Farming was an integral part of life in Kippens, as vegetables could not be readily bought at any store. Vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, and onions would be grown, and occasionally someone would grow strawberries. This was the case with John and Clara Jane White of Kippens, who grew strawberries in their garden for years. Mr. And Mrs. White took turns telling us about their strawberry garden:
Mrs. White: We used to sell them (strawberries) right here. We did not have to look to sell them. We would pick sometimes about seventy gallons a day and before night, they were all gone. Mr. White: We didn’t get any price for them, not like they have not. We sold ours for 40 or 50 cents a gallon. Now they do not know what to ask for them. The vegetables would be planted in late spring, and taken up in late fall. Everyone had a cellar, and the vegetables would be stored over the winter in the cellar, which was built either under the house or separate from the house.
“Making hay” was another task, which regularly took place every year, usually during the month of August. The hay was moved with a large schythe, and then spread. It would be spread repeatedly until it had dried, and then the hay would be piled into large mounds called “pooks”. The hay would eventually be taken up and put into the barns, and the farm animals would feed off of it all winter.
Some of the families of Kippens “made hay” in the Meadow, which is located on the north side of Romaine’s River. The meadow was a series of large grassy fields, and a wooden bridge was build across the river so that the hay from the meadow could be brought down to the barns. The bridge has been gone for many years.