Farming in the Middle Colonies
The Middle Colonies had short winters and fertile soil. Immigrants from all over Europe came to take advantage of the productive land. Dutch and German farmers were some of the people who immigrated to the Middle Colonies. They brought some of their advanced agriculture and farming methods with them so the Middle Colony farming became a lot more advanced. As a result of the long growing seasons and rich soil, the Middle Colonies had and abundance of crops. Since they had so many crops, they started growing cash crops. Cash crops are crops that they sold for money. The Middle Colony settlement soon grew so large that it crowded out the Native Americans that lived nearby. They were forced out of their homes even though they had lived there for thousands of years.
The Gritsmills
After harvesting their crops of corn, wheat, rye or other grains. farmers took them to a gritsmill. In the gritsmill, millers crushed the grain between heavy stones to produce flour or meal. These mills were usually powered by water wheels that were built next to some of the region's many rivers, but some were powered by humans or animals.
The bread that the colonists made with the flour or meal was very important to their diet. Colonists ate about a pound of grain every day, in any form. This is nearly three times more grain than most Americans eat today. Even though the colonists ate a great amount of grain each day, they still had plenty to send to the region's coastal markets to sell.
The bread that the colonists made with the flour or meal was very important to their diet. Colonists ate about a pound of grain every day, in any form. This is nearly three times more grain than most Americans eat today. Even though the colonists ate a great amount of grain each day, they still had plenty to send to the region's coastal markets to sell.