While doing research for Answering Liberty’s Call: Anna Stone’s Daring Ride to Valley Forge (2021) I learned a lot about the daily lives of colonial Americans—including what they wore and what they ate. Food production was a large part of their daily lives, and I was surprised to learn people believed it was not healthful to eat raw fruits and vegetables.
Neighbors often gathering to help bring in crops. When I chose to advance Anna and Benjamin’s interest in one another at a cidering party, of course apples were central to the fun, the work, and their budding romance.
In the book the young women play a game in which they peel an apple in one long peel and then throw the peel over their shoulder, and hope it lands in the shape of their true love’s initial. One wonders if this game was invented by a young girl, or by a watchful older woman who was trying to get the girls to peel apples at top speed!
When Anna’s crush Benjamin offers her an apple he’s picked off the tree for her, she laughs—for she’s headed home with bushels she must stew and dry. He urges her to try it, just as it is, and she realizes it’s perfect. Later, when she coyly tells him she’s come to prefer apples uncooked, it’s a sign she’s open to his advances.
I found a recipe for Apple Tansey, a popular side dish of the colonial period. It’s something like an apple quiche, but sweet rather than savory. I was curious, and though I’m not much of a cook, I decided to give it a try. How did it go? I produced a short video of my attempt at colonial cooking:
Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Tracy!
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