SEPTEMBER - Everyday Seasonal 18th Century Farm (and city) Life

~Just so you are aware,  these monthly Daily Life posts will be updated as I gather more information in my continued research and experiences~

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Presently,  September is the month that most tend to think of  as being about kids going back to school,  even though many students start the school year in late August.  September = school is what seems to be imbedded in our brains.
Oh!  It's also apple cider,  cinnamon doughnuts,  and apple picking time!  Going to the cider mill is a cherished autumn tradition celebrated heavily across the Great Lakes,  Midwest,  New England,  and Northeast regions of the United States—most notably in Michigan,  New York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Vermont,  and Connecticut—where local orchards draw crowds for fresh-pressed cider and warm donuts.

Harvest time lives on!
Let's see what the month of September - the first of the  "ber"  months - was like in those autumns of long past.

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In our modern times,  with September generally bringing the cooler,  crisp autumn air that naturally shifts people toward outdoor activities and seasonal treats like cider and donuts,  visiting cider mills in the upper Midwest and New England is the absolute cornerstone of the autumn harvest traditions.  While modern grocery stores supply juice year-round,  the migration to the mill in September preserves the rhythm of the agrarian calendar from long ago days.

In other words,  here in the 21st century,  when you go to the cider mill,  you are celebrating the fall harvest,  similar to days of America past!

Traditions live~~!~~

Yet in the 18th century,  apples were generally more popular and heavily utilized in October,  rather than September,  as this was the peak month for harvesting hard,  late-season  "winter apples"  meant for cider-making and long-term storage over the cold months.  And since these monthly daily life posts mostly center on the 18th century,  our apple info is being saved for next month---October.

In the earlier part of September,  the signs of autumn can also be seen on the leaves.  The coming of fall is in the air,  even if the daily temps are still summerlike.  Colors begin to show on the leaves of the trees,  and the grass isn't quite as lush as it was in May or June.  And even though gardens begin giving up some of their yield in August,  it is in the three main months of autumn - September,  October,  and November - when the bulk of harvest time production occurs north of the Mason-Dixon.

And it is a cause for celebration.

Historically,  however,  the word  "harvest"  was the original English name for the autumn season before the words  "autumn"  and  "fall"  took over.  Long ago,  people in England called the third season of the year  "hærfest."  The word  "Autumn"  came into English from Latin in the 1300s.  It slowly replaced  "harvest"  as the name for the season.  The word  "fall"  started in the 1500s as a short way to say  "the fall of the leaf."  

See how it all ties in?  

Gathering black walnuts dropped by the trees or thrown by the squirrels in early September are gathered to be used the following month for dyeing wool.

This photo was captured on an early September in the morn...a perfect day for gathering black walnuts.
Colonists foraged in September and October when nuts were plump and husks turned from green to yellowish-green.

It was not just nuts the colonists gathered for dyeing,  but certain plants as well.

Work to be done consisted of daily chores:  milking,  working in the fields and gardens,  cooking,  and the like,  but our colonial farming ancestors also did seasonal chores,  such as preparing for the coming months beyond autumn,  for those shut-in winter months coming up on the horizon.  There were certain tasks and chores to be done during the colder part of year,  per month and per season,  and to prepare ahead was the smart way in which to ensure all would taken care of.

  

Butter-making could take place throughout the seasons,  but during the hot weather,  when milk production was at its zenith,  butter could not be preserved safely,  and the excess milk was turned into cheeses of varying sorts.  

Butter making

As the coolness of fall crept in,  cheese production may have slowed a bit and butter-making for butter would increase.  The idealized picture of the woman of the house sitting in a chair and plunging the dash up and down inside the wood churn is emblazoned in the minds of nearly anyone who studies history,  and this vision is quite true,  though it may also be a child in the chair rather than the mother.  The cream inside the churn goes through three stages,  according to the book,  Victoria's Home Companion.  First it begins to froth and will become essentially whipping cream.  During this process the cream expands so if the churn has been filled too much it may begin to overflow.  Next,  the cream will begin to break when it will resemble curdled milk.  Finally this will gather into lumps which then combines into one solid mass of butter.  The lump of butter was then removed from the thin fluid with a wooden paddle.  It was squeezed and pressed with the paddle to remove all of the remaining milk,  for milk residue remaining in the butter would cause it to go bad much faster.  Salt was then added and the butter would set for a few hours.

The butter would then be washed in cold water and worked again to remove any remaining milk and water after which it was packed into a mold.  The mold was first dipped into cold water to prevent it sticking.  The butter then would be turned out onto a clean linen cloth in the spring house or the buttery and let set until it became hard.

The milk remaining in the churn was buttermilk,  which could be drunk as is or used as a creamer  for coffee or used in baking.

So in mid-September the kitchen garden,  so lovingly cared for throughout the growing season,  continues to give up her yield,  seemingly en masse.

"The housewife's universe spiraled out from hearth and barnyard to tending a kitchen garden and perhaps a large vegetable garden,  as well as assisting with the grain harvest."

The oats are ripe,  standing thick and tall and yellow.  The wheat is golden.  The beans are ready.  So is corn.  And it would only be a matter of a few weeks that the pumpkins,  turnips,  carrots,  and potatoes would be good for the gather.

Of course,  cucumbers,  tomatoes,  and melons are at the ready to be eaten and preserved this time of year.

But this was only the beginning.

You see,  the thing about old-time farming is that very little had changed from the Medieval period  (lasting from roughly the 5th to the late 15th century)  through the first half of the Victorian era  (mid-1800s),  so the manner in which they worked would not have changed much at all.  So what is written here about 18th century farming can also easily pertain to farming tactics of hundreds of years before and even a hundred years after.

