The Ott family, Mulvane, 1998. The Cox family eats a tailgate meal, Anthony, 1998. Breaking bread together is more than just nourishing the body, and harvest meals are no exception.
Meals often are a social event where people gather to take a break and catch up on news.
Large harvest spreads have been an important custom for thousands of years. Although women traditionally have cooked for harvest crews, during the last 30 years they've taken on more field work as they spent less time in the kitchen. Meals today are just as likely to be fast food as homemade, but they remain important family gatherings. Farm children often have fond memories of harvest meals in the field with their families. Home and wheat field can be miles apart, and many families save time by bringing meals directly to the workers.