 |
| Still wearing my old shoes~~ 12 years old this year of 2026 |
Just in time for Lammas Day!
In the 18th century, the summer harvest of winter wheat was a critical, labor-intensive event. Planted the previous autumn, the grain ripened by late June to August. Workers used sickles or scythes to cut the stalks, tied them into sheaves, and stacked them in fields to dry before threshing with flails. The 18th-century wheat harvest was an exhausting process.
And it's this exhausting process that my friend Theresa and I did one Friday in mid-July.
Now, we only did around a twelve by fifteen foot area, a smaller portion in comparison to the acres of wheat growing on this land (as can be seen in the photos). The farmer who owns this land allowed us to do what we did and asked us to keep our take to a minimum. Funny that a few of my Facebook friends noticed there was plenty more acreage to do before we were done. However, the kind farmer did not charge me for the wheat we reaped.
Also, it was pretty much just Theresa and I (her father, Stu, did help a bit as well) - we would need plenty more help to do such a chore by scythe and sickle as we did---any period-dress takers for next year? lol...yeah...you know what I'm talkin' about~~~
I'm just doing my best to experience the past.
Remember: "experiencing my research" is my sort of living history mantra~~~
No matter---it certainly is fun to have such an experience in doing old time farming chores~
~~ . . . ~~
It was last year, in 2025, that my good friend, Theresa, harvested wheat for me. I wanted to experience and give the processing of wheat the way it was done during colonial times a try, and since Theresa lives in farm country - Lapeer, Michigan - I was hoping to get some wheat so I could attempt to go through the entire process of turning it into flour. So, I messaged her about my idea:
"Do you live near farmers?"
She laughed at this one, for she lives in the 'heart' of farm country~
"I'm looking to get a couple bundles/sheaves of wheat that I can thresh."
"Sure!" She replied.
She then sent me a photo of herself wearing her colonial clothing and explained that she was heading out to harvest.
Wait---what??
You're going to dress period to do this??
"Might as well."
I have the coolest friends!!
So she did. (click HERE)
And I was jealous, for I desperately wanted to do this as well.
So, guess what? Theresa and I spoke about it and made plans for next year, which just so happens to now be---this year.
You see, 18th-century wheat harvesting relied entirely on manual labor and hand tools, as mentioned, and as an 18th century living historian, I wanted to experience this chore.
So that brings us now to this year~~~
For us here in Michigan, July 2026 was mostly a hot and humid month, beginning just before the 4th, and continuing on through mid-month, we had many days hovering right around 100 degrees. Sadly, right around the time it was supposed to cool down to more normal temperatures, wildfires up in Canada and upper Minnesota sprung up. The smoke that covered all of the State of Michigan was horrendous, some even saying it was equal to smoking a couple packs of cigarettes.
Anyhow, due to this horrible smoke (I can personally vouch for how awful it was), many activities around the state were cancelled right around wheat harvest time, including summer fairs, festivals, and even the John Mellencamp concert at a local outdoor venue about 45 minutes north of Detroit. Greenfield Village, the outdoor open-air museum, remained closed for two days. A few other places followed suit.
On Thursday July 16 Greenfield Village closed up - yeah, the smoke was extra thick that day---giving the air a foggy look. Unfortunately, that was the day chosen for the farming presenters at Firestone Farm to do the 2026 1880s wheat harvest. Luckily for me, I caught this wonderful period historic activity the year before:
 |
| An 1880s summer wheat harvest at Firestone Farm. |
Many of the historic presenters who staff Firestone Farm were out taking part in this historic event in an 1880s manner. It was wonderful to see. I actually stayed for a long time just watching, being drawn into a time of around a hundred and forty years ago.
Farm life and chores changed little over the years - yes, some modernisms, like the horse-drawn reaper - but, for the most part, it was the same as it ever was.
 |
| It was all hands on deck for this historic activity. |
 |
| An 1880s wheat harvest involved horse-drawn reapers and binders cutting the crop working side by side with the manual labor. |
 |
| The 1880s Firestone Farm ladies with sheaves of wheat. |
 |
| Thresherman's Dinner at Firestone Farm~ One thing Theresa and I did not do is have a social harvest event known as a "Thresherman's Dinner," which was a traditional, hearty, mid-day meal historically served to field hands and helpers during wheat and grain harvests. |
Because early wheat harvesting and threshing were entirely manual and required immense, grueling physical labor, large groups of neighbors and hired workers were brought together to complete the work. Maybe next year we'll also plan something along these lines ourselves, for yes, those 18th-century farmers of a hundred years earlier than those from Firestone threw massive, celebratory harvest meals for their laborers as well.
