My great-grandmother, who was nearing 100 when she died (I'm near 60), came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon before it was a state. I once asked her about "the good old days", expecting paeans of praise for "the old ways". Hah! She told me that one of the best days of her life was the day she got an electric washing machine with a wringer, and that she LOVED microwaves and commercially made bread. She'd made the family's bread for the entire week on a wood stove, had had to kill a chicken in the morning for evening dinner, made all of their soap from hog fat and lye from saved ashes, and sewed every stitch the family wore. (MY dad got his first store-bought clothing when he was 10.) Endless chores. She LOVED modern conveniences.
of course. Every normal human being likes inventions that make life easier. Even Einstein had once said "everything in life should be as simple as possible, but not simpler than that". Now, while I am aware that this quote doesn't fully relate to our discussion it still remotely relates to it to some extent, and since I always like quoting celebrities.... well, there's that! :)
farvista -- Great story, and I have one similar concerning my Grandfather. He and his 11 siblings grew up on their family wheat farm in the late 19th and early 20th century's in Oklahoma as well. My Grandfather had much the same story about how hard life was and how we should enjoy modern conveniences. Heck, ranching and farming is hard enough now. I'm up dawn till dusk, but I do enjoy the modern conveniences.
@@ironcladranchandforge7292Those things ARE interesting to me. That story was about my dad's maternal grandmother. His father had, mmmm, I think...11 siblings? Can't recall, just that the youngest, Grover, was pretty much raised by his sisters. That grandmother had a pack of kids to work the farm, but wasn't terribly interested in them, always wore dark dresses to the floor, a brooch to cover her goiter (like that'd work), men's shoes and a dour expression. Dad said that they felt that life was about working as hard as you can, then you die, and that they didn't care for music or hold with things like sports, which took up time and energy for work. Dad said that THOSE grandparents (not the grandmother who celebrated her wringer washer, chewed tobacco while plowing, played a banjo and had a wonderful laugh) were the 2 most humorless and joyless individuals he'd ever met. It WAS a hard life, so it was that much more important to take time for joy. Such a shame to get to the end of your life and find how you'd squandered chances and wasted your blessings.
Housekeeping is still work today imo, BUT not nearly as monotonous as it once was. My grandma is 88 but she grew up in mountains of Cordilleras (no electricity/central plumbing/no heater or ac in the home). She legit had to carry water from the river at base of the mountain and pound/mill their own grain. S/o to all homemakers then and now.
@@pjismydawg Depression was still existent. So did suicide and abuse, and alcoholism as a reaction to mental problems. Fortunately most people didn't get old anyway, so not many of them reached those stages. But for those who did get older, well there was always delirium, dementia and psychosis waiting.
@@robinmartz9052 Ruth wasn’t talking about doing everything as she was portraying it; I believe she said exactly what she meant...stick to the basics, take care of what you buy, plan errands and outings so you don’t backtrack...that sort of commonsensical behaviour saves in more ways than one. 👵🏻 Susan
I will never take modern cleaning equipment for granted. I can dust, vacuum and mop the entire house all whilst the washing machine and dishwasher are doing their thing. We are so lucky!
I just have to say I ADORE series like this and the tudor one. The way they do everything the way the people would have done, they live in the quarters victorians would have, and they wear the clothes that would have been worn. It's so immersive and feels more like they're experiencing it rather than just going for a day like some history channels do and trying out a few select things.
aye and they also did edwardian farm , monastic farm, castle building,wartime farms in ww1 etc... and each time spend 1 year in the series... so basicaly these archeologists and Ruth who is historian spend like 4-5 years of their life experiencing history by living in the conditions and places.... of diferent eras... amazing and very educational
First one I saw in uk was 1900 House where a family live for about a month or so. It was so good, they redid a house, then the family has clothes etc. Only thing they cheated on was period products for the teenage girls I think. It was 1999 (I was 12) & I remember I asked for the book which went with the series for Christmas.
When I was a small child I remember going to visit family in the Caribbean for the summer and they didn't have a washing machine. All the women got together on wash day and washed by hand and washboard. They even used a large smooth flat stone as a wash board. They would sing and talk. I loved it but boy was it a lot of work. I thought I was such a big girl when I finally made that squishing sound rubbing the clothes together! They were so happy when they got the washing machine.
I grew up in the Caribbean and even in the 80s most people didn’t have washers at home and there were no laundry mats then either. You either hand washed everything yourself or paid someone to do it for you. We had a live in “helper” (maid) who did all the laundry and cleaning when we were small. Once my younger brother started school we had a woman who came in two days a week, Thursday to do laundry and Friday to clean an iron. It was literally an all day task to soak, wash, rinse and line dry a weeks worth clothing and linens for a whole family.
Can we all stop for a second and appreciate how nicely Ruth cooked the turkey? It looked perfectly done and juicy. She got all that cooking and decorating done and still had time to hang out and look all put together.
Ha ha You people actually think she made that Turkey, and presented it on the table like that??! And made that entire huge dinner herself?! 😆😂 Yes, this actress slaved all day in the kitchen preparing this gourmet looking meal! 😆😂 And where did this Victorian family get those fresh brussel sprouts?? I guarantee that this woman made none of this food! 😆😂 Oh, yes, she slaved all day and still managed to look “put together “. 😆 She looks “put together “ because she didn’t do anything!! 😆😂
It certainly is. Did the laundry for years every weekend for my family of 7 growing up. That was with the fortune of the apartment buildings laundries machines and dryers. I still have laundry PTSD. Can’t imagine dealing with it back then. Edit: I’ll add, my parents are Gambian. Mom did laundry by hand growing up. I did the same (only my clothes however) when I went to visit in the summer (I wanted to handle my own stuff instead of relatives do it). It’s still a lot of work. I stayed near the city but in the far villages, water is pumped by well and hand washed.
Grew up using a wringer washer, so I really don’t think laundry with a washer and dryer is a big deal. The way they did it looks hard compared to that. Guess it’s all comparative. I chuckle when I hear people moaning about laundry all the time.
Digital cameras back then would have really bad resolution - max of 1080 or so. Film isn't an outrageous expense - recording large amounts of raw video on any medium (film, tape, RAM) for later editing was to be rather expensive - so film is merely a justifiable premium. (RAM's price has since plummeted, making film a much harder sell for amateur video.) Since technology was improving, especially back then, it was easy to convince a studio or investor to add another $500-$1000 to the production price, knowing that they'd continually be able to re-record & sell it onto the latest tape or other not-yet-invented technology and it would look this good.
I've watched a few videos featuring Ruth and honestly, I wish that my history teacher was as passionate as she is when I was in school. I used to love history until the education system sucked the joy out of me.
I began to realise I loved history when I studied music history in senior high school. We had a brilliant teacher who would just sit down and talk with us. She tied in music history with history of other art forms, the church, even a bit of politics. And then gave us her experiences of the places mentioned from her vast travels. We could ask anything we wanted, but we mostly just listened, absolutely enthralled. Class went by so fast and I honestly didn't need to study for the exam as it was already fixed in my memory. We were especially fortunate to have a class size of only 6 students. It felt like family, and we knew our teacher really cared for us. They were my fondest memories of what otherwise was not a particularly enjoyable senior high. Now thanks to TH-cam I've discovered fashion history, and watched tonnes of documentaries on many different aspects of history.
