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Quote of the Day: Harvest Time

September 11th, 2016

The rush of harvest time came. The oats were ripe, standing thick and tall and yellow. the wheat wasgolden, darke than thte oats. The beans were ripe, and the pumpkings and carrots and turnips and potatoes were ready to gather.

There was not rest and no play for anyone now. They all worked from candlelight to candlelight. Mother and the girls were making cucumber pickles, green-tomato pickles, and watermelon-rind pickles; they were drying corn and apples, and making preserves. Everything must be saved, nothing wasted of all the summer’s bounty. Even the apple cores were saved for making vinegar, and a bundle of oat straw was soaking on the back porch. Whenever mother had one minute to spare, she braided an inch or two of oat-straw braid for making next summer’s hats.

Laura Ingalls Wilder in Farmer Boy

When I was in Vermont with a friend at the beginning of August, we decided to take the short trip up to New York to visit Almanzo Wilder’s homestead. The Little House series was one of my favorites as a child, and I admit that I’ve read them four or five times as an adult as well. It was quite amazing to see the original house, it’s been restored to what it would have looked like when the Wilders lived there.
almanzo wilder homestead 11
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almanzo wilder homestead 12
We peeked down into the cellar and toured the barns as well, unfortunately no photos were allowed inside the house or the barns, so I only have images of the grounds.
almanzo wilder homestead 1
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almanzo wilder homestead 9
There was one enormous sugar maple tree in the front yard that would have been standing when Almanzo lived there. A few of the apple trees looked old enough as well, but those haven’t been dated to see for sure if they were.
almanzo wilder homestead 4
almanzo wilder homestead 2
almanzo wilder homestead 3
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The gardens were smaller than they would have been at the time, but they did have a small one they maintained. The large lilac behind the house that would have been by the outhouse was still standing, it has grown and almost has taken over the back yard.
almanzo wilder homestead 14
almanzo wilder homestead 8
On our way home we listened to the audiobook and were delighted to be able to put real images with the things we’d only imaged as little girls. If you’re a Little House fan and happen to be in Northern New York, I recommend taking the trip to the homestead. It’s nothing fancy or overdone, but it’s amazing to walk the grounds, tour the house, and place all the things in the book.

Did you enjoy the Little House series as a child?

3 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Harvest Time”
  1. Hilary on September 11, 2016 at 7:44 am

    My husband is reading Farmer Boy to our 4 year old son right now! I just read him your post and he loved the pictures. I grew up in a house of the same age so I really appreciated this! Thanks for sharing!
    Hilary|Everlongardener

    Reply to Hilary's comment

  2. kristin @ going country on September 11, 2016 at 8:58 am

    We were just there last weeked–it’s only about 20 miles from our new house. The apple trees were loaded with apples and they weren’t doing anything with them. There were apples all over the ground, which is maddening. All those nice heirloom varieties just rotting on the ground. You’d think they’d gather them and sell them in the gift shop or something.

    Anyway. I’ve been to three different Little House sites and museums, and this one is the best. We particularly like the path down to Trout River.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  3. Nebraska Dave on September 12, 2016 at 2:22 am

    Susy, I did watch Little House on the Prairie in my younger years. There is a house where they supposedly lived in South Dakota. A friend of mine followed the signs and found that the house had totally been remodeled and had a modern day family living in it. He was very disappointed to see a regular looking house nothing like what Laura would have lived in.

    What ever happened to TV shows like that?

    Have a great history visiting day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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