Part 1. The Colonial Period

Transcription

1 Part 1. The Colonial Period

2 Early European Settlers The early settlers from England and Europe were used to cultivating grains like wheat, rye, oats, and barley. Before they could successfully plant these crops, they had to cut down trees, remove stumps and rocks, and plow the field. They discovered that their Native American neighbors cultivated maize using fewer resources. For this reason maize, or Indian corn was the first grain they usually grew.

3 The Three Sisters Native Americans believed that corn, squash, and beans, known as the three sisters, should be grown together. To cultivate these crops, they just needed a hoe to mound the soil and a pointed stick to poke holes where the seed would be planted. Several corn seeds were planted in the center of the mound. Beans were planted around the corn and squash around around the beans. The beans grew up the corn stalk, while the surrounding squash helped keep weeds out and moisture in. Early European settlers also planted maize in hills, with or without the companion crops..

4 Cultivating Wheat Plowing Once the settlers had a chance to clear the land, they began to plant wheat and other grains. First they would plow the field using horses, oxen, or mules. Harrow Then they would break up the clods by dragging a harrow over the plowed ground. Next they would broadcast the seed by hand. Broadcasting seed (Medieval)

5 Harvesting Wheat When the wheat was ripe, it was harvested using a scythe or sickle. Other workers followed behind the cutters, tying small batches of wheat into bundles and then stacking the bundles vertically into shocks to help it dry.

6 Processing Wheat Before the wheat seed can be used, the plant stem must be removed as well as the husk that holds the kernel on the stalk. This was often done using a flail a long wood handle with a shorter piece attached to the end. Workers would lay the plant on the floor and beat it until the kernels fell off. Some farmers had their horses tread on the plants to thresh it. The words thresh (or thrash) and flail (or frail) were eventually used to described a beating administered to unruly youth: Threshing grain with a flail Flail I m going to thrash you if you don t do your chores!

7 Separating the Wheat from the Chaff Threshed wheat is not ready to grind into flour because it still contains stems and bits of the husk that enclosed the kernel. The wheat was separated from the chaff using a winnowing basket. Workers placed the mixture in the basket and tossed it in the air, allowing the chaff to blow away and catching the heavier wheat. When this process was completed, the grain was ready to be ground.

8 Grinding the Wheat Wheat and other grains could be ground on a small scale using grinding stones: two hard stones placed on top of each other, the upper one having a hole through which the grain was poured. To grind large quantities of grain into flour, farmers would take their wheat to a water powered grist mill. Hand Mill The miller often took a certain portion of the flour he ground as his pay for the service. Grist Mill Mill Stones

9 Anatomy of a Wheat Grain The wheat grain consists of : An outer coat, known as the bran layer. The color and flavor of this layer vary from one variety of wheat to another. An interior endosperm, containing carbohydrates and protein. The composition of this part also differs from one variety to the next, making flour made from different varieties preferred for different baking products, for example, bread, biscuits, or pasta. The germ, an oily kernel that provides nutrients for the growing seed.

10 Types of Wheat Flour Flour that uses the entire wheat kernel is known as whole wheat. White flour has the bran and germ removed. Gluten is one of the proteins in the endosperm. When wheat flour is mixed with water and kneaded, it forms an elastic mixture. When the mixture also includes yeast, it begins to ferment, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Both of these products are captured in thousands of elastic gluten balloons, which expand when the dough is baked into bread and cause the bread to rise. Other flours made from oats, rye, and corn contain little or no gluten and will not rise very much when mixed with water and yeast.

11 Baking Bread: Ingredients Early settlers used just water, flour, salt, and yeast for their basic bread recipe. The yeast was a live culture that was normally placed in a crock and stored in a cool, dry location until needed. Other ingredients such as dried fruit, nuts, herbs, and other types of grain were often added to the flour. Bread baking in a colonial style oven

12 Baking Bread: The Process To get bread ready for baking, settlers mixed the ingredients together and let them rise several hours. Then they punched down the dough, cut it into pieces, and shaped each one into a loaf. Kneading dough The bread then underwent a second rise or proofing stage. At this point, it was ready to bake. Shaping a loaf

13 Baking Bread: The Oven Colonial ovens were usually made of brick or stone. Bakers first built a fire in the baking chamber and let it burn for several hours. Wood fired bread oven at the Rural Heritage Village A cloche was used to cook individual loaves in the kitchen fireplace. The oven at the Rural Heritage Village is a reproduction of a large outdoor oven that might have been found on a farm or in a village bakery during the colonial period. This oven will bake about twenty loaves at a time. People often had smaller beehive shaped ovens near their house that could be used to bake a few loaves of bread. Bakers also used a cloche or Dutch oven in their kitchen fireplace to bake individual loaves.

14 Baking Bread: The Oven Colonial ovens were usually made of brick or stone. Bakers first built a fire in the baking chamber and let it burn for several hours. Air flow in a wood-fired brick oven When the oven was hot enough, they would sweep out the remaining ashes, place the loaves in the oven, and close the oven door. The bread cooked from the radiant heat given off by the hearth and walls. Baking time varied with the size of the loaves and the ingredients used. A traditional round loaf took about an hour to bake. Heating the oven

15 Wheat production in Washington County grew steadily through the Colonial and early National Periods. By 1810, Washington County had 52 grist mills producing 86, 250 barrels of flour annually.* By 1860, wheat and other grain crops were still a vital part of the local economy.* Agricultural Statistics for Washington County, Maryland, 1860 Total number of farms 1,039 Barley (bushels) 3,352 Acres of improved land in farms 196,503 Buckwheat (bushels) 2,256 Acres of unimproved land in farms 43,637 Wheat (bushels) 882,814 Cash value of farms ($) 11, 954,803 Rye (bushels) 77,993 Value of farm implements and machinery ($) Establishments producing flour & meal 354,938 Indian Corn (bushels) 669, Oats (bushels) 175, Number of hands employed 33 Irish Potatoes (bushels) 65, Annual value of products ($) 498,200 Hay (tons) 21,252 *From A Statement of the Arts and Manufactures of the United States of America for the Year 1810 and the Agricultural Census of the United States in 1860.

16 Baking Today Volunteers from the Rural Heritage Museum bake bread the old fashioned way once a month from May to October at the bread oven. If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the program, contact the Rural Heritage Museum.