OTown History

I for one have never had a green thumb, the only plant I am capable of keeping alive is a succulent but today I got a little bold & purchased some bulbs from a local hardware store. There were some hydrangeas, daffodils & dahlia bulbs that we picked out.

While I was digging 6 inch holes in our flower bed , I sure did break a sweat which made me think “HOW did James & his father Cornelius do this Til their late 80’s early 90’s?” when I asked Kyle, he said “people were just built different back then”.

But how were they built differently VS people today?

Many had to work for their food, quite literally… plant their own vegetables, butcher their own meat, take care of their livestock, food was fresher & healthier unlike most foods today. I am guessing most individuals back then had increased energy especially since they were outside much of the time tending to their crops & working on their farm.

James & his father Cornelius worked at their farm Til the day they passed… in their 80’s and 90’s, how incredible is that? The Clarke family also sold seeds during the 1900’s Til 1940’s to the brand Burpee.

James had greenhouses on the property & different locations to keep up with the family business, even during the winter he was tending to his flowers & vegetables. Reading James’s diary I learned that even during the coldest days & inclement weather he still made his greenhouse a priority, farming was his source of income.

One thing that caught my eye was that on our cellar wall in an area that is dark & cool you can see words written in light pencil such as different root vegetable names that gave us the impression they used to can their vegetables that some still do today. Preserving food with home canning can help you to become more self sufficient & can save you money if you stick with it for the long haul from my research canned foods that are properly sealed & stored last up to 2-5 years.

If we didn’t have as much processed foods, worked for our vegetables and meats, how do you think the world would be like today?