The War In My Kitchen | WWII Food Rationing Project

93 Pounds of Sugar

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Becky Brillon

Twice in a year, Mrs. Ben Prochnow of Markesan, Wisconsin was allowed two large quantity ration certificates for sugar for canning purposes. On June 13, 1942 Mrs. Prochnow received 39 pounds of sugar and on August 14, 1942 Mrs. Prochnow received 54 pounds of sugar.

Mrs Ben Prochnow

As the policy went, the summer ration was set to each person being allotted one pound of sugar per 4 ½ quarts of fruit, plus an additional one pound for canning of preserves. The fall ration however, mention anxiety on the part of the government (OPA office) that “government is as anxious to have all available fruit canned as it is to conserve sugar. For that reason local boards have been instructed to issue sugar purchase certificates at the second canning sugar registration based entirely upon legitimate requirements of sugar.” The base calculation would still be one pound of sugar for four quarts of canned fruit. Housewives — in this case, Farmwife, would need to come to the registration point with a worksheet in hand showing her calculations to receive her fair share.

On the honor system, women calculated their kitchen work and even though there seemed to be rule of plenty, they still took to other suggestions of stretching canning and preserving rations.

Sure-Jell advertised more than twice as many glasses of jelly, jam or marmalade with their product. Touted as “Sensible” and “Patriotic”, who wouldn’t be caught not using it?

Be Patriotic

According to the 1943 Canning for Victory pamphlet, compiled by the Rector’s Guild of the Grace Episcopal Church in Madison Wisconsin, canning seasons in North Central States looked something like this:

June: Pineapple, Rhubarb, Strawberries

July: Cherries, Currants, Gooseberries, Huckleberries, Raspberries

August: Blackberries, Peaches, Plums

September: Apples, Crab-apples, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Quinces

Vegetables:

June: Asparagus, Beans, Carrots, Greens, Peas

July: Beans (string), Carrots, Corn, Greens

August: Beans (string), Beans (lima), Beets, Corn, Tomatoes

September: Pumpkin, Tomatoes

Fowl:

September: Chicken, Guinea-hen

October: Duck, Grouse, Pheasant, Partridge

November: Duck, Grouse, Partridge, Rabbit, Turkey

December: Duck, Grouse, Partridge, Turkey

The pamphlet states that as little as ¼ cup sweeting to 1 ½ cups of water may be used if desired. Fruits may be canned with or without sugar, but the color, flavor and shape of the fruits are better if a little sugar is added. When canned without sugar, no water need be added to juicy fruits as berries, cherries, currants or plums.

Backtracking…the difference between jelly, jam, preserves and marmalade? In a nutshell here it is:

In jelly, the fruit comes in the form of fruit juice. In jam, the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit and is less stiff than jelly as a result. In preserves, the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a syrup or a jam. And finally, in marmalade a fruit preserve is made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water.

surejellstrawberryjam

If we were to imagine what Mrs. Prochnow’s fruit cellar looked like at the end of canning season, with her total 93 pounds of sugar and saying she did not incorporate the advice for stretching her allotment, we would likely see 25 quarts of canned fruits and preserves all lined up on shelves in pretty summer and autumnal tones. More likely, she did use the advice and made smaller batches of pints. Perhaps an entire wall would be lined with 50 various types of fruits. Add it to the vegetables and non-sweet produce and you would see a full room of Mrs. Prochnow’s work. What a sight it must have been. canning

Posted in Canning & Preserving, Make It Yourself

A Memorial Display

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Becky Brillon

Recently I was lucky enough to visit a traveling museum exhibit at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin featuring WWII Nose Art from bombers and fighter craft of the war.

Nose art is a decorative painting on the fuselage of an aircraft, most popular during WIII. The display was salvaged from demolition and is now safely in the hands of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) headquarters in Dallas who have secured designation of the artifacts by the National Trust for Historical Preservation as an official project of Save America’s Treasures.

There were practical reasons for nose art. It was important in identifying friendly units. Secondary, the art became a way to express individuality often constrained by the uniformity of the military. And bomber crews, which suffered high casualty rates, often developed strong bonds with the planes they were flying, affectionately decorated them with nose art and believed that the nose art was bringing luck to the planes. And as some of the stories told, frequently the art was a depiction of a sweetheart back home or of a pinup celebrity, or inspired by a popular song of the time. It evoked memories of home and peacetime life.

