Interview with Anna Margaret Burdette, December 16, 1992

Partial Transcript: This is a Farm Family Oral History interview being conducted by Patrick Keenist on December 16th, 1992 at approximately three o'clock in the afternoon.

Segment Synopsis: Anna Margaret Burdette discusses her courtship and her marriage to her husband. She also describes what kind of work she did on the farm, particularly her help with raising livestock.

Keywords: Acres; Berea (Ky.); Cattle; Chickens; Corn; Dating; Daughters; Ducks; Eggs; Family; Farming; Farmland; Feed; Garrard County (Ky.); Geese; Hay; High school; High school students; Home; Husband; Janice Blythe Burdette; Lancaster (Ky.); Lancaster High School; Living conditions; Marriage; Mason High School; Tobacco

Subjects: African American families; African American farmers; African American high school students; African Americans--Agriculture; African Americans--Employment; African Americans--Housing; Farm produce; Livestock; Rural African Americans

Partial Transcript: Both? You'd sell them at the market but then you'd also sell door to door?

Segment Synopsis: Burdette discusses how they would sell some of the farm produce in the local community. She also describes what the average day on the farm would entail. She shares what kind of vegetables she raised in the garden.

Keywords: Baling hay; Beans; Blanching; Canning; Carrots; Cattle; Chickens; Cooking; Corn; Driving tractors; Feed; Freezing; Gardening; Greens; Hay; Lettuce; Market; Onions; Planting; Plowing; Potatoes; Pressure cookers; Pulling tobacco; Radishes; Sales; Squashes; Steaming; Stripping tobacco; Sweet potatoes; Tobacco; Turnips; Vegetable gardens; Water bath; Work day

Subjects: African American cooking; African American cooks; African American farmers; African American gardens; African Americans--Agriculture; African Americans-Economic conditions; Farm produce; Food--Preservation; Livestock

Partial Transcript: How much, how much would you usually be--how much would you freeze and can?

Segment Synopsis: Burdette discusses how she planted and preserved the vegetables on the farm. She also describes her kitchen and the amenities that she was afforded on the farm.

Keywords: Amenities; Beans; Cabinets; Canned goods; Canning; Coal; Coal stoves; Collard greens; Electricity; Food; Freezing; Frigidaire; Gardening; Gardens; Harvest; Heating; House; Housekeeping; Kitchen; Living conditions; Onions; Picking vegetables; Planting; Pleas; Potatoes; Refrigerators; Rows; Seeds; Sowing; Vegetables

Subjects: African American cooking; African American cooks; African American gardens; African Americans--Agriculture; African Americans--Housing; Food--Preservation

Partial Transcript: W, when did you start getting--how long did you have the coal stove and how long--that sorta thing?

Segment Synopsis: Burdette discusses the kitchen and other amenities on the farm, such as electricity, heating, and refrigeration. She also describes the type of meals she would cook for the workers on the farm.

Keywords: Baking; Beans; Beef; Buttermilk; Cabbage; Cakes; Changes; Chicken; Coal; Cooking; Corn; Cream pies; Custard pies; Desserts; Electricity; Flour; Food; Heating; Heating stoves; House; Marriage; Nutrition; Painting; Peach cobbler; Peas; Pie crusts; Pies; Plums; Pork; Potatoes; Refrigerators; Renovations; Shortening; Sugar; Vegetables; Warm morning heaters

Subjects: African American cooking; African American cooks; African American families; African American farmers; African Americans--Agriculture; African Americans--Housing; Food

Partial Transcript: I was wondering, you had mentioned earlier about, um, making your own butter. What else did you make like that?

Segment Synopsis: Burdette discusses how they processed milk on the farm, particularly how they made butter, buttermilk, and cream. She also describes how they would slaughter livestock and preserve the meat.

Keywords: Black pepper; Borex; Brown sugar; Butter; Buttermilk; Cheesecloth; Churn; Clabber; Cooking; Cottage cheese; Dairy cows; Dairy products; Hogs; Meat; Meat house; Milking cows; Red pepper; Salt cure; Salted meat; Salting meat; Side meat; Slaughter; Slaughterhouse; Sour cream; Spare ribs; Sugar cure

Subjects: African American cooking; African American cooks; African American farmers; African Americans--Agriculture; Dairy farming; Dairy products; Food-Preservation; Livestock; Rural African Americans; Slaughtering and slaughter-houses

Partial Transcript: You wouldn't salt the beef or do any of that sorta stuff with it?

Segment Synopsis: Burdette discusses how they would cure meat on the farm. She also describes how she would do laundry as a way to get additional income.

Keywords: Bacon; Beef; Butter; Cattle; Cooking; Cows; Cream; Cured meat; Day labor; Domestic work; Domestic workers; Dryer; Employment; Food; Ham; Health; Hiring help; Hogs; Income; Ironing; Jobs; Laundry; Meat; Pork; Salt cure; Side meat; Slaughter; Sugar cure; Washer; Washing

Subjects: African American cooking; African American cooks; African American domestics; African Americans--Agriculture; African Americans--Economic conditions; African Americans--Employment; African Americans--Health and hygiene; Food; Laundresses; Rural African Americans