Ah, the old days. My mother in law would laugh at her niece's romanticized view of what it was like back in the years between the World Wars. All those collectibles - painted milk churns, rows of polished flat irons, patchwork quilts, bright dolly tubs and bunches of dried stuff hanging from the ceilings. My mother in law had lived through the good old days and was a staunch fan of stainless steel, big freezers, central heating and anything chrome plated. Loved that woman.
Is halfway finished doing the washing. Decides to watch a documentary about other people doing laundry for an hour instead of finishing the washing ^_^
My grandparents grew up this way all in families of 12 kids. Imagine that laundry. Our Amish neighbors have 14 kids. I can't imagine the work. My grandmother was thrilled when her sister got her washing machine.
I think the Amish have some pretty good foot and hand crank washers that work pretty well. Hell of a lot better than spinning an agitator directly by hand without any leverage.
@Megan Greene They also don't use coal, so that would save a LOT of washing compared to the VIctorian era. That coal dust seemed to be the biggest problem really
This channel, this series, and the entire crew doing this, is so enriching to watch. My brain is exploding with knowledge and history, everything from the Medieval era, to this series of the Victorian era, is just so perfectly documented, I cannot implore how important this TH-cam channel is to the world, I will show this to my son when he is older, in hopes he can visually learn the old ways of the world.
"Look at that fine booty! So thick, so full of meat! The personality, yes fine, but that BOOTY! That’s what it's all about!That poise, balance, power - everything where you want it, yeah!" 😂😂😉
I am 31 and I ve been doing the laundry without a washing machine for at least 5 years. It all began when my washing machine broke down and because I work many hours I didn t have time to go and buy a new one. I put off so many times visiting a store for a new machine that I got used to the idea of doing the laundry with my hands. I have to say that although in the beginning it was difficult, I got used to not having a washing machine. I use olive oil soap not only because does it not contain chemicals, but also because it really helps whitening the clothes! Moreover I think that clothes washed with hands are washed better (the washing machine keeps slime inside the basin) and keep their beautiful fragrance much longer. Greetings from Greece!
Hold on...you DON'T have time to go to a store but you DO have time to wash clothes by hand? What about ordering online? My washer was purchased online. They delivered it right to my front door. I didn't have to go anywhere for it.
@@aggelikig7640 I do not live alone. There are anywhere from 3 to 5 of us at any given time. A lot of laundry. We do do (🤭) a lot of online purchasing. For me, it is all about finding the best deal. I'm a bargain hunter.
I like that remark about using the Mangle "this is where you need a small child " That was my job as a kid and I loved doing it funnily enough. Not Victorian times but during and after the War but with 3 older teenage sisters, Mum, and dad we had no piped hot water, no fridge, no washing machine, no central heating, no bath or shower and we had coal fires. This was right in the middle of London between st Marylebone and Bakers st stations. Our kitchen had racks above the sink and Gas stove for drying clothes and being in a basement we had a small open area where we had clothesline the only trouble is sometimes depending on the weather the clothes would get soot all over them which came from the railway station which was a mainline one with a goods yard. As a kid I don't remember Mum using washing powder, I know she had some sort of crystals she used to throw in the water and one of my jobs was to shake the soap in the hand cage to make the lather for washing up the dishes.
My grandfather and grandmother would often sleep on the floor by the gas stove, in winter, even though they had a bed. Pile up a few blankets and pillows and you're good to go.
We had feather mattresses that went on the beds in winter, plus every blanket, even coats, on top. Used to wake up in the morning to ice on the inside of the windows, then run downstairs to dive in front of the little grate fire in the lounge - Mum used to get up earlier to stoke it up nice and warm. I moved to Australia in 1976!
@@soapthesoap me, too. It's one of the easiest "women's" tasks in a house that I actually enjoy. Oh, washing the dishes, as well. I hate vacuuming, though...
@@soapthesoap it's not the sound that bothers me, it's the tedious task of continuously sweeping the floor / carpet with the vacuum cleaner. Anyway, I can see you're a man of culture, as well *tips hat*
My mother grew up on a farm in Germany in the 30/40ies...she told me that the household supplied around 15 people...every two weeks the laundry was done - it took some days to finish...they used a big cauldron to "cook" the clothing, then put everything in a wringer and lay it on the grass to get bleached - and so on...quite a lot of work and in the meantime the cows, pigs, henns must be looked after as well as the garden which supplied the food which had to be cooked...quite exhausting...nowadays there are different problems: mobbing, people doing double-shifts to make ends meet, food being not nutricius anymore because it's too industrialized...hopefully there will be a day, when everything turns out well for everybody and also Mother Earth with every animal and everey plant. Best wishes from Germany :-)
My grandma used to scald cloths too & stir them with a stick. Then into the hot rinse & more stirring before they got hung on the line to dry. It was hard work.
I was so privileged to grow up in the country where our nearest neighbors were an elderly brother and sister and their hired man. When we first arrived in the 50s, they had electricity, but only a sink handpump for water and a wood-burning cookstove. They used horse-drawn farm equipment and had no car. My father put plumbing indoors for them and convinced them to get a refrigerator and deep-freezer. Mom convinced the lady to buy soap instead of making it. Otherwise, they carried on as before. This lady was our baby-sitter when Mom worked and we thought of her as our grandma, which I know was a great joy to her. Their mother came from England, from a farm setting. At Christmas, they would cut pine boughs and tie them to the posts of the front porch, but no tree indoors.
Ruth: spends weeks squinting in the dark, shivering deep into the night, embroidering a beautiful handmade gift by candlelight. Alex: buys a book. Peter: “That’s from me, too!”
it can take a good part of the day if you don't have your own washer. When my kids were little we didn't have washer or dryer, had to go to the laundromat every weekend when both my husband and I were at home and one person could go so the laundry, one stay home and watch the kids. It took a good 5-6 hours to get it all done and then we still had to get it home, up to the 4th floor by stairs, and put away. if we had to wash blankets it took longer. Now I have my own machines and laundry is pretty passive as chores go, and I can fold and hang things while I watch Absolute History on TH-cam.
The washing and drying takes no time, but if you iron, fold, and put them away it's still a pain. Ironing is a waste of time unless you're dressing up.
gemgirl223 I grew up with friends who lived on farms. A really good way to warm up your feet, when you’d lost “Rock Paper Scissors” and had to go and get the cows for milking, was to standing in a fresh made cow pile. Their mum filled a water bucket every morning and yelled at the kids to wash their feet before coming in for breakfast
Super love this series. I just follow Ruth Goldman and Lucy Worsley wherever I can find them. I wish some of this stuff was on netflix I feel like I am paying for no reason at this point.
My house needs to be cleaned, laundry folded. Yet here I am, completely enraptured by Ruth, Peter and Alex in their Victorian life. I can't stop watching!
I live on a farm and it really is a lot of work even in modern times. But, it also my most favorite therapeutic part of my day. You come home after 8 hours of no sitting then do 3/4 more hours outside getting the chores done. Sometimes throwing in some weed whacking, tree chopping, it can be tiring and it is the worst in winter but it’s also it’s therapeutic and relaxing
Absolutely brilliant, my dears! One is just catapulted back through the years to relive 'how it really used to be', and made to realise how much we take for granted in this day and age! Many thanks! All love and best wishes, Claire (expat) and Sally the older Goldie, Berlin 👍🏻❤
*fast-paced, playful music plays as the boys separate the sheep* *Ruth quietly feeds the turkeys* *fast-paced, playful music returns as the boys still struggle to separate the sheep* I love these series!!! So far, the Tudor series was my favorite.
