Examples of 18th Century Food Options: Grains

The Food Options Discussed are Meant to be Examples, Not Exhaustive!

Wheat

1. Description
1. Premier Crop in Pennsylvania until 1790
2. Made Pennsylvania the Richest Colony in the North
3. Grown on New Ground almost Continuously until the Soil Rebelled and Other Crops Replaced Wheat
4. Seeding Wheat after Corn beginning Very Early in Southeastern Pennsylvania
5. Types of Wheat in Colonial Days
1. Spring Wheat 
2. Summer Wheat
6. Winter Wheat coming around 1840
7. Struggles for Wheat
1. Black Stem Rust
2. Hessian Fly 
3. War Losses
2. Uses
1. Bread
2. Flour

Corn

1. Description
1. First Settlers Adopting Indian Varieties of Corn
2. Initially Viewed with Distaste Compared with Wheat
3. Advantages
1. Not Attacked by Insects and Diseases
2. Little Prep Work before Growing
3. Less Labor
4. Longer Harvesting Period
4. Struggles
1. Deer?
2. War Losses?
2. Uses
1. Feed for Livestock
2. Roasting Corn
3. Parched Corn
4. Mush
5. Corn Bread
6. Corn Cake

Rye

1. Description
1. Strong Competitor of Wheat in Some Districts
2. Rye Bread was Substituted when Wheat became Scarce
3. Frequently Sown and Harvested with Wheat
4. Yields of Rye Usually Higher than those of Wheat
5. Can be Grown on Light or Poor Land
6. Rye Production Decreased Sharply after 1840
7. Struggles for Rye
1. War Losses
2. Uses
1. Bread
2. Straw
1. Thatching Roofs
2. Tying Corn Fodder 
3. Making Bee-Hives and Breadbaskets

Barley

1. Description
1. Heavy Production of Barley in Chester County
2. Consistent Production of Barley in York County for Nearly a Century
3. Average Yield: 20-25 Bushels per Acre; Max Yield: 50-65 Bushels per Acre
4. Became a Minor Crop by 1840
5. Struggles for Barley
1. War Losses
2. Use
1. Malt for Brewing Beer
2. Barley Flour
3. Feeding Livestock (Especially Horses)

Sources: Chadds Ford Historical Society's Guide Training Manual A-32-A-34 The Backcountry Housewife p5-13, 59, 96; and Pennsylvania Agriculture and Country Life: 1640-1840 p143-152 (See Bibliography)