So, now, here is our colonial wheat harvest 2026 / 1776:
 |
| Amber waves of grain. Wheat was planted in the fall, lay dormant through winter, and ripened for harvest in early July. |
 |
| Excellent close up Stu took with my camera. Archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BC. |
 |
| I simply cannot express enough how excited I was to do this. |
 | |
|
 |
| Just imagine farm life of 1776 when we would've awakened before the sun rise and sometimes worked until after the sunset, and still might not have completed the job! It would have taken days with just two of us. |
 |
| I was pleasantly surprised that I did not feel pain in my back or legs. It may sound a bit silly, but I was thrilled and my heart was filled doing such work. |
 |
| Reaped wheat. |
 |
| "What a treat to harvest grain by hand again this year! This time with antique tools and my dear friend Ken. Just doing the things we love." |
 |
| Theresa tied the reaped wheat into a sheave. |
 |
| Traditionally, once the loose piles of wheat were gathered up and tied into bundles, these bundles were then stood up on end with other bundles to create a shock or stook. This allows the grain to finish drying before it is stored or stacked for threshing later in the season. We did not stand these sheaves up there - I brought them to my home to be threshed for Lammas Day in early August. |
 |
How did the farmers know when the wheat was ready for harvesting? When the wheat plant reaches its final stage in the growing process, meaning it is dry enough and no green is showing on the wheat itself, it is ready to be harvested. The green seen here is the grass |
 |
| The importance of grain in those long-ago days is given, perhaps, an off-handed general sentence or two in most school history books, not allowing students to fully grasp its importance. |
 |
| Using a sickle here. The high demand for labor during this crucial harvest window meant that everyone, including family members, neighbors, and hired seasonal workers, pitched in. Maybe next year we can make wheat harvest day into some kind of event. |
 |
| Biblically and historically, "Bringing in the sheaves" has two meanings: Biblical: to reap the rewards of hard work or to successfully gather the fruits of one's labor. |
 |
| Secularly / historically, the phrase "Bringing in the Sheaves" is often used figuratively to describe the successful culmination of any long, arduous task. If someone completes a major project, wins a difficult case, or closes a successful sales quarter, they might be referred to as "bringing in the sheaves". |
Every year I seem to have an opportunity to have a dream of mine come true, which allows me to speak to spectators in a more experienced manner. Harvesting wheat is now added to the list. I so very much appreciate what I have been able to do.
 |
| I brought the hay rake and a regular wood rake along to gather what was left. |
 |
| A bundle with one swipe of the sickle! |
 |
In traditional farming, a single tied bundle is a "sheaf," and multiple bundles are referred to collectively as "sheaves". |
 |
| Here we are - a job well done! |
We harvested what we were allowed to do in the amount of time we had. What we cut is enough for demonstration purposes. Perhaps next year we'll do a little more...maybe have others join us. As I said, perhaps turn it into a sort of event.
 |
| The farmer on whose land we were on was kind enough to give us a small patch, and for that I am grateful. I think we did good. |
Well, what a thoroughly enjoyable time I had. Theresa did as well.
Replicating the past in such a manner is as fulfilling as it can get for historians. I mean, we can read all we want about it, but to actually do and experience the past makes it so much more!
 |
| Quern and mortar & pestle: ready for making flour~ |
From harvest and drying, the next step on bread-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 impact breaks the seed heads open, separating the edible wheat kernels (grain) from the inedible, papery husks (chaff) and stiff stalks.
Then comes winnowing: winnowing is the agricultural process of separating threshed wheat from lighter chaff.
Then comes winnowing: winnowing is the agricultural process of separating threshed wheat from lighter chaff.
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, colonists relied on hand-powered quern stones or large wooden mortars and pestles to grind winter wheat at home (see photo left - click to enlarge).
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.
~HARVEST and the REVOLUTION~
Now...are you aware that harvest time affected the Revolutionary War?
In July 1777, as wheat ripened across the Hudson River Valley, the northern army faced a crisis shaped less by tactics than by time. Soldiers looked not toward the enemy, but toward home. Harvest would not wait—and, for many, neither would they.
In July 1777, as wheat ripened across the Hudson River Valley, the northern army faced a crisis shaped less by tactics than by time. Soldiers looked not toward the enemy, but toward home. Harvest would not wait—and, for many, neither would they.
The events of that month and year reveal a difficult truth. The Revolution depended on people who could not fully step away from their lives.
Farmers could not abandon harvest indefinitely. Communities could not sustain long absences. Survival set limits on commitment.
And yet, within those limits, something held. Enough men came forward. Enough remained, if only for a time.
 |
Well, Theresa is like a daughter to me, so I suppose I am home from Saratoga~ Deuteronomy 8:8 "A land of wheat and barley..." Describing the agricultural abundance of the Promised Land~~~ |
The Battles of Saratoga began not with strength, but with uncertainty.
They began with an army that might not have stayed at all.
What followed—delay, resistance, and eventual victory—grew from a fragile base: hurried letters, shifting numbers, and officers trying to hold together what they had.
Victory was not inevitable. It was assembled.
(Mostly directly from THIS page)
'/'/'/.
Many, many thanks to my good friend, Theresa Sauvé, for setting up the harvesting of wheat up in the farm country of Lapeer, Michigan. And to her parents for being there, and her farmer friend for the allowance of this to happen.
We did it early in the morning, therefore the weather was cooler and we did not have nearly the amount of smoke we had in the Metro-Detroit area.
In other words, it was wonderful!
Now to thresh, winnow, and grind!
Off to the cabin!
Until next time, see you next time~
To learn more about an 18th century Lammas Day, please click HERE
To learn about ancient farming practices, please click HERE
..................
