July 7, 1837 My cousin’s daughter Mary is getting married. As is tradition, my cousin asked me to sew up a nine-patch quilt block to be part of a quilt done up for Mary. My scrap basket had enough printed material scraps from an old dress the girls outgrew. I’m quite proud of my signature […]
June 14, 1837 Daughter Lydia has completed her sampler. She has spent many hours during these last six months working on her piece. It certainly kept her busy sitting by the fire or by candlelight during the long winter months. When I was growing up, my mother taught my sisters and me how to embroider […]
Worked up more garden ground in hopes of soon planting our warm weather crops of beans, squash, cucumbers and broom corn. Despite more daylight, serving 12 hours every day in the Mill burdens my time for such other affairs. While having turned this soil for several years, I am still picking stones from it. […]
Each year, Samuel Prescott plants a dooryard garden at his mill house. This year, Samuel is keeping a garden journal and will share what is happening in the garden over the season. While fictional, Samuel’s journal is based on historic gardening techniques and plantings. In this first journal entry, he shares his methods for preparing […]
Nancy Prescott came to Peterborough with her husband Samuel and their children when he was hired as an overseer at the Phoenix Mill. Because of his position, they were able to rent one of four small mill houses. Their home was situated about 25 feet from the Nubanusit River on Samuel Smith’s downtown mill property. […]
If your bread supplies are running low, don’t make an unnecessary trip to the market. Try making a loaf of Phoenix Mill House Bread! If you have ever enjoyed a buttered slice fresh from the mill house beehive oven, you know this bread is a winner. We make ours in a wood fired oven but […]
Here is a delicious traditional dish from the kitchen of the Phoenix Mill House! Happy Holidays! Plum Pudding with Nutmeg Sauce1 cup sugar1 cup butter, room temperature1 cup milk2 eggs, beaten2/3 cup molasses1/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda3 teaspoons baking powder3 1/2 cups flour plus 2 tablespoons1 1/2 cups raisins, finely chopped1 cup dates, chopped3 […]
This month’s recipe is for Cup Cake should not be confused with modern cupcakes. Cup Cake is so named for the ingredients, 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar and so on. At a recent hearth cooking demonstration in the Phoenix Mill House, we tried out a new piece of kitchen equipment that my demonstration partner […]
August is Eat Local Month and the kitchen garden at the Phoenix Mill House takes us back to the original eat local days, when a patch of dooryard was planted, tended, and harvested. In our kitchen garden, we are growing beets, carrots, parsnips, beans, potatoes, and culinary herbs. Our little kitchen garden is just beginning […]
This little garden outside the Phoenix Mill house is growing ingredients for our fall hearth cooking programs. Crops include onions, potatoes, celery, squash, and various herbs.
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Saturday, February 18
Saturday, May 27
Saturday, September 2
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