As noted in Reliving History Magazine,  "The preservation of food was inherently important to the colonists.  They spent large quantities of time preparing the winters stores,  repeating an endless cycle of smoking,  salting,  brining,  boiling,  drying,  and pickling."

Besides the varieties of squash,  beans,  lettuce,  and other 

vegetables harvested to help sustain the family... 

...Anna Daggett would have also picked plants for medical purposes as well,  including wormwood,  which was a purgative for stomach issues or worms,  

tansy was used to stop bleeding and bruising,  feverfew for headaches and  "female complaints,"  and chamomile,  which was used,  same as it is today,  to make a calming tea.

A real...um...farmacy!

Throughout history,  wives,  mothers,  and some known as female healers extensively cultivated and gathered plants for medicine,  maintaining herb gardens to treat their families and communities.  These women would pass down knowledge of herbs like rosemary,  sage,  and chamomile,  and they did this for centuries,  acting as nurses, pharmacists,  and midwives.  The wife and mother was also essentially the family doctor.

We cannot forget the continuation of picking the right vegetation 

for medicinal purposes as well.

In 18th-century America,  cold viruses,  influenza,  pneumonia,  and other respiratory ailments  (often termed  "catarrh"  or  "winter fever")  were spread most extensively during the late fall and winter months, specifically from November through March.  They were a major health concern during these colder months,  notes the Virginia historical society.

The prevalence of such illnesses were driven by the  "Little Ice Age"  climate,  which caused harsh winters,  forcing families to remain indoors with limited ventilation,  effectively  "stewing in their own germs".

I was able to get a bit of information from the wonderful Oliver Pluff & Company.

Through the same Oliver Pluff & Company I also received samples.

I've noticed that many of these same  "medicines"  have made a comeback in our modern times.  Many a-new mother still calls their own mother or mother-in-law for questions and advice for help during the sicker months of the year,  continuing to pass down the old remedies that still work.  We,  for instance,  use aloe for burns here in our modern day.

With careful planning,  most of the vegetables also grown in the kitchen garden would carry over the family’s needs until the new summer produce became available again.  It’s no wonder that the first early greens from the spring garden were so looked forward to after a winter of starchy root vegetables. 

In late September and even well into October there will be raspberries,  pumpkins,  plums,  broccoli,  corn,  and all kinds of other fruits and vegetables ready for harvesting.  Later September and the month of October seem to make a good pair.  This means that many chores and duties known for either month can oftentimes blend with either month.

Most everything was saved - nothing was wasted.  With pickling a process rather than strictly a preserved cucumber,  other vegetables and even fruits were pickled,  including watermelon rind.  And apple cores were saved for making vinegar.

Many fruits,  vegetables,  and herbs were dried in the sun or near hearths during peak harvest months in the summer and early autumn.  

Pickling,  salting,  drying,  smoking were the most common ways way to preserve food:

Being one of America’s oldest native crops,  pumpkins were an important staple long before Europeans crossed the Atlantic Ocean and discovered them,  and they were cultivated independently by the Native peoples of North and South America for centuries before.  

Almost every early European explorer commented on the large amount of pumpkins in the New World.  Columbus mentioned them on his first voyage,  Jacques Cartier records their growing in Canada in the 1530s,  Cabeza de Vaca saw them in Florida the 1540s,  as did Hernando de Soto in the 1550s. 

A few Europeans also described how the Indian women prepared their pumpkins. 

We've grown heirloom pie pumpkins...

Pumpkins are part of a large family of closely related squashes that grow in goodly amounts throughout the Western Hemisphere.  The English word  “pumpkin”  is a more modern version of   “pompion,”  the term broadly applied to many sorts of similar-looking pumpkins and squash.

In the photo above you can see a pumpkin being cooked in the ground in the manner of  Native Americans of ancient times.

Yet Europeans in Europe did not embrace the pumpkin with the same enthusiasm as their brethren in the American colonies.  Some upper-class English gardeners grew them as a curiosity,  but pumpkins quickly acquired the reputation of being poor men’s fare and were then used for other reasons by the more wealthy.   Pumpkins fed livestock as well as people.  Plantation owners like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson raised fields of them for winter fodder for their animals. 

As pumpkins turned into holiday decorations instead of food,  Americans largely forgot how to eat them.  Save for the occasional pumpkin pie,  the fruit wasn’t seen much on dining tables. 

However,  pumpkin pies have had a 400+  year run,  so far!

This is one of my favorite period farming photos.  There are actually pieces from four different pictures to make this one up,  all taken in late September or early October.

(The following comes from the book The Complete Farmer and Rural Economist by Thomas Green Fessenden - copyright 1835):  "A correctly calculating cultivator will make even his hogs labor for a livelihood.  This may be done by throwing into their pens potato-tops,  weeds,  brakes,  turf,  loam,  &c.,  which these capital workmen will manufacture into manure of the first quality.

You cannot sow winter rye too early in September.  If it be sowed early its roots will obtain such hold of the soil before winter,  that they will not be liable to be thrown out and killed by frost.  It may be sowed early to great advantage in order to yield green food for cattle and sheep,  particularly the latter,  in the spring."

Preparing to sow winter wheat...

Winter wheat,  likewise,  cannot be sowed too early in September.  The book,  The Complete Farmer,  (not the same book as previously noted by Thomas Green Fessenden)  printed in part in the 1750s and in its entirety in 1768,  says that  "the best time for sowing wheat is about the beginning of September.  But if the earth be very dry,  it had better be deferred till some showers have moistened the soil.  

Early sowing requires less seed than late,  because the plants have more time,  and are more apt to spread and throw out a good number of stalks."  

