Teach with Food

Teaching with Food at Mount Vernon

20 Questions for Reading and Evaluating Historic Recipes

Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project

History is Served. Historic Foodways. Colonial Williamsburg.

Mount Vernon Recipes

16-Sided Barn Digital Encyclopedia Entry

Article about the 16-sided barn with photographs and a short film illustrating how the wheat was threshed by horses.

Food Supply Ledger, May 19-25, 1794

Ledger detailing the food ordered and the associated costs for one week in the Presidential household in Philadelphia.

George Washington and Agriculture

Illustrated article on agriculture at Mount Vernon.

George Washington the Farmer

Student worksheet on a painting depicting George Washington as a farmer at Mount Vernon.

Great Cake Digital Encyclopedia Entry

Article about Martha Washington's great cake recipe.

Great Cake Recipe

Recipe for making Martha Washington's favorite cake.

Ice Cream at Mount Vernon

An inquiry based module that asks students to answer a why ice cream was an exclusive treat at Mount Vernon by exploring three Supporting Questions and analyzing primary and secondary sources.

Kitchen Digital Encyclopedia Entry

Article describing the construction of Mount Vernon's kitchen and how it was used.

Kitchen Excavation

Short video (2:37 minutes), photographs, and a brief description of Team Archaeology of Mount Vernon's Historic Preservation and Collections Department excavating in front of the kitchen in the spring of 2013.

The Milling Process Step-by-Step

Mount Vernon's master miller, Steve Bashore, describes the 18th-century milling process used by Washington in the gristmill on his plantation in this video (3:01 minutes).

Wheat Treading at the 16 Sided Barn

Video (2:51 minutes) discussing the wheat crop, threshing, and treading.