Berry economy
Much of the discussion that follows (regarding berry picking, processing, drying, social fun, etc) draws from Parker (1968).
Berries in season were “eagerly gathered” by the Haudenosaunee and formed an important item in their domestic economy. These small fruits were eaten fresh, crushed and mixed with sugar or puddings. The Haudenosaunee gathered many kinds of berries and dried the sturdier ones (blackberries, black raspberries, elderberries, huckleberries, and blueberries) for winter. The activities around gathering these fruits were more of a pastime than work (Parker 1968, Waugh 1916). In fact, as Parker points out, work of all kinds “was made easier by its social character, and seemed more like a game where the thrill of it all kept the thought of fatigue away.”
Parker (1968) describes parties of women and girls going out berry picking to patches where they knew the fruits grew, singing all the while. “Everyone laughed or sang and picked as fast as their two hands could touch the berries” (Parker 1968). The picking baskets held about 5 quarts each, and were suspended from the back of the neck and chest, one fore and one aft. Once the forward basket was filled, it was covered with sumac or basswood leaves held in place by two sticks, swung to the rear, and the second basket came forward. These two baskets were then carried to a larger basket containing about ½ a bushel. The large basket and the two picking baskets made up the load that one woman would carry.
Using Parker’s numbers for a start, a party of (say) a dozen women and girls could harvest a significant amount of berries. Let’s imagine a group of six adults and six girls, though I do not know how large or small these parties would actually be. Parker tells us that one woman carries a ½ bushel (16 quarts) plus 2 x 5 quart picking baskets of berries, for a total of 26 quarts total each carried by one person.
A quart of blueberries, for example, weighs about 1.5 pounds (.68 kg), so each woman carries 26 x 1.5 = 39 or about 40 pounds (18 kg) of berries back to the processing area. Six adult women could carry 6 x 40 = 240 lbs. of berries!
Volume: 6 adult women x 26 quarts = 156 quarts
Berries in season were “eagerly gathered” by the Haudenosaunee and formed an important item in their domestic economy. These small fruits were eaten fresh, crushed and mixed with sugar or puddings. The Haudenosaunee gathered many kinds of berries and dried the sturdier ones (blackberries, black raspberries, elderberries, huckleberries, and blueberries) for winter. The activities around gathering these fruits were more of a pastime than work (Parker 1968, Waugh 1916). In fact, as Parker points out, work of all kinds “was made easier by its social character, and seemed more like a game where the thrill of it all kept the thought of fatigue away.”
Parker (1968) describes parties of women and girls going out berry picking to patches where they knew the fruits grew, singing all the while. “Everyone laughed or sang and picked as fast as their two hands could touch the berries” (Parker 1968). The picking baskets held about 5 quarts each, and were suspended from the back of the neck and chest, one fore and one aft. Once the forward basket was filled, it was covered with sumac or basswood leaves held in place by two sticks, swung to the rear, and the second basket came forward. These two baskets were then carried to a larger basket containing about ½ a bushel. The large basket and the two picking baskets made up the load that one woman would carry.
Using Parker’s numbers for a start, a party of (say) a dozen women and girls could harvest a significant amount of berries. Let’s imagine a group of six adults and six girls, though I do not know how large or small these parties would actually be. Parker tells us that one woman carries a ½ bushel (16 quarts) plus 2 x 5 quart picking baskets of berries, for a total of 26 quarts total each carried by one person.
A quart of blueberries, for example, weighs about 1.5 pounds (.68 kg), so each woman carries 26 x 1.5 = 39 or about 40 pounds (18 kg) of berries back to the processing area. Six adult women could carry 6 x 40 = 240 lbs. of berries!
Volume: 6 adult women x 26 quarts = 156 quarts