Overview of Fruits at Monticello
Jefferson's fruit gardens provided "precious refreshment" and served as part of his garden laboratory where he grew over 150 varieties of 31 of the finest temperate species of fruit.
The Garden Pavilion[1] is a structure designed and built by Thomas Jefferson near the end of his presidential term or in his early retirement years. One observer states, "...We walked into the gardens, to see the places where the best views presented themselves, & which Mr.
Dimensions: 21' 7"x 12' 4"; ceiling 11' 7 3/4"
Color: White
Purpose of Room: Greenhouse for growing plants; location of Thomas Jefferson's workbench, where he is known to have made locks and chains; possibly home to a pet mockingbird
Within a few days I shall bury myself in the groves of Monticello and become a mere spectator to passing events. -- Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, 1809
Peas Come to Table
Among the vegetables in Thomas Jefferson's garden was the English pea, considered to be his favorite. He grew fifteen types of the English pea, and his frequent jottings on the vegetable in his Garden Book suggest that he paid particular attention to it, happily noting when "peas come to table." By staggering the planting of peas, Jefferson was able to eat them fresh from the garden from the middle of May to the middle of July.
In his 2006 Twinleaf article, "Garden Weeds in the Age of Jefferson," Peter Hatch mentions that Thomas Jefferson considered poison ivy to be an ornamental plant, possibly because of its dramatic fall color.[1]
c. 1781. (Notes on the State of Virginia) "Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue. It is the focus in which he keeps alive that sacred fire, which otherwise might escape from the face of the earth." [1]
Time for the April installment of our monthly series in which we post a recipe from The Virginia House-wife, a recipe book published in 1824 by Mary Randolph, kinswoman to Thomas Jefferson. Leni Sorensen, our African American Research Historian and a culinary historian of national repute, has once again made this month's dish and here we include her notes and pictures.PEASApril 2011
