Those little pink and quart boxes are the standard for fruits - especially tender fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, and cherries for as long as I can remember. And I know they were made of thin wood prior to being moulded paper or plastic.
The original approach was called a pottle and it was a conical wood chip basket with a handle. Wikipedia has a picture from 1688. What were they replaced by int he mid-1800s? Punnets - that was the name for our current little square wooden box.
Beamsville had a punnet factory - but it was called the Beasmville Basket and Veneer Company.
"Logs were soaked in boiling water, and then peeled strips were dried and assembled into various sizes of baskets. The factory's output was crucial for the region's fruit industry, enabling growers to transport their produce to market."
"The Beamsville Basket and Veneer Company operated until December 1981, when a fire caused its destruction. Despite the fire, the company's impact on the region was substantial, particularly in shaping the fruit-growing sector and the town's economy. The factory's history is intertwined with the growth and prosperity of Beamsville and the surrounding fruit belt."
And we haven't mentioned six-quart, nine-quart, and 11-quart baskets. That's for stone fruit - peaches, apples, pears - things that are bigger or are not tender. What about those tough little blueberries - they can handle a big basket.
And didn't I forget bushel baskets? There they are filled with pumpkins and squash. From beginning to end of the growing season, baskets are with us.
