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Interpreter with a pitchfork in a field.

Women’s Life on the Iowa Farm in 1900

Posted on March 8, 2021

“Unlike men’s work, which was often specialized, women’s work, by nature of its diversity, touched every aspect of the farm operation,” Dorothy Schwieder, Iowa: The Middle Land. Farming and agriculture played a large part in…

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jars in 1900 farm house pantry

What’s Cooking – Food Preservation

Posted on August 19, 2019

August 19, 2019 Even in the heat of summer, Iowa farmers were historically preparing for the winter to come. Harvested foods had to be preserved for winter and without reliable refrigeration until the 20th century,…

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cucumber and tomato salad

What’s Cooking – Fruits and Vegetables

Posted on August 13, 2019

August 13, 2019 Iowans have enjoyed the produce of their gardens in late summer for hundreds of years. The Ioway farmers looked forward to squash, beans, and sweet green corn. Pioneers enjoyed fresh berries, tomatoes,…

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hog

What’s Cooking – Beef and Pork

Posted on August 5, 2019

August 5, 2019 For many people, a Midwestern dinner is built around a central dish of meat. It was the main protein source throughout much of the 18th and 19th century. The Ioway culture was…

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rolls

What’s Cooking – Breads and Leavenings

Posted on July 29, 2019

July 29, 2019 Bread, of some form, was a staple for most Iowa farming families, beginning with Native American cultures. The Ioway made unleavened corn bread baked on hot stones around their open fires. Pioneers…

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red corn

What’s Cooking – Corn and Beans

Posted on July 22, 2019

July 22, 2019 Corn and soybeans are staples of Iowa Agriculture in 2019. The USDA estimated Iowa farmers produced 2.52 billion bushels of corn in 2017 and 564,000 bushels of soybeans in 2018! But the…

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interpreter in Tangen

What’s Cooking – Cultural Food Traditions

Posted on July 15, 2019

July 15, 2019 The food people choose to eat is influenced by many things–what is affordable, what is available, what we find tasty, and what our family and community traditions have taught us is appropriate…

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cake at Pioneer Wedding

What’s Cooking – Celebration Foods

Posted on July 8, 2019

July 8, 2019 Midwesterners love a good party. It can be a dinner party, a picnic, a birthday party, a potluck. This week Living History Farms interpreters take a look at special occasion foods and…

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1900 intern

What’s Cooking – Food Challenge Saturday

Posted on July 3, 2019

July 3, 2019 The technology of preparing food has drastically changed over the last 300 years in Iowa. Our historical interpreters usually don’t begin working at Living History Farms knowing how to cook over an…

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chicken

What’s Cooking – Fish and Fowl

Posted on June 25, 2019

June 25, 2019 Pork is the meat most associated with modern Midwestern culture, but it certainly isn’t the only one! Through Iowa’s history, both fish and poultry have been active meal ingredients. This week Living…

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