Farming
Men and women have been working the land for centuries, raising sheep, hogs and chickens as well as producing grains, fruits, and vegetables. They have combed the ocean and bay for fish, oysters, clams, scallops, and crabs. The focus of production changed over time, depending on consumer demand, viability of the land, and influence of other industries. Tobacco, corn, wheat, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, and soybean shave all seen their heydays in the Delmarva region.
Farming is a difficult, time consuming job that requires laborers to use a variety of tools and animals to make the farm productive and to move produce to market. Different crops also required specific types of storage containers for transportation. For instance, pickers put delicate fruits such as strawberries in small baskets, while larger produce like cucumbers or potatoes packed well in bushel baskets. Some crops were stored and transported in barrels.