Nose art was not officially approved by the military. Regulations were not heavily enforced, especially on the Air Force side, but it has been shown that the farther the planes and crew were from headquarters or from the public eye, the racier the art tended to be. For instance, nudity was more common in nose art on aircraft in the Pacific than on aircraft in Europe. (Cohan, Phil. “Risque Business.” Air and Space, 5 (Apr.-May 1990), p.65)

Story boards at each display help the viewer put the art, plane and crew in historical context. Big band music played over the speakers helps to bring the mind along with the eyes to the glory days of the planes.

And kudos to the EAA AirMuseum for including in their display a section of artifacts and memorial to those on the Homefront. The tie-in between the art and the lives affected back home brought completion to the display. Beautifully done, we even get to know a little more about some of the riveters that made the planes.For more information about the museum and display, please click here.

Posted in Uncategorized

Deeply Rooted

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Becky Brillon

While rummaging through the attic this spring I came across this photo of three women out standing (outstanding) in a garden. It was found in a family album without any details about who they are and where they planted this garden. Based on where the photo was placed in the album, it is a pretty good assumption that this is a Victory Garden – a source of corn, chard, onions, cabbage, time spent with other women, pride and joy.

During World War II, 44 percent of the nation’s produce was grown in home gardens. The Victory Gardens achieved the equivalent amount of produce from all U.S. farms combined. At the end of the war, industrialization took over, families moved to the suburbs to earn paychecks off the farm. Considering the time and attention involved, food became cheaper to buy than grow and our country went from producing 44 percent of its produce in home gardens during WWII to just 2 percent by the early 1990’s. I’m happy to learn from the National Gardening Association that the millennials are joining in large numbers with the die-hard members of past generations to make a comeback on the backyard garden. To their count, 1 in 3 Americans are again growing at least some of their food in their backyard.

This year my Victory Garden is struggling in cold and rain. By farmer folklore, it is important to plant potatoes on Good Friday in order to harvest them on the Fourth of July. With Good Friday being especially early this year and the spring being unusually cold, I couldn’t plant potatoes on time as there was snow on the ground. In the last 30 days, five inches of rain has fallen on my garden plot and temperatures have been averaging 20 degrees colder than normal.

In the roughly four nice days we’ve had so far this spring, I was able to plant a row of bee-loving wildflowers, a row of aphid-hating marigolds, four rows of peas, two rows of green beans, two rows of heirloom lettuce, one row of beets, a patch of cucumbers, six varieties of tomatoes, and four hills of potatoes. I’m hoping for Victory.

Posted in Uncategorized, Victory Gardening

Oranges in Your Stocking & Oranges in Your Marmalade

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Becky Brillon

Orange season was getting away from me. Florida and California varieties usually arrive around the second week of November and keep coming through late spring. They’re not great at the extreme ends of the season. February, March and April are the peak months. Late in the season they are likely to be dry, puffy and expensive. Oranges are not a summer fruit.

My grandparents and great-grandparents knew what it was like to go three seasons without an orange. And my hunch is that they knew very well the first November oranges weren’t the best and that’s why oranges stuffed in December’s Christmas stockings were considered a wonderful treat. By the time the tradition made it to my generation, my cousins and I didn’t understand it and we didn’t see the sense in using an apple and an orange to take up valuable chocolate space in the stocking.

Now knowing that oranges in the winter are the watermelon of summer, things seem very different. Imagine if we weren’t able to go to the grocery store any time of the year whenever we chose to buy oranges and fresh (real) orange juice. Oranges would definitely feel like an exciting gift in December.

With prices the lowest of the season, at the time when they are the best-tasting, it was time to buy in bulk even if they were perishable. The WWII answer to perishable bulk was to preserve.

Orange Marmalade. Not my favorite, but one of the only peanut butter combinations my husband will eat.

In the 1942 Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book, marmalade is described as “similar to jellies in texture with small thin slices or small pieces of the fruit appearing throughout the product. They are usually although not always made of citrus fruits.”

An orange marmalade takes 10 medium-sized oranges, 2 large lemons, water and sugar.