The importance of wheat and other grains and food plants cannot be overstated.  For example,  in his will from 1798,  Sam Daggett wrote:

"...I likewise bequeath  (to my wife)  five bushels of wheat,  twelve bushels of rye,  twenty five bushels of corn,  & two barrels of cyder..."

Just imagine my wife reading my will upon my death and,  as a part of it,  I leave her...wheat,  rye,  corn,  and cider.

"The demands of winter cast a long shadow before them,  well into the waning summer.  Mothers taught daughters how to card wool and coax soft fibers from the hard stems of flax;  how to spin fibers into threads;  how to stitch and mend the heavy coats and hooded cloaks that soon must ward off the biting winds.  Cloth scraps and worn-out clothing found new life in quilts and coverlets.  Finer stuff went into quilted petticoats to keep a lady warm."

David Robinson

Life in September in the 18th century still meant rising with the sun,  though it became even more pronounced as daylight hours began to wane noticeably compared to mid-summer.  Because 18th-century cities lacked modern refrigeration,  grocery store chains,  and advanced long-distance distribution networks,  urban citizens relied almost entirely on local farm markets to survive,  thus September was a peak time for public and farmers'  markets in American urban life,  serving as not only a vital hub where city dwellers bought late-summer harvests and early autumn crops,  but was the lifeblood of urban American commerce in the 18th century.  Farm wagons arrived loaded with corn,  squashes,  pumpkins,  sweet potatoes,  late-season tomatoes,  beans,  and orchard fruits like apples and pears,  which,  oftentimes,  were ready in later summer.  These markets brought the height of the harvest season,  flooding them with late summer produce  (corn,  tomatoes,  peppers)  and early fall crops  (including apples,  squash,  root vegetables).

The farm market days were usually held in the town square, under open-air wooden sheds,  or on the ground floor of the town hall  (such as Boston’s Faneuil Hall Market).  City folk bought in bulk during September to pickle,  dry, or store items in root cellars for the brutal winter ahead,  in the same manner as their rural farm friends.  Freshly threshed wheat and cornmeal filled the stalls,  alongside livestock driven in from the countryside.  Cooler September mornings meant meat  (pork and beef)  was less prone to immediate spoilage than in July or August.

Markets typically opened at dawn,  signaled by a town bell.  It was illegal to buy or sell products before the bell rang  (a crime known as "forestalling").  Early morning hours were reserved for middle-and upper-class families or their servants,  who paid top dollar for the freshest picks.  By midday,  prices dropped,  and the working class,  poor,  and elderly filled the stalls to buy the remaining discounted goods.

While the 1700s saw a rising consumer revolution with cash,  many transactions—especially after the economic strains of the Revolutionary War—still relied on bartering goods and services.

The above farmer's market information came from an AI source.  I did double check the information - sometimes even triple-checked - and I copied and pasted the information,  only I did add a few bits of information because it either was not there or to help fill out a sentence or paragraph.  I essence,  the above Farmer's Market information is a combination of co-writing --- but you can be sure the information is as accurate as I can find.

So...to go along with this Farmers Market information,  I thought I'd post a few pages from an excellent children's book called Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and illustrations by Barbara Cooney:

The book cover

I'm not going to reprint the entire book...just the certain pages that fit 

Daughter embroidering and her mother spinning flax into linen

And he made shingles on the shaving horse

To market to market with what he planned to sell.

Packing the ox-cart with brooms, line shawl, shingles,  wool,  and candles

The farmer loads his ox-cart with everything his family has grown, gathered, and made over the past year.   The cart carries maple sugar,  wool,  a handmade shawl,  knitted mittens,  birch brooms,  candles,  shingles,  and potatoes.  Then the farmer walks ten days alongside his ox to the market.

And there are a few other items he brought to market to sell.

 At the market, he sells all his goods piece by piece—and then sells the wooden containers, the ox-cart, and even his beloved ox.

At the market...

With his pockets full of coins,  he buys simple winter provisions  (like a kettle,  a knife,  and peppermint candy for his kids)  and walks the ten days back home to start the cycle anew.

I ordered multiple copies for my elementary school-age grandkids,  for it truly does a wonderful job in highlighting the traditional, industrious lifestyle of early rural America where families produced their own clothing,  tools,  and food representing daily life in those old days past.   I wish I had such a book when I was a child.

Well,  that about covers September in the 18th century.  I know I didn't cover everything...but as I gather up further information through my research,  you can bet more will be added.

Next up---October~~~

Until next time,  see you in time.

Click HERE to learn more about colonial city life by way of Colonial Williamsburg

Click HERE for a blog post on historic occupations

To check out my first five  'chapters'  in this monthly series,  please check out the links below.

For the month of March,  please click HERE

For the month of April,  please click HERE

For the month of May,  please click HERE

For the month of June,  please click HERE

For the month of July,  please click HERE

For the month of August,  please click HERE

To learn about ancient farming practices,  please click HERE

A few books that helped me with my research:
Horse-Hoeing Husbandry by Jethro Tull

The Complete Farmer and Rural Economist by Thomas Fessenden

The Seasonal Hearth by Adelaide Hechtlinger

The Complete Farmer... written by various  "Gentlemen"

Victoria's Home Companion by Victoria Rumble 

...........

Still Celebrating America 250 - Two Eras 90 Years Apart: Port Oneida / Eaton Rapids--Miller Farm

Sleeping Bear Dunes are now known nationwide because of two Brits names Josh and Jace who have been enjoying traveling in America,  and especially in Michigan,  and have spent a lot of time filming themselves attempting to climb the sand dunes.  With the two being in this northern portion of Michigan near the time of the Port Oneida Farm Fair,  I did have hopes that they might've shown their faces.  Alas,  it was not to be.  But,  as always,  this historic farm fair was so good,  as it always has been.

