Food and Farming "Where's the Grocery Store?"

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Food and farming were of paramount concern to the early American colonists. While many of the original settlers had small farms and grew the majority of their food, there was no guarantee that they would have enough to sustain themselves. If and when crops failed, a family would have little choice but to buy or barter their provisions from others. Indeed, the very first Jamestown settlement experienced a meager harvest and would have starved (in fact, many did) had it not been for the local natives providing for them. Ditto for the passengers of the Mayflower, from whence we obtain our modern Thanksgiving; initially, it was giving thanks for not starving to death.

Although a variety of sources are used for this section, the bulk of the material comes from the following publications:

• A New Booke of Cookerie by John Murrell, 1615
• American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, 1798
• The Frugal Housewife by Sussannah Carter, 1803
• A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell, 1807
• The New-England Cookery by Lucy Emerson, 1808
• The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton (1859)

Much of the commentary is in the author's own words, so please excuse the spelling...also, there is some bias towards England over the colonies, as several of these books were written there and then brought over to the New World by settlers...

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Vegetables (28)	Fruits-Nuts (28)	Herbs-Spices (38)	Grains (7)
Farm Stock (5)	Birds (12)	Fishes (41)	Wild Game (5)
Dairy (5)	Other Plants (19)	Other Animals (2)	Other (9)

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199 of 199 Food

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Name	Category
Alexanders	Other Plants
Allspice	Herbs-Spices
Almond	Fruits-Nuts
Anchovy	Fishes
Apple	Fruits-Nuts
Apricot	Fruits-Nuts
Arrowroot	Other Plants
Artichoke	Vegetables
Asparagus	Vegetables
Barbel	Fishes
Barberry	Fruits-Nuts
Barley	Grains
Basil	Herbs-Spices
Bay Laurel	Herbs-Spices
Bayberry	Fruits-Nuts
Bean	Vegetables
Bee Balm	Herbs-Spices
Beet	Vegetables
Bittersweet	Fruits-Nuts
Boar	Wild Game
Brandy	Other
Brill	Fishes
Brocoli	Vegetables
Brussels Sprout	Vegetables
Butter	Dairy
Cabbage	Vegetables
Caper	Other Plants
Carp	Fishes
Carrot	Vegetables
Catnip	Herbs-Spices
Cauliflower	Vegetables
Cayenne	Herbs-Spices
Celery	Vegetables
Chamomile	Herbs-Spices
Champagne	Other
Char	Fishes
Cheese	Dairy
Cherry	Fruits-Nuts
Chervil	Herbs-Spices
Chestnut	Fruits-Nuts

Name	Category
Chicken	Birds
Chive	Herbs-Spices
Chrysanthemum	Other Plants
Chub	Fishes
Cinnamon	Herbs-Spices
Citron	Fruits-Nuts
Claret	Other
Clove	Herbs-Spices
Cocoa	Other Plants
Coconut	Fruits-Nuts
Cod	Fishes
Coffee	Other Plants
Coriander	Herbs-Spices
Cow	Farm Stock
Cowslip	Other Plants
Crab	Fishes
Cranberry	Fruits-Nuts
Cream	Dairy
Cucumber	Vegetables
Currant	Fruits-Nuts
Dace	Fishes
Dahlia	Other Plants
Damson	Fruits-Nuts
Deer	Wild Game
Dill	Herbs-Spices
Doru	Fishes
Duck	Birds
Eel	Fishes
Eggs	Dairy
Elderberry	Fruits-Nuts
Endive	Vegetables
Fennel	Herbs-Spices
Flounder	Fishes
Garlic	Vegetables
Ginger	Herbs-Spices
Goat	Farm Stock
Goldenrod	Other Plants
Goose	Birds
Gooseberry	Fruits-Nuts
Grapes	Fruits-Nuts

 

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199 of 199 Food

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Source: Overview by Geoffrey Reiss

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