On one southern plantation soap was made at a certain time of the year
and left in the hollowed-out trough of a big log.
Indigo was planted for blueing. Starch was made out of wheat bran put in
soak. The bran was squeezed out and used to feed the hogs, and the
starch was saved for clothes.
A hollow stump was filled with apples when cider was to be made. A hole
was bored in the middle, and a lever put inside, which would crush the
apples. As Mary put it, "you put the apples in the top, pressed the
lever, the cider come out the spout, and my, it was good!"