One busy summer - one busy year.

That is what this Semiquincentennial-America 250 has been for me.

Pretty much non-stop.

And the beat goes on...

Larissa and I have been presenting as an 1860s farm couple at Port Oneida historic farm fair since 2016 - making this our 10th year.  Our research of everyday life of the American colonists and Victorian era is pretty extensive.  To be honest,  we could both speak for hours on the subject,  but we try to keep it to about 45 minutes.  That way we can have time for some Q & A afterward,

This year,  being America's 250th,  is even more important.  I mean,  sure---we are definitely concentrating on America's founding - 1776 - but that doesn't mean we can't explore and present on other periods of our nation's great history.

Still celebrating America 250!

So let's only go back about 150 to 160 years,  to the mid-1800s.  To the dark time of America's Civil War.  But without speaking about that war,  we instead speak on daily life during that same period.  And hopefully bring our audience back in time with us.

Here we are:  imagine a fair just for historic farms.
And we have been a part of it!

On whose farm we are - the historic Olson Farmhouse.

Presenting historic 19th century farm life at the Port Oneida Farm Fair.

I am holding what's known as an  "Invalid Cup"  for 19th century home health care - -

It is  "a specialized ceramic or porcelain vessel designed to feed liquid or semi-soft food to bedridden,  sick,  or wounded patients who were too weak to sit up."

The reason why Larissa and I work so well together is we both know when it is our turn to  "step in"  in a very natural way - very conversational.

Pointing her finger at someone!
Or,  she was trying to make a point.

Meanwhile,  inside the farm house:

Once again we ran into Susan Odom,  who cooks on the stove inside the historic Charles Olson Farm House kitchen.
Larissa and Susan used to work together many years ago at Firestone Farm at Greenfield Village.  Larissa said that Susan  "taught me a lot of what I know about historic cooking about 25 years ago!"

Larissa and I in the kitchen garden

Perhaps the coolest thing happened this year:
during one of our breaks from presenting,  we took time to walk around and take pictures.  I was stopped by a gentleman - a visitor - who said he saw Larissa and I present for his first time a couple years ago.  He came back last year to see us once again,  but we were not there,  for we took the year of last year  (2025).  Before he returned this year,  he made sure we would be back,  for he really wanted to see our presentation again.

He very much enjoyed it and how we had a few slight differences this year.  I told him we do change it up because there is so much to speak on,  we could go for hours,  and by changing it up a little each time allows us to show other items.

Musicians played music of long ago by way of hammered dulcimer and a flute.

Old time clothes-washing.  This is a hands-on stop where kids can see what it was like to wash clothes in their ancestor's time.

Caning chairs seems to be growing in popularity of late.

Woodworkers,  including some who used a shaving horse,  were there as well.

There were horse and cart rides as well.

Our tired feet in our 19th century shoes. 

~~~And let's go back even earlier in American History~~~

Miller Farm is  run by Eaton Rapids Area Historical Society.
They are solely a volunteer organization.

Many of the local historical societies have been jumping on the Semiquincentennial bandwagon of late.  I don't mind,  though I do with they had made such plans a year or so earlier.

No mind.

I'm just glad that so many have decided to celebrate this special birthday of our country.

Even last minute.

The colonial crew:  Farmer Ken,  Minister Norm,  Colonel Nixon,  and Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin speaks about the reasons America declared Independence

On July 4,  1776,  the Second Continental Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence inside the Pennsylvania State House  (now Independence Hall).  Four days later,  on July 8,  1776,  the citizens of Philadelphia were summoned to the State House Yard by the bells of the city.  At noon,  Colonel John Nixon publicly read the Declaration of Independence for the first time. 

Now,  this event occurred more than a month after the July 8 anniversary date.  But that's okay,  for this 250th celebration is not just about one or two dates in history.  So,  for this event, and for this picture,  we see Colonel John Nixon reading the Declaration of Independence.

Norm as Heinrich Muhlenberg

I decided not to speak as Paul Revere but,  instead,  spoke about daily farm life since we were on a historic farm.  Those I spoke to were very interested.

We walked around the park and spoke to folks who were wandering about,  
as you see Norm doing here,  telling folks about Heinrich Muhlenberg.

Colonel Nixon and Ben Franklin.

The back of the historic Miller Barn.

Here is Larissa & I back around 2014 when we did a historic farming presentation for the old farmers of the area.  They gave us a standing ovation!
I am almost certain the above photo was in the same barn as the Miller barn.

So there you go - two eras separated by about 90 years of time.  I know of people who dress for and participate in many more eras than the measly two I do.  To be honest,  the Revolutionary period  (1760s through the 1780s)  and the 1850s through roughly the 1880s - the Civil War period - is enough for me.  Keeping it to two allows me to concentrate on my favorite periods in American history. 

If you would have told me,  back in 1976,  that fifty years later I would be doing historical presentations to celebrate America's 250th ...whether it being interpreting as a farmer or as Paul Revere...I never would have believed it.  But here I am doing just that.  

And I am really enjoying it.

Presenting with Larissa makes all the difference to me because together we can give a more well--rounded scope on the past. 

I thank her greatly and always look forward to our presentations together - more coming this fall.

So with that,  until next time,  I'll see you in time.

To check out my posting on our 4th of July 2026 celebration,  please click HERE

To check out my posting on the anniversary of the 1st reading of the Declaration of Independence,  please click HERE

To see some of the cool collectibles that have been released celebrating America's 250th,  please click HERE

(.)

Daily Life in the Month of August 1776: Living By the Seasons~~~Farm and City

~~~It's August in an 18th century agrarian society~~~

As you will soon see,  August is slightly confused---it is a month that is part July and part September~~~part summer with hints of fall.  It's not sure where it fits in,  for it tends to be a bit disoriented with a touch of befuddlement.

