this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2024
87 points (98.9% liked)

Weird News - Things that make you go 'hmmm'

942 readers
348 users here now

Rules:

  1. News must be from a reliable source. No tabloids or sensationalism, please.

  2. Try to keep it safe for work. Contact a moderator before posting if you have any doubts.

  3. Titles of articles must remain unchanged; however extraneous information like "Watch:" or "Look:" can be removed. Titles with trailing, non-relevant information can also be edited so long as the headline's intent remains intact.

  4. Be nice. If you've got nothing positive to say, don't say it.

Violators will be banned at mod's discretion.

Communities We Like:

-Not the Onion

-And finally...

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 5 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Dozens of bottles of cherries and berries — impossibly preserved in storage pits uncovered from the cellar of his mansion on the banks of the Potomac River — were discovered during an archaeological dig connected to a restoration project.

Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon’s principal archaeologist, said the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is essentially unprecedented.

“It’s kind of a longshot,” said Benjamin Gutierrez, a USDA plant geneticist, of the chances of using a cherry pit to grow a tree.

Records at Mount Vernon show that George and Martha Washington were fond of cherries, at least when mixed with brandy.

The kitchen was overseen by an enslaved woman named Doll, who came to Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington, according to the estate.

The bottles were found only because Mount Vernon is doing a $40 million revitalization project of the mansion that they expect to be completed by the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.


The original article contains 665 words, the summary contains 162 words. Saved 76%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (3 children)

It doesn’t say how they were preserved?!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

I wonder if the whole brandy bit of info was a hint? They mentioned the cherry seed pits were waterlogged so they’re definitely siting in a lot of liquid. And alcohol would preserve it for a long time I would think.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Honestly, that's why I'm here

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Potatoe holes. Literally holes dug in your cellars you bury food in like potatoes or jars of whatever she since there is less oxygen things last weirdly long.