Almanac

Winter Farmwork

Winters in Pryor Hollow are cold and damp. Snowfalls in upper Middle Tennessee are irregular; ice, rain and mud are more characteristic of the winter climate than a constant blanket of snow. Still, it's a time of rest for most farm chores. Winter months are largely spent making plans for the following year's planting, or catching up on repairs that were pushed aside during the busy summer and fall months. Men would often spend the winter months repairing leatherwork, tools, farm equipment, and so forth.

Winter Housework

Household chores such as sewing, needlework, knitting, and quilting kept women busy during the winter months. Women were also responsible for preparing all household meals -- during the winter, this meant they had to depend upon the stores of dried and preserved vegetables and meats that were "put by" during summer and fall.

Just like in the 1850s, the staff at the Homeplace-1850 uses the winter months to plan ahead for the following year. The farm is closed to visitors starting December while our staff busily prepares next year's programs. We'll re-open in March and hope to see you next year!