In 1825, a mere blink of an eye on our human timeline, a typical general store carried a variety of goods. You’d find staple items like flour, sugar, salt, and coffee. There were also dried goods like beans and rice. Tools, basic clothing, and household essentials like candles and soap were commonly stocked. Some stores even carried medicinal supplies, fabrics, and a small selection of hardware. It was truly a one-stop shop for the necessities of daily life.
Notice that aside from dry goods—such as beans, rice, and other staples—there were no fresh foods in the market. People grew their own and traded amongst themselves. Those who had a good crop of carrots would trade with their neighbor who had an abundance of onions. Everything balanced out.
Interestingly, flour was freshly milled and not sold in large quantities because it would go rancid. And yes, it was brown whole wheat, white flour, while available, was extremely rare at this time (1888 started replacing stone grinders with steel).
There was always a good supply of ax handles, fasteners, and other tools. But anthropologically speaking, if you look around today’s market, you’ll see that it still tries to be a one-stop shop. However, instead of essentials, the shelves are now filled with products designed for long shelf life. In fact, 70–90% of what ends up in people’s shopping carts consists of processed items—high in sugar, low in fiber, and often loaded with seed oils.
This type of consumption is the bane of our civilization and the reason why 90% of all chronic diseases are dietary in origin. Think about it. You have a choice to do better, and perhaps returning to simpler times isn’t such a bad idea.
Our household recently went to the market and spent about 150 bucks on beans, rice, nuts, and other grains. With our garden in full swing, we’re set up until mid-winter.
How’s your pantry looking?
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