162 
RURAL HOURS. 
and interests, should all centre there, whatever be her sphere of 
life. 
The food of the family, as well as their clothing, was almost 
wholly the produce of their own farm ; they dealt but little with 
either grocer or butcher. In the spring, a calf was killed ; in 
the fall, a sheep and a couple of hogs ; once in a while, at other 
seasons, they got a piece of fresh meat from some neighbor who 
had killed a beef or a mutton. They rarely eat tlieir poultry — 
the hens were kept chiefly for eggs, and their geese for feathers. 
The common piece of meat, day after day, was corned pork from 
their pork-barrel ; they usually kept, also, some corned beef in 
brine, either from their own herd, or a piece procured by some 
bargain with a neighbor. The bread was made from their own 
wheat, and so were the hoe-cakes and griddle-cakes from the In- 
dian meal and buckwheat of their growth. Butter and cheese 
from their dairy were on table at every meal, three times a day. 
Pies were eaten very frequently, either of apples, pumpkins, dried 
fruits, or coarse minced-meat ; occasionally they had pie without 
any meat for their dinner ; puddings were rare ; Yankee farmers 
generally eating much more pastry than pudding. Mush and 
milk was a common dish. They ate but few eggs, reserving them 
for sale. Their vegetables were almost wholly potatoes, cabbage, 
and onions, with fresh corn and beans, when in season, and baked 
beans with pork in winter. Pickles were put on table at every 
meal. Their sugar and molasses was made from the maple, only 
keeping a little white sugar for company or sickness. They drank 
cider from their own orchard. The chief luxuries of the house- 
hold were tea and coffee, both procured from the " stores," al- 
