Food and Chores

    Everyone had a job to do.  The men had to take care of the animals and the garden.  They had to chop firewood and fix tools. The boys had to help so they could learn what they would need to do when they were men.  The women and the girls had to cook, do all of the cleaning, and take care of the children.  They had to make butter, soap, candles, and clothes.  They had to spin wool, dye cloth, and spin thread.

        The families raised their own food.  They had to grow grain, fruits, and vegetables.   They also raised cattle, hogs, sheep, and chickens.  The men went hunting for deer, rabbits, and wild turkey.  They fished and collected clams from the ocean.   The women made lots of stews with the meat and vegetables.   They baked bread with the heat from their fireplaces.  The corn was ground into bread or cooked into mush.

        The families also could trade with each other for food.  The colonist cooked their food in big pots hung over the fireplace.

        They did not have refrigerators to store their food.  They had to keep their food in a cool place in their cellars.  Cellars were made below the ground, like a basement, but they were not connected to the rest of the house.