Today's post is from guest blogger Cindy Cragg, home stylist for WILLIAMSBURG®, williamsburgmarketplace.com, the lifestyle brand of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, even in times of struggle it is important to acknowledge what we have to be thankful for. For most people in this country ”winterizing” consists of shutting the storm windows, flipping the switch on the central heat or, maybe, chopping wood.
What we do to prepare for the winter and the coming year bears little resemblance to the necessary labor that consumed our 18th century ancestors at the harvest time.
Imagine this. If you lived on a plantation in colonial Virginia your autumn days would have been spent getting your corn, wheat and tobacco fields harvested and plowed to sow next spring. You would have then carted your corn and wheat to town to be sold.
You would then gather peas and beans. Don’t forget to dig your potatoes, carrots, and turnips. You could make cider and brandy and take that to town to sell also. In the orchard you would do the final apple and grape picking and then plant for next year.
Finally, any repairs to be done on livestock shelters and fences would need to be completed before it got too cold. Oh, and did I mention cutting firewood on your free time? Tired yet?
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While things are not perfect in our world, we have made industrial advancements that allow most of us to spend this time of the year enjoying the company of family and friends. The biggest domestic decision many of us will make is whether to make the pie from scratch or pick one up at the market.
Whichever you choose, have a happy and hearty Thanksgiving!
