George Washington Carver joined Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama as the dean of the Department of Agriculture and Experiment Station. Carver recommended that farms include fruit trees, bushes, and patches of berries. Well-maintained fruit plants produce more than enough for a family, with surplus to sell or trade. Nut trees like pecans and walnuts provide both food and shade. Carver noted that nuts were becoming more popular as protein sources, sometimes replacing meat in people's diets.
Delicious Fruit Roll-Ups
Carver taught people how to preserve overripe fruit by making fruit leather (similar to modern fruit roll-ups):
Take overripe strawberries or other fruits (apples, peaches, pears, figs)
Mash them into a pulp
Spread on a surface for drying
When dry, roll up and cut into pieces
Store in a dry place or in water
Use for baking and cooking
This simple technique prevented food waste and created tasty treats that lasted for months.
