Ulva Waters: Farm Life

We know a lot about life on the farm from Ulva (Putnam) Waters, who lived here at Waters Farm with her husband Nathan and their six children. One child died in infancy.

Saturday was baking day at the farm and all of the baking was done in what is the older kitchen. Before the sun came up each Saturday morning, Nathan and the two boys would start the fire in the oven. The fire had to burn for many hours before any cooking could be done. While the fire was being readied, Ulva and her daughters would begin to prepare enough baked food to last for the whole week. They made baked beans in bean pots, breads, pies, custards, and puddings and not a crumb of it would ever go to waste. When the fire had burned down and the ash cleaned out, they were finally ready to bake. The food needing the longest baking time would go in the back and the food that must bake for the shortest time in the front.

At Waters Farm, both men and women rose early so that they could finish the farm chores before breakfast, especially if the children were going to school that day. Boys had to bring in wood and tend to the animals. Girls had to make beds, collect eggs from the chickens, and help to prepare breakfast. A typical breakfast consisted of biscuits, boiled potatoes, apple sauce, doughnuts, coffee and a large pitcher of milk. The biggest meal of the day was served at noon. Most of the time it was cooked meat and lots of vegetables, chicken pies, or boiled dinner. Boiled dinner was meat placed in a large pot with many types of vegetables such as onions, carrots, turnips, cabbages, and potatoes added. All of the vegetables were grown on the farm. Supper time saw lots of home baked pies, baked beans, porridge, a pan of milk and a large piece of Ulva’s homemade cheese.

The kitchen wasn’t just for cooking. Ulva and her daughters spent a lot of time in the kitchen making the butter and cheese that the family needed. Fruits and vegetables were preserved so that the family would have food when the growing season was over. Candles and soap were made there, and the room sometimes contained the spinning wheel and loom used to make fabric for the family’s clothing.

On Saturday evening when all the chores were finished, Ulva would heat a pot of water, hang a white curtain around the hearth area, and take her weekly bath. Ulva took a bath once a week; her grandmother would take a bath every 3 or 4 months and her grandmother before her just once a year. While being the lady of the house was a lot of work, she always took time out for sewing, visiting with neighbors, and attending church on Sundays.