Genesee Country Village & Museum (almost) #WordlessWednesdays
The Genesee Country Village & Museum is the third largest working nineteenth century country villages in the United States. Very early every spring, people there began to tap the maple trees. Generally, the trees that they tapped for syrup were sugar maples, which are native to Western New York. Back in the nineteeth century, there were many abolitionist villages in Western New York. Which is why maple syrup was a big deal. The people who lived in that part of Western New York (Genesee and Livingston counties) boycotted both sugar and cotton because they were produced by slave labor. So they tapped the trees and they collected maple sugar, which they stored in hard cakes that didn’t need refrigeration. From that, they made maple syrup, maple sugar, and maple candy. They were able to sweeten their food with all things maple and all things local. As for their clothing, they made it out of wool and flax. Once again, locally produced. Here are some images from the visit that Amy, Diane, and I made to this fascinating village during their celebration of maple syrup and all things maple.
