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The Shakers originated several species of applies--the Shaker pippin,
the Shaker greening, and the quince apple. Their fruit was the best obtainable
and so were their young trees. In the fall, all apples not sold or used by the
family were preserved in some way. A special Shaker applesauce was made
from boiled cider and dried apples. Apple drying was also done on a large
scale, and much cider made. Their cider was especially fine because they
started with fine quality, ripe apples; the usual practice was to use the culls,
the knotty, wormy and even rotten apples.
Broom corn was first grown at Watervliet in 1791. In 1798, a
Theodore Bates of Watervliet is credited with inventing the flat broom. For
this he made a two-jaw wooden vise which flattened and held the rounded
broom while it was sewn to hold it flat. This flat broom was so much superior
to the old round broom that it became a major Shaker product, made and sold
by all of the societies while they were in existence. The flatlands along the
Mohawk River and the islands from Niskayuna down, all were used to grow
broom corn and a broom factory was located where Shaker Creek enters the
Mohawk River.
Besides growing corn for their brooms, the Shakers ate corn; they
stuffed their ticks with its husks; they made braided rugs; they fed it to
their cattle and used it as fodder for the hogs; they made corn cob pipes for
their men and toys for the children; the dried cobs furnished them with 'fuel.
Corn was the staple food of the frontier. Meat was very scarce, milk
and flour usually absent, so Indian bread and corn were the chief diet.