And this is why I do what I do in living history---to try to make sense of it all in a personal and immersive way---and why I write about daily life the way I do.

Daily life of the past has always been my primary interest in history.  Sadly,  even though I very much loved the subject in school,  I did not get any kind of scholarly grades.  Just the opposite,  in fact.  They wanted me to learn names and dates.  At that time,  nothing in history bored me more.  Then I slowly began to find books based in history that I found a great interest in---books that opened up the world of the past beyond what the teacher tried to teach me.  Books like The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz gave me a great insight to 18th century America.  This book,  more than any other,  was my Big Bang of history.  Click the link  (the book's title)  to see how and why.

Meanwhile,  onward to the past...about 250 to 260 years ago...

Yet,  I do also touch on urban life of the 1700s about halfway through this post.

~-~-~-~-~-

To begin the next chapter in this series,  let's have a general idea of summer life in ways history books tend to skip over:

The heat of summer,  to this 1700s generation who had no knowledge of future generations and their electric fans and air conditioning comforts,  only added greatly to the discomfort of those who lived in those days of old.  The cooling down opportunities were slim,  aside from a jump in the pond or a nearby stream,  and one was compelled to keep their doors and windows shut tight to make the attempt to keep the winged pests so prominent on hot summer days out.  Those pesky flies...especially where there was fruit and food,  and were attracted to the wonderful aromas wafting through the open screen-less kitchen window,  seemingly giving the insects an invitation to come and eat.  Covering food with cloth was a common way to keep the flies off,  though once they found their way inside the home,  they multiplied and swarmed throughout.  Many times the youngest children made a game of waving feather-fans about the kitchen to keep the food protected.

This only made the heat of a summer night even more unbearable,  therefore making sleep nearly non-existent.  As you can see,  besides the heat,  our ancestors suffered with flies and mosquitoes with far greater difficulty than we do in our modern day.  Summertime brought an invasion of the flying  (and crawling)  insects from which there was little defense.  Garbage and human waste all highly contributed to the factor of an over-abundance of these pests,  as did the large number of horses and other livestock that were so prevalent in nearly all walks of life at the time.

The extinguishing of any light from the candles proved to be necessary as well  "for if you do not,  you will find yourself eaten up by mosquitoes."

But,  if you preferred to have some light,  be prepared;  Mary Almy wrote on a hot August night in 1778,  "frightful dreams and broken slumbers,  listening to the noise of a fly or mosquito as they hummed around a candle."

Drying some of the summer plants

Remember the summer wheat that was harvested in July?

Here is a step-by-step reminder: 

 Wheat was harvested by cutting the straw near the ground with a hooked hand  “sickle”  or  “reaphook;”  or mown with a scythe or even a  “cradle scythe.”  Cut wheat was gathered in bundles and tied into  “sheaves.”

Harvesting wheat in July.

Workers tied the stalks into bundles called sheaves and stacked them into shocks to dry.  

From harvest and drying,  the next step on bread-making/flour-making was threshing the wheat with a flail.  Threshing wheat with a flail uses a manual,  two-stick tool to repeatedly beat dried wheat stalks.  This forceful pounding breaks the seed heads open,  separating the edible wheat kernels  (grain)  from the inedible,  papery husks  (chaff)  and stiff stalks.   

The harvested wheat is inside the canvas tarp.  I keep it covered up while flailing to keep it from bouncing away and all over the ground.

Then comes winnowing:  winnowing is the agricultural process of separating threshed wheat from lighter chaff by tossing what was flailed---usually the wheat berries/seeds---lightly into the air for the wind to blow away the lightweight chaff.

Winnowing.

Finally comes grinding.  In the 18th century,  grinding wheat into flour was primarily done using water or wind-powered gristmills.   However,  if a nearby gristmill wasn't available or if there was not a nearby gristmill to travel to,  colonists relied on hand-powered quern stones or large wooden mortars and pestles to grind winter wheat at home. 

Once the wheat has been threshed and winnowed,  it can now be turned into flour for baking. 
Here we have a quern  (in front)  and a wooden mortar & pestle:  ready for the transformation from wheat berries to flour~

What this all means is that in the 18th century there was no running to the local CVS or stores to pick up a loaf of bread.  'Twas all done by hand - from farm to the table,  as the saying goes.  And since getting bread was such a laborious task,  I can pretty much guarantee you that there was little waste,  if any at all. 

From the book Horse-hoeing Husbandry,  written by English agronomist Jethro Tull,  he discusses Lammas wheat as a specific variety of winter wheat,  noting that it could be reaped relatively green compared to other varieties like white-cone wheat.  He also shared an observation from a unique year where his drilled Lammas wheat produced ears of  monstrous length with large grains.

In the 18th century,  "Lammas wheat"  typically referred to winter wheat varieties associated with the agricultural festival of Lammas  (August 1st),  marking the start of the grain harvest.  It also belonged to a large European class of heirloom wheats known as  "White Lammas"  (such as White May).

The wheat shown in this post is not Lammas Wheat.

By the way,  George Washington used Tull’s Horse-Hoeing Husbandry book to help run his farm at Mount Vernon.  

Every year,  on August 1,  many colonial farmers celebrated the Lammas holiday  (or holyday,  as these special days of celebration or worshiping were called)  known as Lammas Day,  which marked the first major harvest of the beginning fall season.  As such,  it became a sort of Thanksgiving,  and so it remained for many colonial families until a national  Thanksgiving Day came toward the end of the century.  On Lammas Day,  the farming family attended church,  and the head of the household brought with him the first loaf of bread to be blessed.  That loaf was used as the center of their Lammas Day Thanksgiving feast.

