A Taste of 76′

Kitchen Traditions Spanning 250 Years…

This summer marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, but some of the strongest connections to 1776 are not found in monuments or history books. They are sitting quietly in our kitchens.

A cast iron skillet on the stove. A rolling pin dusted with flour. A pie cooling on the counter. Fresh berries waiting in a bowl. For many Northern Californians, especially during the long days of summer, those scenes still feel familiar.

In July of 1776, kitchens throughout Philadelphia were busy places. Summer gardens were producing vegetables, berries were ripening, and families were preparing food during one of the hottest parts of the year. While the kitchens themselves looked different from modern homes, many of the tools and recipes would still feel familiar today.

The weather, however, might have come as a shock to those who spend July in the North State.

Summer in Philadelphia was hot, humid and heavy in a way many Northern Californians would probably find deeply offensive. Unlike the dry heat common across much of the North State, July in Philadelphia brought sticky air, sudden thunderstorms and lingering humidity that made kitchens feel even warmer. Open hearth fires burned throughout the day while cooks baked bread, boiled preserves, roasted meat and prepared desserts in rooms filled with heat and steam.

Anyone in Redding, Chico or Red Bluff who has stared at the oven during a July heat wave and thought, “Absolutely not,” can appreciate the challenge. But in 1776, there was no avoiding it. Bread still needed baking. Fruit still needed preserving. Guests still needed feeding.

And many of the kitchen tools being used that summer are still found in homes today. Walk through a modern kitchen and you can still find some of the same items used 250 years ago. Cast iron cookware remains popular for cornbread, roasting vegetables and summer cobblers. Wooden spoons still stir sauces and pie fillings. Rolling pins flatten dough just as they did generations ago. Mixing bowls, tea kettles, kitchen knives, graters, pie tins and aprons would all have been familiar in a Philadelphia kitchen in 1776.

A modern kitchen may also contain an air fryer, an espresso machine and three reusable water bottles nobody claims ownership of, but many of the essential tools would still look familiar to someone from that earlier summer.

Even now, many people prefer old-fashioned kitchen tools because they feel dependable, durable and comfortable to use. Cast iron pans, unlike avocado-green kitchen appliances from the 1970s, have never really gone out of style.

Historians at places like Colonial Williamsburg and the Museum of the American Revolution note that many kitchen tools and summer recipes from the 1700s remain surprisingly familiar today because summer foods have changed less than people might expect.

Fresh berries remain one of the defining flavors of July. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries all appeared in Philadelphia kitchens during the summer of 1776 and still dominate summer desserts today. Peach cobblers, fruit pies, preserves and shortcakes continue to appear at family gatherings and holiday tables throughout Northern California.

A traditional fruit pie from 1776 would still look familiar today: flour, butter or lard, seasonal fruit, sugar and spices baked into a flaky crust. Modern bakers may use refrigerated dough or electric mixers, but the essential dessert has barely changed.

Cobblers were especially practical because they required less precision than pies and worked well with fresh summer fruit. Shortcakes, layered with cream and berries, also remain deeply connected to summer.

Preserves and jams were another important part of summer kitchens in Philadelphia. Blackberries simmered on stovetops, peaches were sliced for preserves and extra fruit was prepared for later months. That tradition continues throughout our rural and suburban North State where backyard fruit trees, berry patches and homemade jam are still part of summer life for many families.

There is also something familiar about the rhythm of summer kitchens themselves: counters crowded with bowls and ingredients, the smell of baked fruit and sugar, and kitchens warming up during the hottest weeks of the year because something homemade is in the oven anyway.

Even after a couple centuries of technological advancement, we still gather in overheated kitchens in July and voluntarily bake desserts involving fruit and butter.

Two hundred and fifty years later, some of the strongest connections to that earlier summer are still found in ordinary kitchen drawers, handwritten recipes and the familiar foods that return every July. 

Article Written by:
John Truitt writes about Redding’s civic life, downtown momentum and the brave souls who attend planning meetings voluntarily. Active with Viva Downtown, he follows local leadership, historic preservation and community vitality wherever they gather — usually near coffee, clipboards and at least one spirited debate about parking.