Folkway #14: Food

So, what did Central Florida's pioneers eat?

When they first arrived, the pioneers had to "live off the land."  Fortunately, that was fairly easy to do.  Area lakes were full of fish and the forests were full of game and wild fruit.  Accounts of this era refer to the natural bounty enountered by the earliest American settlers.

One of the first things they did to tame the frontier was to plant food crops to supplement their diet.  Sweet potatoes and pumpkins were particular favorites, because they are perennials.  Once successfully planted, they would come back year after year. 

Corn was also a staple.  The pioneers used it to make a flavorful flour that produced a variety of breads and breading.  Corn was also used to make grits--not only a popular side item, but occasionally the basis of a main dish.

All manner of tropical fruits could be found here, particularly citrus.  Pineapples and bananas were also grown in abundance.

Sugar cane was also widely grown.  In fact, cane grinding became a popular community activity.  The syrup it produced was used to sweeten the pioneer diet and as a primary ingredient in distilled liquors.

Farm animals were a primary source of protein.  Cattle and goats generated both dairy and meat.  Chickens provided both eggs and poultry.  And, pigs were particularly prized for the pork, bacon, fatback, and ham they produced.

Still, there were some staple items that could not be found in the wild or easily produced on the pioneer farmstead.  These had to be purchased from frontier merchants and trading posts.   They were expensive, though, and considered a luxury. Flour, for example, cost as much as $50 per barrel in the 1860s.  (Though it did drop to just $8 a decade later.)  Canned goods experienced similary price fluctuations.

To learn more about our pioneers and how they ate, visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org