As historian Eric Sloane wrote in his book,  Seasons of America Past:  "Lammas Day was a logical and meaningful holiday which,  it seems,  should not have disappeared,  because the first harvest of the year seems so ideal a time for thanksgiving and celebration.  On this first day of August,  the old-time farming family always went to church.  The head of the household dressed in his best,  and brought with him the first loaf of new grain bread for consecration,  that loaf later becoming the center of a feast not unlike our present day Thanksgiving dinner."

We are representing a colonial family living out on the frontier with no others around.  However,  the minister travelled out to the cabin to take part in blessing the bread for the Lammas Day celebration.  Minister Norm located a Lammas Day prayer from the 18th century in which to consecrate the bread.

On August 3,  1805 Noah Blake wrote:

"Very warm.  The harvest fly was two days late."

The  'harvest fly'  is what we call the cicada.  It's supposed to make its first appearance on Lammas Day,  but the year of Blake's diary,  1805,  it decided to come a bit later,  it seems.

I,  myself,  hear the loud evening buzzing of the harvest fly/cicada every August  (though many years  it actually arrives in late July around my Michigan area).

The continuation of work in the fields seemed non-stop,  from harvesting the early crops to watering those not yet ready.

August truly is the first month of harvest!

This photo was taken on August 14.

The importance of caring for your garden in the pre-electric era cannot be overstated.  It was their lifeblood,  and the farmers & their families would risk life and limb to save what they could,  for otherwise loss of property and starvation could become a reality.  Jean Fritz describes this situation very adequately in the young teen book about life in the 1780's,  The Cabin Faced West:

All at once the sky itself seemed to drop down on Hamilton Hill.  The rain came in one great sheet and lashed the hill first from one side,  then another.  In the cornfield,  people and cornstalks both bent low.

Mr. Hamilton tried to shout orders,  and when he couldn’t be heard he ran from one to another.   He sent Mrs. Hamilton and Ann home.  He and the boys stayed to finish the corn and take it to the barn. 

Ann and her mother fought their way step by step against the rain.  When they reached the door of the cabin,  Ann turned to look at her vegetable garden.  There were her poor peas tossing back and forth,  crumpling with each new sweep of the rain!  The straight little rows were being dashed to the ground.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,”  Ann said to her mother,  and started off for the garden.

“It’s too late,”  her mother called.  “We’ll rescue what we can later.”

Ann dropped to her hands and knees in the mud beside the tattered pea vines.  She picked what she could find and filled her soaking apron.  Each time her apron was filled, Ann went to the cabin and emptied the peas inside.  Each time,  in spite of her mother’s urgings,  she went back to the vegetable garden.  The neat little garden lay tattered and broken,  but Ann worked on.

Then the wind started.  It blew the rain right off the hill and set to work on the trees.  Branches snapped and crackled,  and Ann picked up her last apron-load and went to the cabin.

As she opened the door,  her mother and Mr.  McPhale stood ready to bar it quickly behind her.  She dropped the last apronful of peas on top of the others she had brought in.

Finally the wind stopped.  The three Hamilton men burst into the cabin.

"Tell us,"  Mrs. Hamilton said,  "what is left on the hill?"

"We have much to be thankful for,"  Mr. Hamilton said.  "We were able to save a good part of the corn.  The late crop we have,  of course,  lost.  There will be much work to do over again in the south field.  I see Ann has saved many of the peas.  Some potatoes and pumpkins may yet be rescued..."

An apt description of the importance of saving your crop under the worst conditions.

Here in mid-August,  the corn is almost ripe enough to pick.

Oftentimes it actually is ripe enough!

The pumpkins are certainly doing well!

You can see why August is considered a harvest month~

Corn is an excellent companion plant for pumpkins because it provides shade and helps to stop the squash vine borer beetle from feasting on the pumpkin vines.  According to Plants Spark Joy,  you can even use squash vines and the vining cucurbits as a kind of living mulch.  From a recent search:  "Vining cucurbits are climbing or trailing plants".  "The Three Sisters,"  are the three main agricultural crops of various Indian/Native peoples of Central and North America:  squash,  maize  ("corn"),  and climbing beans  (typically the common green beans).

Sarah Emery,  born in 1787,  acknowledged daily life in early America in her book,  Reminiscences of a Nonagenarian,  which contains descriptions of many aspects of life on the family homestead,  that what she had written was  "chiefly derived from the recollections of my mother;  but recitals by my father,  grandparents,  and other deceased relatives..."

Her remembrance of a typical day with her family in her 18th century youth are,  to me,  a vision of the past - an actual vision of the past - that puts flesh on the bones of the people we see in paintings and sketches from an era of nearly 250 years ago:

In those summer days,  when my recollection first opens,  mother and aunt Sarah rose in the early dawn,  and taking the well-scoured wooden pails from the bench by the back door,  repaired to the cow yard behind the barn.  We owned six cows;  my grandmother four.  Having milked the ten cows,  the milk was strained,  the fires built,  and breakfast prepared.  Many families had milk for this meal, but we always has coffee or chocolate,  with meat and pototoes.  

The milk being from the ten cows,  my mother made cheese four days,  Aunt Sarah having the milk the remainder of the week.  In this way,  good-sized cheeses were obtained.  The curd having been broken into the basket,  the dishes were washed,  and unless there was washing or other extra work,  the house was righted.  By the time this was done,  the curd was ready for the  (cheese)  press....After dinner the cheeses were turned and rubbed.

