Log Cabin Kitchen

Log Cabin Kitchen. . , In early Powhatan, the kitchen was the center of life. , Just as we do today, the people who lived in Powhatan need a central place to store and prepare food. , While most people prepared their meals in the fireplace, wealthier families often had a separate kitchen building like the one before you. Having the cook stove outside of the main house helped keep the home cooler during the summer. It also helped reduce the danger of fire. This kitchen was also used for food storage and preservation. , Imagine preparing all your meals in a kitchen like this one. , Where would you get water? , What types of food might you eat? , How could you store food for the winter?, (caption) A small garden provided fresh herbs and vegetables to the kitchen. Its close proximity to the house discouraged animals pest from destroying plants. , (caption) By the 1850,cast iron cookstoves like this one had become popular in many homes. , Food preparation and storage were labor intensive and time consuming! , . Cheese was coated in layers of paraffin wax to preserve it. , . Butter and milk were lowered into the well or spring house to keep them cool in warm weather. , . Bread was made almost daily, and butter was churned at least once a week. , . Fruits such as apples and pears were sun-dried. , Food was preserved in a variety of ways, including smoking, drying, pickling, salting, and storing in cellars. By the 1880s, home canning was popular. ,