Forget washing clothes in winter, I think the romance with good old days died when nature called. I absolutely adore indoor plumbing and toilet. I can’t imagine have a chamber pot in my bedroom and outhouse in the yard....
I actually grew up in a house with no indoor plumbing. Trust me... a chamber pot beat going outside in the middle of the night when it’s -19 and snowing. Then there is the issue of wildcats, panthers, possums and raccoons to name a few. Did I mention there is no lights in an outhouse? You would have grown to love those chamber pots pdq lol.
@@pixiestyx1766 I totally relate to that, having grown up with outdoor plumbing and a single coal stove to heat the entire house. We fortunately had a water hydrant near the back door.
I grew up in England - plumbing in the kitchen, cold water only. Mum had what was called a copper to do the washing and she used it to heat the water so her and dad could have a weekly bath. Us kids got washed standing up in the sink. We had pots in the bedroom too, as the toilet (wooden seat with a bucket underneath) was outside. We moved in 1962, when I was eight, and finally got an indoor toilet and hot water!
@@pixiestyx1766 I grew up in a country where outhouses and fire heating systems are still very common in rural areas. Luckily, I had access to central heating and indoor plumbing as I grew up in a big city, but my family would often visit friends who lived in a smaller village, mostly for the holidays. It's a place where winters get quite cold. So I remember very well the times I had to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night in -10, maybe even -20 degrees Celcius weather when it had snowed and luckily wild animals weren't an issue around that area, the outhouse was quite adjacent to the house so I didn't have to do a lot of walking and at some point they had also installed a light there. And even so it was still such a big pain in the ass and if you're scared of the dark, good luck with that. But I knew people whose outhouses were at the very other end of their vegetable gardens, so you'd have to walk quite a bit in the darkness at an ungodly hour just to get there. Not to mention the smell. It was bearable in the winter, but when the weather got warmer... No. TMI but imagine you're stuck there in the middle of the night in -20 weather just because you're constipated. Also no smartphones back then to pass the time. I've learned to appreciate and be thankful to indoor plumbing very early in my childhood just because of those visits. It's funny how something so trivial like a functioning toilet can be so underappreciated.
Chamberpots are a godssend if you dont have indoor plumbing. At night, in the cold, or both Tho a plastic bucket will do the trick if your water gets shut down
Amazing... some how I think this could become part of high school education maybe students could go live somewhere like this for a month ... I am nearing 50 and can’t imagine how my body would cope with an experience like this. I’d give it a go but I don’t know that I’m got the resilience to survive more than a week in a community like this. I realize how I take *everything* for granted. From the water in my cup of coffee in the morning to the power that switched a light on.
I think just adding basic gardening & cooking with the home grown foods into a school curriculum would be a huge improvement (and easier to do on mass than send them to somewhere like this). If we can't even teach kids basic gardening at school, good luck teaching them all this stuff! Would be a good experience, but you can bet parents would complain to the point that it became non-viable
I have seen this several times & it's worth seeing many times again! Ruth Goodwin & her team are the best! Wish they would do more or direct others to do projects in the same manner!
I will never complain about my crappy washing machine and dryer ever again. It takes about 2 cycles of each to actually get the job done but it beats manually beating my clothes for days lol.
I love the way the guys are laughing over the root slicer. It seems like they've had just enough lived experience of Victorian farm life by that point that they're experiencing some of the semi-hysterical joy and relief those farmers would have felt at seeing one difficult, time-consuming task out of the day turned into something quick and easy.
It was in one of the hidden killers episode too. Probably wasn't that common, but when shit hit the fans, these heavy duty(?) home appliances could do quite some damage.
@@kumaahito3927 It was common enough that the name of the wringer/roller is a mangle. So when people got parts of themselves stuck in the rollers(as my aunt also did, btw), it was called being “mangled”. It happened a lot.
That Christmas dinner scene was heartwarming. I'd love for Christmas day to consist of family spending time together and eating and laughing. But instead it's dumping kids in front of the tv and the adults being petty and back biting
IMO, Ruth had it the worst. She did 100% of the stuff inside all by herself (plus taking care of the poultry; feeding them and then feeding the men with them!) The outside was done by either two or three men (at least) Every now and then they had a specialist come in to help them.she needs an assistant! PS. The cow tongue skinning and plating was just vile! 🤮 This woman is a saint who takes her role very seriously.
@@GenevaCat My mom grew up in Texas and her grandmother had a ranch, so she ate cow tongue and also said it was very good. Kind of odd that people don't still eat it, but I think that's probably because we don't want to be reminded that we're eating an animal, and a tongue is hard to disguise.
I agree Ruth has it harder in many ways. Building the pig sty seems like the hardest work the men had to do. Other than that it was a lot of walking (or running) to round up and feed animals. Though they also processed the mango wurzzles (which is the funniest name) and the grain, and it seemed like using the hand crank was hard work. I think the oddest thing for me would be to pluck the turkey, especially if it was still warm from having died so recently!
I think they were both really hard. In winter, I would definitely choose the more indoor work. But yes, a ton of work. No doubt that’s why almost everyone except the very poorest had at least one servant.
@@annalisasteinnes In the US they are just called Mangels. They are like a beet and you can order them from Baker Creek seed. Although, I would love to have the chopper that they have to make mine easier.
Richard Spencer who bring in the ewe and ram is so passionate about what he’s doing. I really respect a person who spent his life doing what he passionate about and continuing the knowledge and skill to the next generation!
I'd love to see a Victorian housewife's reaction to hearing someone say today "I'm so tired! I spent *all day* washing" PS I think the washing is the first.task I've ever seen Ruth less than enthusiastic about!
Mangel beets were grown for feed for animals, but their descendant is the sugar beet. All can be eaten by humans as well, when young so they aren't too tough. The tops are great as greens, cooked or raw.
Our GERMAN friends fed SUGAR BEETS to the WILD BOARS on their 99 acres of hunting land ( that they can ONLY lease for 100 yrs. @ a time). They were GIGANTIC, & came on a huge TRUCK!!! QUITE A SITE !
Every Holiday season I watch Victorian & Edwardian Farm. It puts me in the Christmas mood 🎄🕊️ **And I can't forget Wartime Farm and Green Valley! They're all so good.
A gift to watch. Thank-you to the Ashton Family for permission to experience these few months of authentic style existence. It all makes so much sense, to me now. A wonderful Historical experience.
We had to hang wet laundry outside once when the dryer died. It was winter. I went outside the next day and the clothes had frozen stiff into flat ice shapes. It was awesome. 😅
LifeIsWhatYouMakeIt My mother used to hang the laundry outside in the winter and she would bring it in completely frozen. Imagine the sheets. And then she would start to iron ... the sheets as well. Gah! However, the fresh smell cannot be equalled!
We had a maytag growing up with a great old spinner so even on the US East coast-no need for any new fangled dryer frozen sheets-65yrs ago-radiators in a 100 yr old house-burr
I remember my brothers long John's standing in the corner after freezing on the line in Newfoundland. Mom got a dryer shortly after moving there. The washer would be several years later.
Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, where the series was filmed, is open to visitors. You used to be able to stay at the cottage where Victorian Farms was filmed, but I don't see it listed anymore. But there are others in the village you can stay at.
When we went camping for a few weeks we made a washer by cutting a hole in the lid of a big bucket and sticking a plunger through it. Three times we filled that thing with boiling lake water and environmentally friendly soap and churned it for an hour, hand wrong, and leave to dry in the sun. It was not fun, but the only way to clean clothes on an island in the middle of a mountain lake.
