'll dry thoroughly. The pits will be evenly colored when "done", and ready to be stored indefinitely in jars, plastic bags, or paper sacks. (The last are the best choice, because they'll absorb any moisture that may still be present.)

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To make the pillow cases, use a sturdy material such as denim, sailcloth, or drapery fabric. (You should, of course, avoid any kind of synthetic material that might melt when exposed to heat.) Then cut two rectangles measuring 8" X 11" . . . or a single 16" X 11" piece. Put the pieces together face to face (or fold the double-sized rectangle in half) and stitch around the edges, leaving an opening large enough to let you turn the bag right side out. Finally, fill the sack, keeping it loosely packed, with the dried cherrystones and sew up the hole. Your bed-warmer is ready for the next nippy night.

WHY NOT PEBBLES?

You may be wondering why I didn't take an easier route and use pebbles in my bed-warmer. Well, the truth is that cherry pits have a much lower conductivity and about three times the heat capacity of pebbles. Gravel may warm up fast, but it soon cools off. Grandmother, in her wisdom, knew that a nice warm bag of cherrystones will provide a chilly child (or adult) with steady, soothing warmth . . . for a long, long time!

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  • Dawn R 7/29/2009 8:32:37 AM

    Thank you so much! We're just entering cherry season in wisconsin, and I will be saving our stones thanks to your great article.

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