Here’s the recipe instructions: Wash the fruit thoroughly; cut in quarters, then in very thin slices, discarding all membrane and saving all pulp, rind and juice.

Cover with cold water in a heavy kettle; let stand overnight.

Cook in the same water until the peel is tender; let stand for 5 to 6 hours.

Weigh the whole batch and add an equal weight of sugar.

Cook until the sirup gives the jelly test. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.

Pour immediately into hot sterilized jars and seal at once.

The Jelly Test: As the juice-sugar mixture nears the jellying point test frequently. Dip a spoon into the boiling mass, remove and allow the juice to drip from the side of the spoon. As it nears the jelly stage it will drip from the spoon in two drops ¼ to ½ inch apart; when the jellying point has been reached the two drops will run together and drop off in one sheet or flake.

A candy or jelly thermometer may be used instead of the jelly test to determine the jelly stage. At sea level the jellying point is reached at 220° F to 222° F; at higher altitudes it is reached at a lower temperature.

The 1942 cookbook goes on to describe the next steps of filling and sealing the glasses: Skim the surface of the jelly and pour immediately into hot sterilized jelly glasses, holding the pot close to the glass while pouring to avoid incorporating air bubbles. Fill the glasses to within 1/8 inch of the top; the jelly shrinks as it cools.

Pour a thin layer of melted paraffin immediately over the surface of the jelly. Allow the jelly to cool thoroughly, then cover the glasses and store in a cool place.

I used the thermometer method. Actually, I tried both, but the jelly test method left too much room for error. It’s one of those things I feel need to be shown, not read about, to fully understand. The next easiest thing would be to YouTube the jelly test method and watch/listen to a stranger through my computer explain it – I think I’d much rather find someone who learned from their mother or grandmother to show me.

All told, for a very short amount of time and for roughly 23¢ a jar (uh-huh!), I will likely not buy marmalade from the store ever again.

Posted in Canning & Preserving, Make It Yourself, Use it Up

Break All Rules…Make Delicious Cakes

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Becky Brillon Leave a comment

“Nation’s Cake-Makers Now “Break All Rules”…Make Delicious Cakes!” – Easy, Speedy, New Softasilk Method uses only one bowl!” Betty Crocker touted the new Softasilk Cake Flour as “Our Dream Come True”.

To those who may not remember a time when cakes were made by opening a box and adding a minimal number of ingredients, with the most time-consuming part of the ordeal being the time the cake sat in an oven, cake baking originally took much more time, a list of ingredients and more than one bowl. Who had time for such a chore?

In its first move towards more convenient baking, General Mills’ Softasilk invention was an “amazement”. There was no longer a need to cream shortening first in its own bowl and beat eggs inside their own bowl to make a good-tasting, fluffy cake.

The revolution involved understanding gluten (and you thought gluten was a modern foodie term!) and making it softer, less tough.

So, what is the secret? It’s a special kind of flour, cake flour. Basically, it comes down to how much protein is in the flour. This determines whether your dessert is light and cake-like, or thick and bread-like.

Hard wheat produces a high-protein flour usually sold as “bread flour”. Soft wheat produces a low-protein flour usually called “cake flour”. The stuff that’s usually sold as “All-Purpose” flour is a mix of the two. According to my research, Softasilk is all-purpose flour with a touch of cornstarch added, lightening the final product. You can make a fair version from the all-purpose you already have in the pantry by adding 1 tsp. cornstarch to every cup of all-purpose flour called for in the recipe.

Back to the advertisement in the Woman’s Day 1943 magazine, homemakers could send for four ‘amazing’ recipes. The recipe included in the magazine was Cocoa Divinity Cake.

Cocoa Divinity Cake

Set out all ingredients well ahead to get to room temperature. (Shortening should be soft, not melted.) Pre-heat oven to 350°. Prepare pans (see below). Sift Softasilk before measuring. Measure all ingredients before starting to mix.

Sift together into bowl:

2 C sifted Softasilk

*1 ¼ or 1 ½ or 1 ¾ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ cups sugar

6 tbsp. cocoa

Add:

2/3 cup high grade vegetable shortening

1 cup buttermilk

Mix with electric mixer on slow to medium speed (or beat with spoon) for 2 min. by clock. Scrape bow frequently.