I absolutely lost it when the sheep all started hopping and running around while they were trying to catch Fred lmao.i didn't know they really jump like that! Oh my God. Fred leaping while the leash was on was hilarious. Such a bouncy boy.
Although they do comment that they know she loves books, and she's clearly delighted by it. They've also gone to the trouble of identifying one that was appropriate to both the holiday and the period, and buying a vintage copy that fits with the look and feel of the show.
I never cared about what I got in return, I love giving more than getting. I especially love giving homemade gifts, although it’s kind of hard to find something that I can make that everyone will like.
@@garionfan1 Food always seems to work for me! Seems like everyone loves a jar of homemade jam and a fresh loaf of bread. Never had anyone turn it down yet!!
The scary music with the tongue got me. My family has tongue all the time. I don’t eat beef, but they love it with egg noodles and have it on about once a month.
@@--enyo-- I think because it's odd to a lot of people. Many people who would be watching this, likely eat mainly the common forms of beef and other types of meat. I didnt even know people ate tongue until middle school when I found GMM, and they always boil it primarily for safety rather than for taste. It may not be gross when done right, but it is odd to a lot of people
"...when I was 8 years old, my home ran away from me!" "You mean, you ran away from home?" "No, my home ran away from me. We lived in a covered wagon and I fell out!"
I'm gonna go thank my fridge, washing machine, air con, detergent, bleach, stovetop with controllable fire and oven with controllable temperature, and supermarket...
I don't know why they had her take 3 days to do the wash, when historically Monday was wash day so Tuesday could be ironing day. I think she would have had help, too, from hired hands or daughters. The boil cycle at the end seemed a bit redundant, too, because clothes were often boiled to get clean in the first place.
32:20- Ruth becomes the 19th century version of the “Two Shots of Vodka” meme. It is no longer “two shots of vodka”, it is now “you can’t have too much brandy in a Christmas pudd”.
My great-grandmother, who was nearing 100 when she died (I'm near 60), came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon before it was a state. I once asked her about "the good old days", expecting paeans of praise for "the old ways". Hah! She told me that one of the best days of her life was the day she got an electric washing machine with a wringer, and that she LOVED microwaves and commercially made bread. She'd made the family's bread for the entire week on a wood stove, had had to kill a chicken in the morning for evening dinner, made all of their soap from hog fat and lye from saved ashes, and sewed every stitch the family wore. (MY dad got his first store-bought clothing when he was 10.) Endless chores. She LOVED modern conveniences.
of course. Every normal human being likes inventions that make life easier. Even Einstein had once said "everything in life should be as simple as possible, but not simpler than that". Now, while I am aware that this quote doesn't fully relate to our discussion it still remotely relates to it to some extent, and since I always like quoting celebrities.... well, there's that! :)
farvista -- Great story, and I have one similar concerning my Grandfather. He and his 11 siblings grew up on their family wheat farm in the late 19th and early 20th century's in Oklahoma as well. My Grandfather had much the same story about how hard life was and how we should enjoy modern conveniences. Heck, ranching and farming is hard enough now. I'm up dawn till dusk, but I do enjoy the modern conveniences.
@@ironcladranchandforge7292Those things ARE interesting to me. That story was about my dad's maternal grandmother. His father had, mmmm, I think...11 siblings? Can't recall, just that the youngest, Grover, was pretty much raised by his sisters. That grandmother had a pack of kids to work the farm, but wasn't terribly interested in them, always wore dark dresses to the floor, a brooch to cover her goiter (like that'd work), men's shoes and a dour expression. Dad said that they felt that life was about working as hard as you can, then you die, and that they didn't care for music or hold with things like sports, which took up time and energy for work. Dad said that THOSE grandparents (not the grandmother who celebrated her wringer washer, chewed tobacco while plowing, played a banjo and had a wonderful laugh) were the 2 most humorless and joyless individuals he'd ever met. It WAS a hard life, so it was that much more important to take time for joy. Such a shame to get to the end of your life and find how you'd squandered chances and wasted your blessings.
I definitely appreciate modern conveniences when I see what people had to do to survive yet their innovation to do so is amazing!
Housekeeping is still work today imo, BUT not nearly as monotonous as it once was. My grandma is 88 but she grew up in mountains of Cordilleras (no electricity/central plumbing/no heater or ac in the home). She legit had to carry water from the river at base of the mountain and pound/mill their own grain. S/o to all homemakers then and now.
I just went and hugged the washing machine and told it I love it.
😂😂😂
😂😂😂
Omg 😂. True that
I think I might hug mine too. Lol
@Hunter D you're right. I have to hug and thank them too
If I had to do that amount of work just to succeed through a normal day I’d NEVER have time to think about my problems.
Yeah, today’s grievances are truly first world “problems”
That's why mental health issues ,weren't "issues" at all, nothing that hard work couldn't cure , or some cure-all elixer. Lol
i think i'd be homeless and a drunkard.
Or intrusive thoughts
@@pjismydawg Depression was still existent. So did suicide and abuse, and alcoholism as a reaction to mental problems. Fortunately most people didn't get old anyway, so not many of them reached those stages. But for those who did get older, well there was always delirium, dementia and psychosis waiting.
I've seen this series a couple times. The way the guy describe his ram always makes me laugh. He REALLY like that ram.
I just said something similar to my hubby. He just went on and on about how perfectly proportioned and meaty he was! Lol
@@aprilsmith8184 lol. well he is a fabulously well portioned boy
I was looking for this comment
He probably makes a good amount of money from studding the fluffy boy. And prize money
You sir have made my day
"Use less, cost you less... pollute less."- Ruth Goodman
A quote we should aspire to.
Yeah, just try it for yourself. It's hard back breaking NEVER ENDING work.
"But I need to have new clothes every month and new phone every 2 years"
Use up, wear out, make do, or do without!
@@robinmartz9052 Ruth wasn’t talking about doing everything as she was portraying it; I believe she said exactly what she meant...stick to the basics, take care of what you buy, plan errands and outings so you don’t backtrack...that sort of commonsensical behaviour saves in more ways than one. 👵🏻 Susan
I don’t think she does her laundry like this all of the time.
I will NEVER complain about household chores again
right!!
Them household chores and daily life and normal life and working jobs and or careers mean more to some people than anyone could ever know.
Someone should propose something to that guy and see what happens.
I will.
Chore this choke chain.🍯 🔒 hahaha honey lock.
I will never take modern cleaning equipment for granted. I can dust, vacuum and mop the entire house all whilst the washing machine and dishwasher are doing their thing. We are so lucky!
Some of us don’t have those machines
@@StaceyBagnoliexactly ❤
I just have to say I ADORE series like this and the tudor one. The way they do everything the way the people would have done, they live in the quarters victorians would have, and they wear the clothes that would have been worn. It's so immersive and feels more like they're experiencing it rather than just going for a day like some history channels do and trying out a few select things.
aye and they also did edwardian farm , monastic farm, castle building,wartime farms in ww1 etc... and each time spend 1 year in the series... so basicaly these archeologists and Ruth who is historian spend like 4-5 years of their life experiencing history by living in the conditions and places.... of diferent eras... amazing and very educational
I would love to be a part of something like this!
First one I saw in uk was 1900 House where a family live for about a month or so. It was so good, they redid a house, then the family has clothes etc. Only thing they cheated on was period products for the teenage girls I think. It was 1999 (I was 12) & I remember I asked for the book which went with the series for Christmas.
If you like this sort of thing one of my favorite series is Frontier House from PBS!
