Jam and Preserve History
Courtesy of the New York Public Library, Circa 1906
The practice of making jams and preserves outside of the UK is an example of the influence of British foodways. I started making homemade ones here in Massachusetts a few months ago and enjoy doing so during the winter time. Historically women spent hours at the end of the summer in hot kitchens without air conditioning doing this work. They endured the heat so their family's "had enough to eat in the winter, when most of the fruits and vegetables had to come out of a jar," says Civil Rights leader Ralph Abernathy who grew up on a farm in rural Alabama. A flaky buttered biscuit with some jam doesn't get much better in my book.