Next came the preparations for dinner,  which was on the table punctually at twelve o'clock.  In the hot weather we usually had boiled salted meat and vegetables,  and,  if it was baking day,  a custard or pudding.  If there was linen whitening on the grass,  as was usual at this season,  that must be sprinkled.  

In the sultry August afternoons mother and aunt Sarah usually took their sewing to the cool back room,  whose shaded door and windows over-looked the freshly mown field,  dotted by apple trees.  My grandmother,  after her afternoon nap,  usually joined her daughters,  with a pretense at knitting,  but she was not an industrious old lady.  There was no necessity for work;  and if idle hours are a sin,  I fear the good woman had much to answer for...she beguiled the time  (by joining in)  the harmless gossip of some neighboring women...

At five o'clock the men came in from the field,  and tea was served.  The tea things washed,  the vegetables were gathered for the morrow,  the linen taken in,  and other chores done.  At sunset the cows came from the pasture.  Milking finished and the milk strained,  the day's labor was ended.  The last load pitched on the hay mow,  and the last hay cock turned up,  my father and the hired man joined us in the cool back room,  where bowls of bread and milk were ready for those who wished the refreshment.  At nine o'clock the house was still,  the tired hands gladly resting from the day's toil.  Except for the busiest of hay season,  my father went regularly once a week to the neighboring seaport town,  taking thither a load of farm produce.  For years he supplied several families and stores with butter,  cheese,  eggs,  fruit and vegetables.  These market days were joyful epochs for me,  as at his return I never failed to receive some little gift,  usually sent by some of our  "Port"  relatives and friends.

Three months after planting,  our flax can be harvested,  to be processed,  spun,  and woven into linen fabric or thread or even candle wicking.

There is a whole flax process,  from plant to linen,  of  which can be done any time of year,  once the plant is harvested.  But we'll get to that in October,  for there is still much to do here in August,  including harvesting much from the kitchen garden,  which is really beginning to give up its yield.

This picture of the Daggett kitchen garden was taken on August 27 - just days before September - so it can fit easily into either month.  But even though some do not like thinking in this manner,  harvest time - autumn - has begun,  as you can see from the flourishing plants,  even though it's still considered the last month of summer  (in our modern time).

Yes,  our colonial ancestors might have been amused at the idea of having a day off to celebrate Labor!

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Now that we have spent time on the farm in August,  let's now take a walk through the heart of a village,  town,  or city from the later 18th century  (1760s,  1770s,  1780s).  Like farmers,  these artisans work throughout the year,  masters at their crafts and serving a purpose in daily life.

Perhaps our first stop will be a visit to the tinsmith,  who crafted lightweight,  affordable household goods such as candle holders,  plates & cups,  molds for candles,  etc.,~~~~~

Tinsmith~

I see a gun shop,  which were usually operated primarily as local repair and custom-build workshops rather than retail stores.  Most standard firearms,  like military muskets,  were imported from Europe,  so colonial gunsmiths made their living fixing broken parts or handcrafting specialized longrifles.

The millinery shop was a fashion and social hub where skilled women sold accessories,  imported fabrics,  and tailored trimmings for both men and women.

And then there's the ever-popular blacksmith shop:  using a coal or charcoal-fueled forge and hand bellows,  the blacksmith shaped heated iron and steel into essential tools,  including farm tools such as axes,  plowshares,  cowbells,  hoes,  horseshoes,  nails,  and hardware,  along with wagon parts required for daily survival and growth.  They also made hammers,  candleholders,  tools,  files,  locks,  fireplace racks,  and anvils.  

Blacksmith.
"Ol' Smithee"  lol

There was a need for a cabinet maker,  who was a master woodworker that created quality,  fashionable furniture using hand tools like hand saws,  chisels,  planes,  and great wheel lathes.  These artisans worked with local woods like walnut and cherry alongside imported mahogany.

Most villages,  towns,  and cities had at least one general store,  which sold dry goods,  including bolts of linen,  wool,  silk,  ribbons,  buttons,  and sewing thread,  as well as some groceries & spices such as tea,  coffee,  sugar,  molasses,  pepper,  and nutmeg kept in large casks.  They also sold hardware & tools,  including axes,  iron nails,  scythes,  cookware,  flint,  and gunpowder.

The printer used a wooden hand press and movable metal type to print government laws and legal forms,  books and religious texts,   advertisements,  and broadsides. 

The cooper shop was a vital tradesperson who made and repaired wooden,  staved containers like barrels,  casks,  buckets,  and tubs using shaped timber staves held together by wooden or metal hoops.  Because the era relied on wooden vessels for shipping and storing everything from water and rum to flour and tobacco,  the cooperage trade was foundational to daily life and global commerce. 

A cooper shop:
notice the shaving horse in the lower center,  the hoops hanging from the ceiling,  and the various draw knives center left on the wall.

Then there was the farrier.  Because horses powered transportation,  agriculture,  and military operations,  farriers were vital to daily life,  functioning as both a sort of specialized blacksmith and an early type of veterinarian,  shoeing horses,  caring for the hooves of the animals,  as well as the beast's well-being.

There would be numerous taverns,  for taverns were the pulse of 18th century urban life,  and their importance to the local community cannot be overstated.  Colonial taverns were also usually a stage coach stop for travelers;  a patron could spend the night and eat breakfast,  dinner,  and supper,  should the need arise.  Taverns were also the  main source of out-of-town information for the locals.

A busy tavern,  filled with news and conversation.

The weaving shop was a busy workplace filled with large wooden looms,  spinning wheels,  and natural dye vats.  Master weavers,  apprentices,  and hired or enslaved laborers worked in these spaces to turn raw wool,  flax,  and even cotton into everyday cloth,  clothing fabric,  blankets,  and military uniforms.