When I was a small child I remember going to visit family in the Caribbean for the summer and they didn't have a washing machine. All the women got together on wash day and washed by hand and washboard. They even used a large smooth flat stone as a wash board. They would sing and talk. I loved it but boy was it a lot of work. I thought I was such a big girl when I finally made that squishing sound rubbing the clothes together! They were so happy when they got the washing machine.
I know very well that squishing sound you talk about. My aunt worked as a launderer and she used to do our laundry before we had a washing machine
I grew up in the Caribbean and even in the 80s most people didn’t have washers at home and there were no laundry mats then either. You either hand washed everything yourself or paid someone to do it for you. We had a live in “helper” (maid) who did all the laundry and cleaning when we were small. Once my younger brother started school we had a woman who came in two days a week, Thursday to do laundry and Friday to clean an iron. It was literally an all day task to soak, wash, rinse and line dry a weeks worth clothing and linens for a whole family.
Can we all stop for a second and appreciate how nicely Ruth cooked the turkey? It looked perfectly done and juicy. She got all that cooking and decorating done and still had time to hang out and look all put together.
Ha ha You people actually think she made that Turkey, and presented it on the table like that??! And made that entire huge dinner herself?! 😆😂 Yes, this actress slaved all day in the kitchen preparing this gourmet looking meal! 😆😂 And where did this Victorian family get those fresh brussel sprouts?? I guarantee that this woman made none of this food! 😆😂 Oh, yes, she slaved all day and still managed to look “put together “. 😆 She looks “put together “ because she didn’t do anything!! 😆😂
My grandmother and mother said laundry was always a thankless job. lol they were right - in more ways than one LOL
It certainly is. Did the laundry for years every weekend for my family of 7 growing up. That was with the fortune of the apartment buildings laundries machines and dryers. I still have laundry PTSD. Can’t imagine dealing with it back then.
Edit: I’ll add, my parents are Gambian. Mom did laundry by hand growing up. I did the same (only my clothes however) when I went to visit in the summer (I wanted to handle my own stuff instead of relatives do it). It’s still a lot of work. I stayed near the city but in the far villages, water is pumped by well and hand washed.
Sounds like a woman's work. Lots of thankless jobs.
Grew up using a wringer washer, so I really don’t think laundry with a washer and dryer is a big deal. The way they did it looks hard compared to that. Guess it’s all comparative. I chuckle when I hear people moaning about laundry all the time.
Ya, that wet laundry gets really heavy really fast.
so... this episode has been filmed in 2007. Holy crap! 13 years ago.... I could have sworn it's been filmed in 2019 / 2020
@LagiNaLangAko23 no idea :)
Digital cameras back then would have really bad resolution - max of 1080 or so. Film isn't an outrageous expense - recording large amounts of raw video on any medium (film, tape, RAM) for later editing was to be rather expensive - so film is merely a justifiable premium. (RAM's price has since plummeted, making film a much harder sell for amateur video.) Since technology was improving, especially back then, it was easy to convince a studio or investor to add another $500-$1000 to the production price, knowing that they'd continually be able to re-record & sell it onto the latest tape or other not-yet-invented technology and it would look this good.
@@StephenGillie so, film then...
@@blabla-rg7ky this probably would've been recorded on to digital tape. It's definitely not analog film
@@JB-vd8bi ok
I thought Peter was the biggest stud on the farm ... until I laid eyes upon Frederick 😍🐏
peter is fit as hell tho. he could keep the soft cap on and all
but freddie does have a cracking rump
I've watched a few videos featuring Ruth and honestly, I wish that my history teacher was as passionate as she is when I was in school. I used to love history until the education system sucked the joy out of me.
if i could stand children, i would’ve loved to be a history teacher. i’d get to ramble about history all day
Unfortunately, the education system sucks joy and love put of anything and everything
That among many other reasons is why people should homeschool.
I began to realise I loved history when I studied music history in senior high school. We had a brilliant teacher who would just sit down and talk with us. She tied in music history with history of other art forms, the church, even a bit of politics. And then gave us her experiences of the places mentioned from her vast travels.
We could ask anything we wanted, but we mostly just listened, absolutely enthralled.
Class went by so fast and I honestly didn't need to study for the exam as it was already fixed in my memory.
We were especially fortunate to have a class size of only 6 students. It felt like family, and we knew our teacher really cared for us.
They were my fondest memories of what otherwise was not a particularly enjoyable senior high.
Now thanks to TH-cam I've discovered fashion history, and watched tonnes of documentaries on many different aspects of history.
Ah, the old days. My mother in law would laugh at her niece's romanticized view of what it was like back in the years between the World Wars. All those collectibles - painted milk churns, rows of polished flat irons, patchwork quilts, bright dolly tubs and bunches of dried stuff hanging from the ceilings. My mother in law had lived through the good old days and was a staunch fan of stainless steel, big freezers, central heating and anything chrome plated. Loved that woman.
Is halfway finished doing the washing.
Decides to watch a documentary about other people doing laundry for an hour instead of finishing the washing
^_^
Same! 😂
And here I am dreading A single load to wash. We really are a spoiled generation.
My grandparents grew up this way all in families of 12 kids. Imagine that laundry. Our Amish neighbors have 14 kids. I can't imagine the work. My grandmother was thrilled when her sister got her washing machine.
Excuse me for a minute. Gonna go hug my washer and dryer!
I think the Amish have some pretty good foot and hand crank washers that work pretty well. Hell of a lot better than spinning an agitator directly by hand without any leverage.
@Megan Greene So do their many children.
@Megan Greene They also don't use coal, so that would save a LOT of washing compared to the VIctorian era. That coal dust seemed to be the biggest problem really
This channel, this series, and the entire crew doing this, is so enriching to watch. My brain is exploding with knowledge and history, everything from the Medieval era, to this series of the Victorian era, is just so perfectly documented, I cannot implore how important this TH-cam channel is to the world, I will show this to my son when he is older, in hopes he can visually learn the old ways of the world.
Watch “Townsend” on TH-cam as well. I think you will enjoy that channel.
I wish my friends were as fun as these experts. Roleplaying and building castles and farms and those PARLOR GAMES!
If that all sounds good to you...play D&D! 😄
Try LARPing! LARPing is exactly that idea - getting into costume and roleplaying together. :)
Find someone who speaks about you, the way Richard Spencer speaks about Fredrick.
"Look at that fine booty! So thick, so full of meat! The personality, yes fine, but that BOOTY! That’s what it's all about!That poise, balance, power - everything where you want it, yeah!"
😂😂😉
🤣🤣🤣 It’s my favorite part of this episode!!
I am 31 and I ve been doing the laundry without a washing machine for at least 5 years. It all began when my washing machine broke down and because I work many hours I didn t have time to go and buy a new one. I put off so many times visiting a store for a new machine that I got used to the idea of doing the laundry with my hands. I have to say that although in the beginning it was difficult, I got used to not having a washing machine. I use olive oil soap not only because does it not contain chemicals, but also because it really helps whitening the clothes! Moreover I think that clothes washed with hands are washed better (the washing machine keeps slime inside the basin) and keep their beautiful fragrance much longer. Greetings from Greece!
What about towels and bedspreads???? The heavy stuff is so hard :(
Hold on...you DON'T have time to go to a store but you DO have time to wash clothes by hand? What about ordering online? My washer was purchased online. They delivered it right to my front door. I didn't have to go anywhere for it.
@@SaidiLouise
To tell you the truth i don't purchase things online. Also because I live alone, all these that are for washing are not many...
