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Cooking in Henry's Time |
A Farmer's Nature |
Recipes |
Sugar Plum Recipes |
Crops and Animals |
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Living on the Hudson, Henry's family would have put fish on the menu frequently.
Snowing began between Christmas & New year. Notwithstanding the snow, the ground is quite dry: Many wells fail in water & the lesser mills are shut up -- The Hudson is frozen down to the bay. Thousands of small fish are taken by gilling in small square nets: Charlie knows how. Because of Henry's Dutch heritage, he was especially close to the land. In a letter to his son, Henry reminds the boy of the connection between the fishing time and the weather.
Tell our boys, that as it is now herring time, they must frequently look at the woods for fear of fire getting in the leaves, especially as the weather is uncommonly dry at this time. |
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In your next please to give me a little statistical sketch of Kaskaskia-- number of dwellings, houses of worship & of what persuasians-- schools-- stores, & prices of dry & wet goods-- soil in the vicinity, & the time of year when certain herbs & fruits ripen or come to maturity |
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plum was used to mean dried fruit |
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Crops | Animals |
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wheat | Mar 11 '72 | Sent down the last of the wheat, in all 144 1/2 bus, besides what was thresh'd out before Christmas for bread & seed ?herexeu? | Day Book | NYHS |
cherries | Apr 3 '72 | Gilbert fetch'd 11 bottles of his cherry wine away being all he had | Day Book | NYHS |
apple and locust trees | Apr 14 '72 | Planted Out 34 Apples & 5 Locust Trees | Day Book | NYHS |
rye and Indian corn | Jun 17 '72 | Welles Dt to 2 Bus. Rye & 1 of Indian Corn from Dadys | Day Book | NYHS |
wheat and limes | Dec 29 '72 | Robert North Credt by L24-19-4 He carrying down for me 62 bushels of wheat, got 9sh per bushell after deducting for freight 10s4 for measuring 1s3 1/2 -- pd him 4sh for 50 Limes | Day Book | NYHS |
buckwheat | Jun 29 '73 | John Freer Crdt by 3 pecks buckwheat | Day Book | NYHS |
sugar | Jul 2 '73 | John Davis Crdt by 6 lbs loaf sugar | Day Book | NYHS |
molasses | Jul 28 '73 | Elderkin Credt by a gallon mollasses 0-2-2 | Day Book | NYHS |
eggs | Feb 17 '75 | John Davis Dr to 64 eggs | Day Book | NYHS |
white oak tree | Mar 11 '76 | The United Colonies Dr to a large white oak tree which made 3 keels for 1 of their ships | Day Book | NYHS |
butter | Feb 18 '79 | Borrow'd of my Mother 5 lb butter; (Mar 12 '79 returned my Mother all the butter borrowed) | Day Book | NYHS |
honey | Nov 8 '82 | Brother John to 28 lbs honey at 9 Last summer my wife made for him | Day Book | NYHS |
peach trees, wheat, rye & grass | May 27 '21 | Our spring has been rather backward but verdure, bloom and aerial song now pervade every thing. The severity of the past winter has destroyed most of our large peach trees. Other fruits will probably abound & wheat, rye & grass promise well. | Letter to Sidney Breese | IL State Achives |
corn, clover, flax, oats, wheat, potatoes | May 27 '21 | Our spring drought was severe. with difficulty our corn ground was plowed & we planted. The dryness continued & at length we abandoned all hope of a corn crop. At length, however, the rain descended in copious showers and every green thing felt its genial influence. Indian corn particularly showed its influence. In two words, our corn is called one of the best in the vicinity & bids fair to shoot up above mediocrity. The clover field (opposite Mr. Allen) was much parched; we mowed it early & had not more than 6 or 7 indifferent loads of hay. We immediately replaster'd it & in about a fortnight shall try it a second time. The 2d culling promises to be far superior to the first. Our flax is pull'd and houses: -- crop, so so. The oats in the meadow will be, say, 40 bushels. Wheat, ab't 130 bushels. Low meadows rather better than usual. Potatoes everywhere promise well. Garden does well. | Letter to Charles Livingston | Thomas Collection |
rhubarb, licorice, senna, castor bean | Jan 13 '22 | Is there a place for a commodious garden? If there is I beg you will have the best horticultural spot in the village: The doctor will crowd in a mass of medicinal vegetables of course: Rhubarb & licorice in your climate will flourish-- Senna also would do well-- It grows even here wild, & of good quality. The castor bean would grow well with you. | Letter to Sidney Breese | Thomas Collection |
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bees | Mar 6 '72 | Gilbert fetch'd away 2 beehives with the bees | Day Book | NYHS |
piglets | Mar 12 '72 | The Old Sow got 8 pigs | Day Book | NYHS |
bull | Jun 19 '72 | Bought of John Freer the Bull that was Gilberts 5-3-0 | Day Book | NYHS |
dog | Dec 7 '73 | Paid a Boatman for a dog 0-8-0 | Day Book | NYHS |
sheep | Dec 14 '73 | Gave J.N. Bunschoten a calf for a sheep | Day Book | NYHS |
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