No lie: Perfectly preserved centuries-old cherries unearthed at George Washington's Mount Vernon
No lie: Perfectly preserved centuries-old cherries unearthed at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Dozens of bottles of centuries-old, impeccably preserved cherries and berries from the cellar of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in northern Virginia have been discovered during an archaeological dig.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Dozens of bottles of cherries and berries — impossibly preserved in storage pits uncovered from the cellar of his mansion on the banks of the Potomac River — were discovered during an archaeological dig connected to a restoration project.
Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon’s principal archaeologist, said the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is essentially unprecedented.
“It’s kind of a longshot,” said Benjamin Gutierrez, a USDA plant geneticist, of the chances of using a cherry pit to grow a tree.
Records at Mount Vernon show that George and Martha Washington were fond of cherries, at least when mixed with brandy.
The kitchen was overseen by an enslaved woman named Doll, who came to Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington, according to the estate.
The bottles were found only because Mount Vernon is doing a $40 million revitalization project of the mansion that they expect to be completed by the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.
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It doesn’t say how they were preserved?!
I wonder if the whole brandy bit of info was a hint? They mentioned the cherry seed pits were waterlogged so they’re definitely siting in a lot of liquid. And alcohol would preserve it for a long time I would think.
Honestly, that's why I'm here
Potatoe holes. Literally holes dug in your cellars you bury food in like potatoes or jars of whatever she since there is less oxygen things last weirdly long.