@@roguecapeapocalypsetheater339
I agree with you. Heavy stuff is more difficult to be washed, but with time i got used to the process..
@@aggelikig7640 I do not live alone. There are anywhere from 3 to 5 of us at any given time. A lot of laundry. We do do (🤭) a lot of online purchasing. For me, it is all about finding the best deal. I'm a bargain hunter.
I like that remark about using the Mangle "this is where you need a small child " That was my job as a kid and I loved doing it funnily enough. Not Victorian times but during and after the War but with 3 older teenage sisters, Mum, and dad we had no piped hot water, no fridge, no washing machine, no central heating, no bath or shower and we had coal fires. This was right in the middle of London between st Marylebone and Bakers st stations. Our kitchen had racks above the sink and Gas stove for drying clothes and being in a basement we had a small open area where we had clothesline the only trouble is sometimes depending on the weather the clothes would get soot all over them which came from the railway station which was a mainline one with a goods yard. As a kid I don't remember Mum using washing powder, I know she had some sort of crystals she used to throw in the water and one of my jobs was to shake the soap in the hand cage to make the lather for washing up the dishes.
Real life!!! People need to be more aware of up until how recently we lived very archaic lives.
May I ask your age?
@@jaeboogie2786 must be 101 years old.
Children often got caught in it, injured or crushed to death.
Thanks so much for sharing! One question... What is a hand cage?
Gosh, it must've been really cold in Ruth's bedroom. I could see her breath at 36:16.
I paused the video and scrolled down the comments to see if someone else had picked up on that. Brrrr!!!
My grandfather and grandmother would often sleep on the floor by the gas stove, in winter, even though they had a bed. Pile up a few blankets and pillows and you're good to go.
We had feather mattresses that went on the beds in winter, plus every blanket, even coats, on top. Used to wake up in the morning to ice on the inside of the windows, then run downstairs to dive in front of the little grate fire in the lounge - Mum used to get up earlier to stoke it up nice and warm. I moved to Australia in 1976!
Ruth: I have to say, I hate ironing.
Me: Amen sister 😉
I actually really enjoy ironing
@@soapthesoap me, too. It's one of the easiest "women's" tasks in a house that I actually enjoy. Oh, washing the dishes, as well. I hate vacuuming, though...
@@blabla-rg7ky I don't mind doing the dishes, but the vacuum is so loud, I hate it!
@@soapthesoap it's not the sound that bothers me, it's the tedious task of continuously sweeping the floor / carpet with the vacuum cleaner.
Anyway, I can see you're a man of culture, as well *tips hat*
I love to iron
My mother grew up on a farm in Germany in the 30/40ies...she told me that the household supplied around 15 people...every two weeks the laundry was done - it took some days to finish...they used a big cauldron to "cook" the clothing, then put everything in a wringer and lay it on the grass to get bleached - and so on...quite a lot of work and in the meantime the cows, pigs, henns must be looked after as well as the garden which supplied the food which had to be cooked...quite exhausting...nowadays there are different problems: mobbing, people doing double-shifts to make ends meet, food being not nutricius anymore because it's too industrialized...hopefully there will be a day, when everything turns out well for everybody and also Mother Earth with every animal and everey plant. Best wishes from Germany :-)
Mobbing is called bullying in English.
And it's not something new.
What is new, is minding people's mental health.
@@emilychb6621 Interesting - thank you, american english or real english?
My grandma used to scald cloths too & stir them with a stick. Then into the hot rinse & more stirring before they got hung on the line to dry. It was hard work.
@@MoniqueAO888 Both
Aw best wishes to you too 🤗
I was so privileged to grow up in the country where our nearest neighbors were an elderly brother and sister and their hired man. When we first arrived in the 50s, they had electricity, but only a sink handpump for water and a wood-burning cookstove. They used horse-drawn farm equipment and had no car. My father put plumbing indoors for them and convinced them to get a refrigerator and deep-freezer. Mom convinced the lady to buy soap instead of making it. Otherwise, they carried on as before. This lady was our baby-sitter when Mom worked and we thought of her as our grandma, which I know was a great joy to her. Their mother came from England, from a farm setting. At Christmas, they would cut pine boughs and tie them to the posts of the front porch, but no tree indoors.
Ruth: spends weeks squinting in the dark, shivering deep into the night, embroidering a beautiful handmade gift by candlelight.
Alex: buys a book.
Peter: “That’s from me, too!”
that trick with glass bottles 😯 great programme ^^
It's really intriguing, Im curious how well it worked
Pffff he didnt realize how hard Ruth worked for that gift
Yeah, that part was a little sad, tbh. :(
1880s laundry litterally takes all day
2020 people act like it takes all day
In 1880s it took almost a lot of the day for *four days*.
it can take a good part of the day if you don't have your own washer. When my kids were little we didn't have washer or dryer, had to go to the laundromat every weekend when both my husband and I were at home and one person could go so the laundry, one stay home and watch the kids. It took a good 5-6 hours to get it all done and then we still had to get it home, up to the 4th floor by stairs, and put away. if we had to wash blankets it took longer. Now I have my own machines and laundry is pretty passive as chores go, and I can fold and hang things while I watch Absolute History on TH-cam.
The washing and drying takes no time, but if you iron, fold, and put them away it's still a pain. Ironing is a waste of time unless you're dressing up.
Not everyone has a washing machine or dishwasher in 2020 but I get your point 😁
@@vio3366 You're right. I'm not married yet. :D *ba dum tss*
I feel like if I was a kid during the Victorian era, I would've stayed with the pigs yelling "At least it warmer in here!"
gemgirl223 I grew up with friends who lived on farms. A really good way to warm up your feet, when you’d lost “Rock Paper Scissors” and had to go and get the cows for milking, was to standing in a fresh made cow pile. Their mum filled a water bucket every morning and yelled at the kids to wash their feet before coming in for breakfast
Until you smell the poo. Stuff can take your breath away
In my country there's a story for kids, it explains once when some child misbehaved on a farm they locked him up in the pig pen and the pigs ate him
Super love this series. I just follow Ruth Goldman and Lucy Worsley wherever I can find them. I wish some of this stuff was on netflix I feel like I am paying for no reason at this point.
I couldn't agree more! Her energy and enthusiasm is so wonderful!
God I felt that Netflix thing. In order to have any good selection you have to have 17827192791719199 different streaming services.
Ruth: "They're the most attractive things, aren't they? I mean, as pigs go."
Peter: "Are you saying that because they're ginger?"
Oof.
🤣🤣🤣
Look like some tasty bacon to me
that was my thought too tbh xD
I love this series, listening to that man describe the Ram's rear is hilarious. So many jokes come to mind!
My house needs to be cleaned, laundry folded. Yet here I am, completely enraptured by Ruth, Peter and Alex in their Victorian life. I can't stop watching!
Oh those poor women back then, my heart breaks when I think about them.
I live on a farm and it really is a lot of work even in modern times. But, it also my most favorite therapeutic part of my day. You come home after 8 hours of no sitting then do 3/4 more hours outside getting the chores done. Sometimes throwing in some weed whacking, tree chopping, it can be tiring and it is the worst in winter but it’s also it’s therapeutic and relaxing
You're getting loads of sunshine (ie, vitamin D) and exercise, both of which are fantastic antidepressants, of course you felt good!
Absolutely brilliant, my dears!
One is just catapulted back through the years to relive 'how it really used to be', and made to realise how much we take for granted in this day and age!
Many thanks!
