16. To preserve oneself one had to learn to conserve everything
In the remote Appalachian communities, including in the company towns which arose around the coal mines and logging camps, Appalachians preserved everything which they needed to survive. Apples, cherries, and other fruits grew well in the mountains, as did berries, and they were harvested when ripe and preserved. Canning became an art form in the mountains, and is still widely practiced. Meat was preserved by pickling or jerking. Corn was dried and ground into meal, from which it would later become cornbread and mush. The most popular sweetener, given the sparsity of sugar, was honey, which could be found readily in the woods, and which those hardy enough to do so obtained by smoking out the bees and harvesting the comb.