Food at Mount Vernon

Dining at Mount Vernon typically occurred twice a day: there was breakfast in the morning at 7am, and dinner in the afternoon at 3pm. Tea or coffee would be served after dinner as well. 

While two meals doesn't initially seem like a lot of work, it was for the enslaved cooks, Nathan and Lucy. Their jobs started as early as 4:30am and lasted well after sundown. 

To learn more about the lives of the enslaved cooks, as well as the procedure for dining, click the link below.

While the Washingtons ate generous amounts of rich and delicious foods, their enslaved workers were not gifted the same luxury. Their daily rations were 1 quarter of cornmeal and 5 to 8 ounces of salted fish. However, the enslaved community did not let this stop them from eating better foods. 

Click the link below to learn about how the enslaved community fed themselves in addition to the rationed food gifted to them by the Washingtons.

George was one of three enslaved gardeners at Mount Vernon. He worked hard, tending the gardens in all types of weather until he was allowed to return to his home and family for the evening. 

Learn more about George's story by reading his brief biography linked below.