It is exciting when one piece of research ties back into a nother. I was reminded of this when looking at old and new almanacs and the listed moon signs, especially the lore of their influence on planting vegetables. I recently wrote about these almanacs, printed in York and throughout
Aren’t those fresh summer vegetables wonderful? Especially if they are locally grown, perhaps in your own back yard. By now, you have a good idea of how well your garden has fared. You know if you have more squash than you can use, or not enough tomatoes for your homemade
I never tire looking at the drawings of York folk artist Lewis Miller (1796-1882). His illustrations depicting town and rural life during the first half of the 19th century are so detailed. He wrote captions, most just a few sentences, but some quite lengthy, adding more insight into the daily
A friend recently donated some old photos to the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives. The family farmed in Chanceford Township for generations, and there were a few things mixed in pertaining to farm life. One item was a recipe to treat chickens for poultry cholera, also known as fowl cholera.
What competition attracted 3,000 people on October 18, 1939? According to a lengthy account in the Gazette and Daily the next day: “A large tent was erected on the farm and refreshments were sold to the crowd by the auxiliary of the York County Farmers organization. The grounds somewhat resembled
It is canning season again. As I indicated in the my York Sunday News column on York County canning houses a few years ago, there were commercial canneries of all sizes throughout 20th century York County. As far as I know, any remaining are very large scale, such as Hanover
In response to my recent York Sunday News column on York County potatoes, Glen Rock area historian and friend John Hufnagel shared five fantasy post cards from his collection. The informal community of Besserville consisted of a restaurant, department store and tourist cabins run by the Besser family. It was
I have been getting a lot of comments on my recent blog posts and York Sunday News column on the serious business of growing potatoes in York County. There was some glamour involved too, as shown in these two original press photos from the Gazette and Daily, now part of
We take potatoes for granted, consuming copious amounts of the fried, baked, mashed and chipped vegetable. York County growers have produced untold numbers of these staple tubers over the years. While transcribing my father’s diaries from his farming years, I realized how much work and care went into planting, cultivating,
The Potato Association of America says Americans eat more than 41 billion pounds of potatoes a year. An article in the York Daily Record a few days ago indicated that new techniques and varieties of potatoes might help York County farmers again make the county the potato growing center it