Add:

2 large eggs, unbeaten.

Mix with electric mixer 2 more min. (scraping bowl frequently). Pour into two well-greased and floured 8-in. round layer cake pans or one 8 ½-in. sq. cake 45 to 50 min.; in moderate oven (350°).

1 ¼ tsp. double action type (“Clabber Girl,” “Davis,” “Calumet,” “KC,” etc.); or 1 ½ tsp. phosphate type (“Rumford,” “Dr. Price’s,” etc.); or 1 ¾ tsp. tartrate type (“Royal” etc.). For an attractive red color, add ¼ tsp. red vegetable coloring to batter.

NOTE: You can rest a moment when mixing by hand. Just count actual mixing time.

Softasilk cake flour is still sold under the Pillsbury family of baking ingredients.

Posted in Dessert

Christmas Through the War

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Becky Brillon Leave a comment

Several years ago I stumbled upon a book by Jim Benes, titled Chicago Christmas – One Hundred Years of Christmas Memories. It’s a fantastic book recounting the Christmas events and headlines in Chicago from 1900-1999. The book gives us a look into Christmas during World War II.

1941: Christmas fell 18 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. People were still in shock of the attack and only beginning to realize what itmeant for the U.S. to be engaged in war with Japan and Germany. Off the west coast, Japanese submarines were shelling and torpedoing American freighters, within sight of the coast. People were in a panic to move inland and mass transit towards the safety of the Midwest was in high demand.

People were learning how to ‘black out’ their homes and businesses to prevent air raids. If lights on the ground could not be seen from the air, bombers may not see towns and cities as a target. Interestingly, a Police Captain from Chicago came up with the solution of how to safely keep traffic lights burning, but block them from the air. He suggested installing caps above the lights on the lights. The caps remain today, and I’ve often wondered why!

1942: Outdoor Christmas light displays were allowed, but they were subject to emergency blackout orders. The War Production Board asked that such lighting be eliminated entirely across the country.

It was a record cold Christmas. Heating oil was being rationed and fear of shortages was causing panic. Federal Price Administrator Leon Henderson allowed thirteen states to move up the start of the next rationing period by two weeks, easing some worry.

Newspapers all over the country ran columns and columns of the names of hometown heroes earning promotions or being injured. There was heavy fighting in Russia and American fliers were “expressing amazement at the amount of punishment their sturdy B-17s could take and keep flying”.

1942SearsChristmasBookPage0024

Benes shared the story of one family in Blue Island, IL. A mother of eight was in the hospital and in dire straits to the point she had told her children Santa had been killed in the war. The local Kiwanis Club decided to play Santa in order to change the message.

The top song of the season was White Christmas by Bing Crosby, newly recorded. Another favorite song was Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition and There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere.

1943: Chicago’s temperature reached forty-six degrees on Christmas. It was a holiday off for many plant workers. It was a special day to not work…New Year’s Day a week later was a normal working day for the war effort.

1943SearsChristmasBookPage0067

On board Great Lakes Station in Chicago, sixty-six thousand sailors and WAVES were stationed and enjoyed a Christmas dinner: 10,000 mince pies, 35,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, and 61,000 pounds of turkey. Of course, this meant a shortage of such on the civilian tables.

If you could find a turkey to buy, it would cost 50¢ a pound (equivalent of $6.68 in 2015).

1943SearsChristmasBookPage0112

1944: A cold and snowy Christmas left slippery sidewalks and roadways. The Battle of the Bulge waged in Europe, Hitler’s last-ditch offensive. Sadly, news surfaced on Christmas Day that orchestra leader Major Glenn Miller had been missing since December 15^th when his plane disappeared between England and Paris.

Turkey, still scarce, cost 49¢ a pound (equivalent of $6.72 in 2015), cranberry sauce was 20¢ for a sixteen-ounce can plus forty blue ration points (equivalent of $2.70 in 2015).

Under the tree little boys may have found metal trucks, electric football or baseball games. Little girls may have found baby dolls with their own suitcases, bottles, and changes of clothes. The dolls drank and wet (cost $1.98 then, $26.70 today’s equivalent).