All love and best wishes, Claire (expat) and Sally the older Goldie, Berlin 👍🏻❤
*fast-paced, playful music plays as the boys separate the sheep*
*Ruth quietly feeds the turkeys*
*fast-paced, playful music returns as the boys still struggle to separate the sheep*
I love these series!!! So far, the Tudor series was my favorite.
Forget washing clothes in winter, I think the romance with good old days died when nature called. I absolutely adore indoor plumbing and toilet. I can’t imagine have a chamber pot in my bedroom and outhouse in the yard....
I actually grew up in a house with no indoor plumbing. Trust me... a chamber pot beat going outside in the middle of the night when it’s -19 and snowing. Then there is the issue of wildcats, panthers, possums and raccoons to name a few. Did I mention there is no lights in an outhouse? You would have grown to love those chamber pots pdq lol.
@@pixiestyx1766 I totally relate to that, having grown up with outdoor plumbing and a single coal stove to heat the entire house. We fortunately had a water hydrant near the back door.
I grew up in England - plumbing in the kitchen, cold water only. Mum had what was called a copper to do the washing and she used it to heat the water so her and dad could have a weekly bath. Us kids got washed standing up in the sink. We had pots in the bedroom too, as the toilet (wooden seat with a bucket underneath) was outside. We moved in 1962, when I was eight, and finally got an indoor toilet and hot water!
@@pixiestyx1766 I grew up in a country where outhouses and fire heating systems are still very common in rural areas. Luckily, I had access to central heating and indoor plumbing as I grew up in a big city, but my family would often visit friends who lived in a smaller village, mostly for the holidays. It's a place where winters get quite cold. So I remember very well the times I had to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night in -10, maybe even -20 degrees Celcius weather when it had snowed and luckily wild animals weren't an issue around that area, the outhouse was quite adjacent to the house so I didn't have to do a lot of walking and at some point they had also installed a light there. And even so it was still such a big pain in the ass and if you're scared of the dark, good luck with that. But I knew people whose outhouses were at the very other end of their vegetable gardens, so you'd have to walk quite a bit in the darkness at an ungodly hour just to get there. Not to mention the smell. It was bearable in the winter, but when the weather got warmer... No. TMI but imagine you're stuck there in the middle of the night in -20 weather just because you're constipated. Also no smartphones back then to pass the time.
I've learned to appreciate and be thankful to indoor plumbing very early in my childhood just because of those visits. It's funny how something so trivial like a functioning toilet can be so underappreciated.
Chamberpots are a godssend if you dont have indoor plumbing.
At night, in the cold, or both
Tho a plastic bucket will do the trick if your water gets shut down
i’m in love with ruth’s laugh it’s just sounds so lively and happy
Amazing... some how I think this could become part of high school education maybe students could go live somewhere like this for a month ... I am nearing 50 and can’t imagine how my body would cope with an experience like this. I’d give it a go but I don’t know that I’m got the resilience to survive more than a week in a community like this. I realize how I take *everything* for granted. From the water in my cup of coffee in the morning to the power that switched a light on.
Homestead and homeschool
I think just adding basic gardening & cooking with the home grown foods into a school curriculum would be a huge improvement (and easier to do on mass than send them to somewhere like this). If we can't even teach kids basic gardening at school, good luck teaching them all this stuff! Would be a good experience, but you can bet parents would complain to the point that it became non-viable
I have seen this several times & it's worth seeing many times again! Ruth Goodwin & her team are the best! Wish they would do more or direct others to do projects in the same manner!
I will never complain about my crappy washing machine and dryer ever again. It takes about 2 cycles of each to actually get the job done but it beats manually beating my clothes for days lol.
Holy hell look at that ram's danglers
Steph Rideout that comment had me chuckling hard 😂
@@jackendebox7736 a couple a grapefruits!
It's like a bag of potatoes!
Steph Rideout Yes. Quite the wedding tackle!
I love the way the guys are laughing over the root slicer. It seems like they've had just enough lived experience of Victorian farm life by that point that they're experiencing some of the semi-hysterical joy and relief those farmers would have felt at seeing one difficult, time-consuming task out of the day turned into something quick and easy.
My grandmother told me she got her long hair tangled in an old wringer washer once and was stuck in place until my grandfather got home from work.
What a nightmare! Can’t imagine
It was in one of the hidden killers episode too. Probably wasn't that common, but when shit hit the fans, these heavy duty(?) home appliances could do quite some damage.
Poor thing! My mom told me this is why you put your hair up before chores. My grandmother taught this because she learned it!
@@kumaahito3927 It was common enough that the name of the wringer/roller is a mangle. So when people got parts of themselves stuck in the rollers(as my aunt also did, btw), it was called being “mangled”. It happened a lot.
I lived like this as child.
I miss it. But now im old and need to live in town.
Every time we have an electrical blackout, I'm reminded how spoilt we are now. It's so much harder to do anything with limited light.
I love Christmas the smell of pine the lights the kids getting excited the presents the family gatherings I just think it makes everyone so happy!
That Christmas dinner scene was heartwarming. I'd love for Christmas day to consist of family spending time together and eating and laughing. But instead it's dumping kids in front of the tv and the adults being petty and back biting
I’ve used white vinegar on stains and let it soak before tossing it in the wash. It works on ring around the collar too.
I love these guys! Ruth is a total sweetheart. Cheers from the states!!
I watch a few minutes of this on days that I'm not feeling like going to work.
Mangelwurzel is the most whimsical-sounding vegetable name i’ve ever heard😭😭
hahaha sounds german af
Noo it sounds like something from Harry Potter's world
"And hopefully *Frederick* will fit in well" .... pure. Gold.
I love this series because you get to see how common folks lived. Movies always either show the wealthy or the dredges of the earth.
"use less, cost you less, pollutes less"
a timeless piece of advice
IMO, Ruth had it the worst. She did 100% of the stuff inside all by herself (plus taking care of the poultry; feeding them and then feeding the men with them!) The outside was done by either two or three men (at least) Every now and then they had a specialist come in to help them.she needs an assistant!
PS. The cow tongue skinning and plating was just vile! 🤮
This woman is a saint who takes her role very seriously.
Cow tongue is delicious! :D It's really soft and tender. It's especially good with gravy.
@@GenevaCat My mom grew up in Texas and her grandmother had a ranch, so she ate cow tongue and also said it was very good. Kind of odd that people don't still eat it, but I think that's probably because we don't want to be reminded that we're eating an animal, and a tongue is hard to disguise.
I agree Ruth has it harder in many ways. Building the pig sty seems like the hardest work the men had to do. Other than that it was a lot of walking (or running) to round up and feed animals. Though they also processed the mango wurzzles (which is the funniest name) and the grain, and it seemed like using the hand crank was hard work.
I think the oddest thing for me would be to pluck the turkey, especially if it was still warm from having died so recently!
I think they were both really hard. In winter, I would definitely choose the more indoor work. But yes, a ton of work. No doubt that’s why almost everyone except the very poorest had at least one servant.
@@annalisasteinnes In the US they are just called Mangels. They are like a beet and you can order them from Baker Creek seed. Although, I would love to have the chopper that they have to make mine easier.
I love that everyone got together to have a go at this and record it for us to watch , ty to all !
watching the pudding being made gave me such nostalgic feelings. My grandmother still makes it the same way even now.
Richard Spencer who bring in the ewe and ram is so passionate about what he’s doing. I really respect a person who spent his life doing what he passionate about and continuing the knowledge and skill to the next generation!
