Food Preservation
Aside from cooking everyday meals women also were responsible for preserving and preparing food. Autumn was the busiest time of year for all housewives. During this season much of their time was spent preparing food for winter. The women were busy preserving fruits and vegetables such as quinces, pears, plums, peaches, apples, pumpkins, and berries. They were made into jams and marmalade's that would be eaten in the winter months (Speare, 1963).
One of the most widely used fruits in colonial times was the pumpkin that came from the Native Americans (Tunis, 1957). The pumpkin was considered one of the most useful vegetables. Pumpkins could be dried and kept for winter and made into pies, stews, or jams. A whole pumpkin could be kept fresh through the winter if it were stored in a cool, dry place. However it was difficult to keep the pumpkin from freezing in the winter (Tunis, 1957).
The women also had the responsibility of making the autumn’s crop of apples into dried apples, apple sauce, and apple butter that would be consumed in the winter months (Earle, 2007). For the process of preserving apples the kitchen was set up with an assortment of empty pans, tubs, baskets, knives and many barrels of apples. The women tended to complete this task together to lessen the work and make it more enjoyable. The apples that were dried were strung on linen thread and hung in the kitchen from the attic rafters (Earle, 2007). These apples would typically be made into pies during the winter. The women spent many days preparing the stock of apple sauce for the winter. Apple sauce was a desirable product because it would last for a long time and it was ready for consumption immediately. The apple sauce was made over the open fireplace. A brass kettle was hung and filled with pared apples that were equally sweet and sour (Earle, 2007). The sour apples were placed at the bottom because they required more time to cook. The apple sauce was sweetened with molasses (Earle, 2007). When the apple sauce was done and put in barrels in the cellar, it was ready for use immediately. The apple butter was made with pared apples that were boiled down with cider (Earle, 2007).
The apple butter was stored and consumed throughout the winter. It stayed fresh for a long period of time.
During the fall, the women also made sausage out of the slaughtered hogs, and salted or smoked the meat in order to preserve it (Jamestown, n.d.). There was very little fresh meat since there were no means of keeping meat fresh after it was killed (Earle, 2007). Colonial women had a high demand for pepper and other spices due to their usefulness in masking the taste of overripe meat and preserving the meat (Tunis, 1957). The majority of food consumed by a family was prepared through every stage by that family. The meat was raised, slaughtered, and cured at home. The wheat, oats, and corn that they grew were frequently ground and made into flour and meal by the family. The fruit was dried or preserved by the woman. Molasses, sugar, spices, and rum were sometimes imported from the West Indies, but the daily foods came from the community, and through the hard manual efforts of the consumer (Holliday, 1960).
Many housewives also had their own garden where they grew vegetables and herbs such as spearmint, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, and parsley that was used to season food and made into home health remedies (Jamestown, n.d.). Women were the main creators and prepares of all the food that was consumed by her family. Much work and effort went into this responsibility and it was never really over. Each day the housewife would start over with the cooking duties and continue to preserve food for the future seasons. The tasks that were piled on the women must have created a dull and stressful life.
One of the most widely used fruits in colonial times was the pumpkin that came from the Native Americans (Tunis, 1957). The pumpkin was considered one of the most useful vegetables. Pumpkins could be dried and kept for winter and made into pies, stews, or jams. A whole pumpkin could be kept fresh through the winter if it were stored in a cool, dry place. However it was difficult to keep the pumpkin from freezing in the winter (Tunis, 1957).
The women also had the responsibility of making the autumn’s crop of apples into dried apples, apple sauce, and apple butter that would be consumed in the winter months (Earle, 2007). For the process of preserving apples the kitchen was set up with an assortment of empty pans, tubs, baskets, knives and many barrels of apples. The women tended to complete this task together to lessen the work and make it more enjoyable. The apples that were dried were strung on linen thread and hung in the kitchen from the attic rafters (Earle, 2007). These apples would typically be made into pies during the winter. The women spent many days preparing the stock of apple sauce for the winter. Apple sauce was a desirable product because it would last for a long time and it was ready for consumption immediately. The apple sauce was made over the open fireplace. A brass kettle was hung and filled with pared apples that were equally sweet and sour (Earle, 2007). The sour apples were placed at the bottom because they required more time to cook. The apple sauce was sweetened with molasses (Earle, 2007). When the apple sauce was done and put in barrels in the cellar, it was ready for use immediately. The apple butter was made with pared apples that were boiled down with cider (Earle, 2007).
The apple butter was stored and consumed throughout the winter. It stayed fresh for a long period of time.
During the fall, the women also made sausage out of the slaughtered hogs, and salted or smoked the meat in order to preserve it (Jamestown, n.d.). There was very little fresh meat since there were no means of keeping meat fresh after it was killed (Earle, 2007). Colonial women had a high demand for pepper and other spices due to their usefulness in masking the taste of overripe meat and preserving the meat (Tunis, 1957). The majority of food consumed by a family was prepared through every stage by that family. The meat was raised, slaughtered, and cured at home. The wheat, oats, and corn that they grew were frequently ground and made into flour and meal by the family. The fruit was dried or preserved by the woman. Molasses, sugar, spices, and rum were sometimes imported from the West Indies, but the daily foods came from the community, and through the hard manual efforts of the consumer (Holliday, 1960).
Many housewives also had their own garden where they grew vegetables and herbs such as spearmint, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, and parsley that was used to season food and made into home health remedies (Jamestown, n.d.). Women were the main creators and prepares of all the food that was consumed by her family. Much work and effort went into this responsibility and it was never really over. Each day the housewife would start over with the cooking duties and continue to preserve food for the future seasons. The tasks that were piled on the women must have created a dull and stressful life.