1945: “This is the Christmas that a war-weary world has prayedfor through long and awful years,” declared President Harry Truman as he lit the national tree on Christmas Eve. “In love, which is the very essence of the message of the Price of Peace, the world would find a solution for all its ills. I do not believe there is one problem in this country – in the world – today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount,” he told a nationwide radio audience.

Many homes were reunited for Christmas. …but only if they could get a train home! In Los Angeles 1,900 soldiers were being held aboard their ship because staging camps were filled. Another 75,000 soldiers were nearing the coast. Forty-five thousand men were awaiting trains in San Francisco, 27,000 in Los Angeles, 17,000 in Se 34890335eb8a43c4a229e7e637d0c479 attle, 4,500 in Portland. An additional 110,700 were expected to arrive on the West Coast within the following week. 94% of eastbound passengers from the west coast to Chicago were military personnel. Schedules went to the wind and special train routes were called in, but there was no way to accommodate all of the soldiers returning home. Police officers were called in to stop riots, Governor Dwight Green called up five hundred Illinois reservists and more than one hundred jeeps and trucks to help shuttle servicemen out of the area.

Among the rail passengers who passed through Chicago in the days before Christmas was Col. Jimmy Stewart. He was on his way to Pennsylvania to spend the holiday with his mother. Stewart told reporters that after he received his air force discharge in February, he planned to start work on a new picture: It’s a Wonderful Life.

(Photos of the Sears Wish Book, years 1942-1943. Found on www.wishbookweb.net)

Find Jim Benes’ book here.

Posted in Holidays

December 7th…74 Years Later

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Becky Brillon Leave a comment

Another year has passed since Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941. President Franklin Roosevelt was absolutely correct when he said it would become a date that would live in infamy. Most of us have heard the beginning of the famous address to the nation: “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

The speech is not long, less than eight minutes in length, but very few people who I have met in the past year have been able to recall the final two minutes of the speech, which I feel are very powerful words to describe United States history:

“As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.”

What FDR phrased as the “unbounding determination of our people” is the essence of The Greatest Generation. The rationing rules and War Bond sales on the home front were considered the duty of all in order to prove the resolve of the country. They were called to serve at home, and serve they did.

In the name of those who died at Pearl Harbor, women went to work in the kitchen, in war production plants, at Red Cross volunteer campaigns, in scrap metal drives, at church gatherings to support Blue Star Mothers and young widows, and on and on.

Americans’ way of living was drastically affected between 1941 and 1945. The sacrifice of war was carried by all.

Sugar bowls were nearly empty. Every scrap of paper used to wrap meat and sandwiches, tin from cans and ounce of grease from frying was recycled for war needs.

Lessons from WWII food rationing remain untaught in my kitchen. The past year of living aware of the rules and being mindful of the differences between 1943 and 2014 is still interesting to me. There remain many more things to write about.

Posted in History & Why Am I Doing This WWII Rationing Project Thing, Memorial, Uncategorized

Thankful

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Becky Brillon Leave a comment

Norman Rockwell’s Freedom from Want painting is an iconic Thanksgiving scene of generations gathered around the dining table with a golden brown turkey as the focal point. The painting served an important purpose to keep Americans focused on the rewards of sacrifice that couldn’t be far off.

Thanksgiving meals during WWII had traditional elements similar to modern day dinners. The November 1943 Health For Victory Meal Planning Guide outlined a special meal for the day:

Roast Chicken with Gravy, Southern Corn Bread Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Wartime Cranberry Sauce, Green Beans in Creamy Sauce, Enriched White Bread, Butter or Fortified Margarine, Eggless Pumpkin Pie, and Cream Cheese Topping.

Turkey has never appeared in any of the WWII magazines or cooking pamphlets I’ve collected. The way we think of a full bird turkey now – an occasional meal for special holidays – was how families viewed chicken back in the 1940’s. All of the folks I interviewed for this project mentioned that chicken was a special meal, served less than six times a year. And for the family that could not find a chicken for the table, they turned to the field for a goose, duck, pheasant…and possibly a wild turkey.

From the menu in the wartime planner, I focused in on two recipes: Wartime Cranberry Sauce and Eggless Pumpkin Pie.

Wartime Cranberry Sauce:

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. sugar

1 3/4 c. water

4 c. cranberries

Boil corn syrup, sugar and water together 5 minutes. Wash cranberries and drain. Add cranberries to the syrup and boil – without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the saucepan. Makes 1 quart of sauce.

