Sadie Miller in her kitchen canning beets from her garden using the hot water process
Summary
Big vegetable gardens are a distinctive feature of the landscape on Coal River and throughout the southern West Virginia coalfields. Gardens, together with produce from the woods, have been linked historically with the ability to survive the boom and bust cycles of coal mining, and actually made this part of the coalfields difficult to unionize. "There does not exist the hunger and suffering here that is found in [other coal fields]," wrote P. M. McBride in 1896. "Every available spot of ground seems to have received attention from the plow or spade, the houses resemble the homes of the market gardener. . . .This explains their comparatively comfortable position. They raise all the vegetables they require and this assures them that the wolf shall be kept from the door." (Corbin, 34) Beginning with lettuce, onions, and peas in spring and continuing through to the fall squashes, gardens on Coal River burgeon with produce for family, neighbors, and kin. Sadie Miller is canning beets raised by her neighbor down the road, Roy Webb. She also puts up strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, tomatoes, apple butter, green beans, peaches, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and a variety of jellies.
Event: Canning beets.
Tags
Date
Contributors
Location
Source
Copyright info