It is often said that the army marches on its stomach and it’s just as true during the 18th century as it is today. But how was the army supplied with that food? How was it cooked/processed? And what ways did the food that housewives cooked/processed/preserved in their homes support the Continental Army as it grew from local militia groups at the Battel of Bunker Hill to a full army under General George Washington?

Foodways historian Stacy Booth will discuss not only how the housewives of Massachusetts provisioned the army in the early years of the Revolutionary War but also how they used food and cooking as ways to protest taxation and the political policies that fanned the flames of a revolution.

Stacy Booth is a foodways historian with almost 20 years of experience reenacting and presenting to the public. She specializes in 17th and 18th century New England foodways presentations and cooking demonstrations.

She also runs her business, Forgotten Recipes (forgotten-recipes.com), where she has presented, cooked at or set up displays for libraries, museums and historic houses for the past six years.

Part of Bigelow Free Public Library’s Revolution 250 Series, supported, in part, through the Freedom’s Way NHA Partnership Grant Program