Working the loom.

An 18th-century tanner turned raw animal hides into durable leather using a slow,  harsh,  and foul-smelling vegetable-tanning process.  Operating on the edges of towns near rivers,  tanners spent months soaking,  scraping,  and treating skins with natural tannins from tree bark to supply vital leather for shoes,  harnesses,  and bookbinding

The tanner working out doors.

The local tailor was a skilled craftsperson who hand-sewed custom,  fitted garments for men and women.

Wheelwright was an agrarian tradesman,  closely connected with the wagon shop,  who built and repaired wooden wheels,  carts,  wagons,  and farm equipment. It was a demanding job that required expertise in both heavy woodworking and basic blacksmithing to shape functional,  high-stress horse,  oxen,  or even people-drawn transportation vehicles,  including the simpler wheel barrow.

Wheel wright shop.

This truly takes a special skill,  like all of the other occupations here.

A bookbinder practiced a highly specialized handcraft.  Workers folded printed sheets into sections,  sewed them onto raised cord supports,  rounded the spines,  and laced heavy boards on before covering them in calfskin,  sheepskin,  or sometimes vellum with decorative blind or gold tool embossing.

A wagon shop was where master craftsmen,  helpers,  and apprentices,  built and fixed heavy wooden carts and large freight carriers like the famous Conestoga wagons,  by way of using hand tools.

The chandler was a merchant and tradesman who made and sold candles,  soap,  and other household necessities.  The trade was split between tallow chandlers,  who made cheaper animal-fat candles for everyday use,  and wax chandlers,  who produced clean-burning,  expensive beeswax candles for the wealthy and for the local churches.

Chandlers - candle makers

A silversmith made ornamental silverware/eating utensils,  candle sticks,  plates,  bowls,  and other fine items,  which were usually bought by the wealthier folk.  

 A saddler & harness maker was a vital artisan who hand-crafted and repaired essential leather goods for riding,  transport,  and farming,  utilizing specialized hand tools like round knives and awls to build durable saddles,  bridles,  and wagon harnesses.

A shoemaker  (often called a cordwainer)  crafted brand-new footwear from fresh leather,  while a cobbler mended and repaired worn-out shoes.

New shoes direct from the cordwainer  (or shoemaker)~
By the way,  do not call the shoemaker a cobbler,  for that would not end in a friendly manner.

Many folks might visit one of the bakers,  who was a vital tradesperson that supplied daily bread and baked goods to towns and even military forts.

Baker Jeff checks on the bread in the oven.

And,  seen on the outskirts is the gristmill and surrounding farms.  

The gristmill in the distance on the edge of town awaiting summer wheat.

Luckily I could have the bulk of my wheat prepared at the gristmill.
If you look closely you can make out the waterwheel over my left hand.

In the 1760s,  1770s,  and 1780s,  around 90 percent or slightly more of the population in the American colonies worked in agriculture and lived as farmers.  Most people relied on agriculture to feed their own families or to sell small local surpluses.

Also,  much of the yield could be used as barter.

Instead of using cash,  colonists often relied on local networks of trust,  keeping running account books where goods and services were valued in British monetary units  (like shillings and pence)  but paid for with crops,  livestock,  or labor.   Colonies legally recognized certain staple goods—like tobacco,  corn,  or pork—as legal tender or  "country pay"  to settle debts and taxes when coin was missing.  

Because transactions relied on delayed payment rather than instant cash,  a person's reputation,  "creditworthiness",  and community standing mattered just as much as the goods they produced. Townsfolk like blacksmiths,  shoemakers,  and storekeepers rarely did straight,  simultaneous swaps  (like a chicken for a horseshoe,  for example).  Instead, they ran an ongoing tab.  A farmer might drop off firewood and grain at a town shop in October,  racking up credit,  and then draw on that credit over the next six months to buy nails,  fabric,  or,  in some cases,  rum.

So...while moving about this village,  town,  or city,  seeing folks on foot,  wagons,  carts,  and carriages pulled by oxen,  and/or horses that may trot hither and thither - watch your step as you cross the road! - water from the recent rainstorms cause puddles if there is brick pavement,  and muddying the dirt roads that cling to the bottoms of the shoes of the townsfolk.

More often than not,  there were multiples of each business mentioned here.

Now,  with Lammas Day passed,   harvest time had begun during August.  We now enter into the late summer and early autumn period of the year,  when the words autumn and harvest pretty much meant the same thing.  The word  "harvest"  comes from the Old English word Haerfest,  which refers to the entire autumn season.  It means to gather,  reap,  and store what has been grown.  "Harvest" can also refer to the crops that are gathered,  or the process of gathering them.  The season of autumn was once called  "harvest"  because it was the time of year when farmers would harvest their crops.  By the 17th century,  the terms  "autumn"  and  "fall"  became more popular.

So,  yes,  "harvest"  and  "autumn"  are related terms.

With that,  as the song  (from the 1950s)  goes:  See you in September...

Until next time,  see you in time.

I have numerous links included in the above posts where I snatched much of the information - much being word-for-word.  I also nick'd some information off of various internet sites,  most of which came from my own Passion for the Past blog.

Click HERE to learn more about colonial city life by way of Colonial Williamsburg

Click HERE for a blog post on historic occupations

To check out my first five  'chapters'  in this monthly series,  please check out the links below.

For the month of March,  please click HERE

For the month of April,  please click HERE

For the month of May,  please click HERE

For the month of June,  please click HERE

For the month of July,  please click HERE

To learn about ancient farming practices,  please click HERE

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