Kovács Zsuzsa: Göcsej Village Museum. Exhibition Guide (Zalaegerszeg, 2008)

GÖCSEJ VILLAGE MUSEUM In the pantry next to the kitchen opposite the door there is a huge granary, and on the right we can see big barrels and tubs which used to be filled with seeds and cereals. Not every house had a granary as poor families didn't have enough crops to fill such a big container. Women were in charge of coordinating the food and the needs of the family. If they miscalculated something, the whole family could run out of food and be left wanting. In the shed we can find the tools that did not fit into the pantry: the trencher and the equipment to hull buckwheat. Swingle The swingle is one of the tools for processing hemp and flax, to break the stems and fibres. The harvested crop was taken home, threshed and sifted. Then the hard stems were dried and soaked in water (retting) for three days to soften them up. Afterwards, they were spread out to dry and then they were smashed thoroughly with the swingle by moving its handle. Finally, they combed the stalks until they got the tow, which was then ready for spinning. Buckwheat huiler Buckwheat was very popular in this region; people put it into soups or sausages but had it in porridge form too. This buckwheat huiler here was used for getting rid of the hard outer covering of the seeds. According to its owner, it was the only one in the village so it was used not just by the family, but also by people from the village as well. This is a unique construction, for it was made by its owner, who designed the factory hullers.