I'd love to see a Victorian housewife's reaction to hearing someone say today "I'm so tired! I spent *all day* washing"
PS I think the washing is the first.task I've ever seen Ruth less than enthusiastic about!
Even tho my washing machine is pretty old and sounds like a jet, I'm happy that i have that instead of having to hand wash.
Mangel beets were grown for feed for animals, but their descendant is the sugar beet. All can be eaten by humans as well, when young so they aren't too tough. The tops are great as greens, cooked or raw.
Our GERMAN friends fed SUGAR BEETS to the WILD BOARS on their 99 acres of hunting land ( that they can ONLY lease for 100 yrs. @ a time). They were GIGANTIC, & came on a huge TRUCK!!! QUITE A SITE !
THEY HAD V. LONG GREEN TOPS! NEVER FORGOT THAT SIGHT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF S. BEETS! The land leaser MUST feed their animals!
Thanks, I was wondering what those plants really were
Every Holiday season I watch Victorian & Edwardian Farm. It puts me in the Christmas mood 🎄🕊️
**And I can't forget Wartime Farm and Green Valley! They're all so good.
A gift to watch. Thank-you to the Ashton Family for permission to experience these few months of authentic style existence. It all makes so much sense, to me now. A wonderful Historical experience.
This lifestyle seems full of set backs, but also full of gratitude and genuine satisfaction
We had to hang wet laundry outside once when the dryer died. It was winter. I went outside the next day and the clothes had frozen stiff into flat ice shapes. It was awesome. 😅
LifeIsWhatYouMakeIt My mother used to hang the laundry outside in the winter and she would bring it in completely frozen. Imagine the sheets. And then she would start to iron ... the sheets as well. Gah! However, the fresh smell cannot be equalled!
Most people in Europe don't even have a dryer until today hah but we have nice isolated and warm laundry rooms to hang up the laundry.
We had a maytag growing up with a great old spinner so even on the US East coast-no need for any new fangled dryer frozen sheets-65yrs ago-radiators in a 100 yr old house-burr
We still don't have a dryer we use clothes lines and clothes horses to dry our things on, the only advantage I've got is that we are in Australia!
I remember my brothers long John's standing in the corner after freezing on the line in Newfoundland. Mom got a dryer shortly after moving there. The washer would be several years later.
I wish they would have continued with this series. I also wish people could take trips to farms like this to live like the old times.
Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, where the series was filmed, is open to visitors. You used to be able to stay at the cottage where Victorian Farms was filmed, but I don't see it listed anymore. But there are others in the village you can stay at.
I’m still waiting for a man to talk about me in the same manner as that guy talked about that ram.
I'm in ...
I feel like i got so many valuable laundry tips
When we went camping for a few weeks we made a washer by cutting a hole in the lid of a big bucket and sticking a plunger through it. Three times we filled that thing with boiling lake water and environmentally friendly soap and churned it for an hour, hand wrong, and leave to dry in the sun. It was not fun, but the only way to clean clothes on an island in the middle of a mountain lake.
Gods these episodes make me so nostalgic for a time I never lived in. Also for watching these episodes with my dad
Such a lovely Christmas! Ruth is a treasure.
Came here for the laundry got a whole year of Victorian Farm Life! Hell yeah! I’ll digging this!
Lord Tom Acton sadly died last month at 95
RIP then, he looked like a pretty fun fellow.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Wow!! Rest in peace.
May he forever Rest In Peace
And now he can be part of the real thing
We still eat cow tongue over Christmas, my gran makes it with a mustard sauce and bread crumbs 👌🏼
I'm loving this series ❤
I’ve never been that hungry…
Today, we can put it in a machine, and press a button... And somehow, it is still the most daunting task of all! XD
I absolutely lost it when the sheep all started hopping and running around while they were trying to catch Fred lmao.i didn't know they really jump like that!
Oh my God. Fred leaping while the leash was on was hilarious. Such a bouncy boy.
the sheep and pigs are so cute when they bounce around:)
"Hopefully Frederick (the ram) will fit in well." I nearly died laughing. Going by the evidence with those ewes, he didn't have a problem.
I absolutely adore this series! Thank you for filling my heart with so much joy! I’m in love with Clumper as well!
Partly because of this series (and my heritage) I came to a forest homestead. What I learn here, in all the series, has made me very successful.
I will never take laundry or washing machines for granted again😅😅😅
I've got finals and a couple of projects due in 22 days and instead I'm binge-watching these documentaries...
Ruth: spends hours in the freezing dark hand making a gift.
Gets in return: a book...
That book was your key to adventure, & knowledge, well worth the hours of toil in a cold room.💙😺✌
It's the thought that counts!
Although they do comment that they know she loves books, and she's clearly delighted by it. They've also gone to the trouble of identifying one that was appropriate to both the holiday and the period, and buying a vintage copy that fits with the look and feel of the show.
I never cared about what I got in return, I love giving more than getting. I especially love giving homemade gifts, although it’s kind of hard to find something that I can make that everyone will like.
@@garionfan1 Food always seems to work for me! Seems like everyone loves a jar of homemade jam and a fresh loaf of bread. Never had anyone turn it down yet!!
At time marker 35:54, I can ACTUALLY see her breath the the very cold air!!! I can’t even imagine!!
That’s apparently what my power provider has in mind for my budget… jeez 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🇺🇸
The scary music with the tongue got me. My family has tongue all the time. I don’t eat beef, but they love it with egg noodles and have it on about once a month.
Yeah, I genuinely don't get why they had 'sinister' music playing. It's not that weird or out there at all. Tongue is really good.
@@--enyo-- I think because it's odd to a lot of people. Many people who would be watching this, likely eat mainly the common forms of beef and other types of meat. I didnt even know people ate tongue until middle school when I found GMM, and they always boil it primarily for safety rather than for taste. It may not be gross when done right, but it is odd to a lot of people
ive seen it a lot in tacos
Cow tongue tacos are hella good. If you don't tell anyone they think it's really tender carne asada. 😆
We used to have it when I was a kid. I steadfastly refused.
Ruth is AMAZING and I adore her books. Seriously if yall like her in this you should pick up her books.
"...when I was 8 years old, my home ran away from me!"
"You mean, you ran away from home?"
"No, my home ran away from me. We lived in a covered wagon and I fell out!"
57:46 "oh, somebody get me some more gin!" Ruth was getting blitzed!
Omg I literally CANNOT GET ENOUGH of this channel!!!!! Love every single video! Keep them coming!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Ruth! You don't need an oil lamp to work in the dark. YOU are the light in the darkness 😁
I'm gonna go thank my fridge, washing machine, air con, detergent, bleach, stovetop with controllable fire and oven with controllable temperature, and supermarket...
I love these types of programs ! Always been fascinated in history of all periods, I especially love Victorian era.
"its day three in the laundry for ruth.... insanity is beginning to set in"
she sounds just about ready to be carried out in a straightjacket xD
I don't know why they had her take 3 days to do the wash, when historically Monday was wash day so Tuesday could be ironing day. I think she would have had help, too, from hired hands or daughters. The boil cycle at the end seemed a bit redundant, too, because clothes were often boiled to get clean in the first place.
I watched this a long time ago on tv, and I still remember the sheep adventure and how the farmer told them about the sheep self destructiveness. 🙂
32:20- Ruth becomes the 19th century version of the “Two Shots of Vodka” meme.
It is no longer “two shots of vodka”, it is now “you can’t have too much brandy in a Christmas pudd”.
I am very critical of documentaries. This series is GREAT! So well done. Fantastic job, everyone.