Eggless Pumpkin Pie:

2 c. pumpkin

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. milk

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. all-purpose enriched flour

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredients together and pour into 9-inch pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer.

Cream Cheese Topping:

1 pkg. cream cheese (2 oz.)

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

2 tbsp. top milk

Cream cheese, ether in an electric mixer or in a bowl with a fork. Add all ingredients and beat well. Very good on gingerbread, apple or pumpkin pie.

Posted in Dessert, Holidays tagged with Thanksgiving

Victory in the Garden

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Becky Brillon Leave a comment

The temperatures have hit frost twice and freezing once now. I took some time a couple of weeks ago to tuck the Victory Garden in for the winter. After pulling out the last of the kale plants and tomatoes, I emptied and carried in the rain barrel and spread the compost bin over the whole thing. The trees cooperated and kindly dropped their leaves on top. Nice and snug.

It wasn’t until very recently when I stumbled upon a March, 1943 Woman’s Day magazine at a used book sale that I realized the correct measurements of a true Victory Garden. The interview with an Office of Information US Department of Agriculture spelled it out clear — 30 x 50 feet for a small garden, done in two plantings.

Pole Snap Beans, Pole Lima Beans, Tomatoes, Chard Lettuce, Beets, Carrots, Turnips, Cabbage, Onions, Radishes, and Spinach in the spring. After harvesting beans, plant three rows of turnips. In late July when lettuce is gone, plant 1/2 row of carrots. After harvesting beets, carrots and turnips, plant two rows of Collards. After harvesting cabbage and onions, plant three rows of beets. When radishes and spinach are gone, plant two rows of beans. Ideally rows should run north to south.

Did you catch that — ‘small garden’? My garden measured 30 x 10 feet. And that was a double in size from before the War In My Kitchen project began. I didn’t come nearly as close to the variety of plantings the government requested of me (Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, Kale, Lettuce, Beets, Pumpkins, Potatoes, Cucumbers, Dill). There’s always next year…which is what us gardeners start to think about on the first snowy days in January.

Americans did their part to follow the recommendations of the government. 20 Million Victory Gardens were planted during the war years, accounting for 30%-40% of the demand for vegetables, nearly 10 million tons all planted and harvested by hand, prepped by women in their war kitchens.

From my garden to the canning shelf in my basement, I have preserved Dill Pickles, Pickle Relish, Salsa, V-8 Juice, Spaghetti Sauce, Diced Tomatoes, Apple Pie filling, Applesauce and even a little horseradish (a little goes a long way!).

History shows that we were more than willing to turn the farming back over to the farmers at the end of the war. Food shortages remained in 1946 because people stopped gardening and turned to grocery stores. Agriculture was adjusting planting and harvesting techniques learned during the war years and transportation from farm to store were lagging. Boom time was coming and freedom from want was ending, but we had to readjust our planning and producing towards for our own first. Times were changing.

Posted in Canning & Preserving, Food Fighting, Make It Yourself, Victory Gardening tagged with 1943, Victory Gardening

Time to Make the Birthday Doughnuts

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Becky Brillon Leave a comment

My Great Grandmother, Edith was born on October 7th 1902. The photo above was taken in 1944 while my Grandfather was home on Christmas furlough between basic training and his entry into the war – first stop, Battle of the Bulge.

A farm family of seven children, the youngest born twenty years after the oldest when my great grandmother was 42 years old. The baby is only eight months old in the photo.

I remember Great Grandma as a frail, but happy lady. She was always smiling and took incredible joy in visits from all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She passed away when I was four years old and I can remember being at the cemetery for her burial. I remember her so well because my mom often drove me and my brother to their home between supper and chores to check in. They lived only a few miles away on an old farm.

Autumn especially reminds me of Great Grandma. Their front room smelled liked fresh picked apples in the fall. They would store bushels and bushels of them there all winter since it was unheated and kept them cool enough to last.

I stalled out on Great Grandma’s birthday recipe. She is the origin of the pie crust recipe my mom uses, but I wanted to bake something that was in her handwriting. For the most part, I had assumed she was one of those cooks that baked from memory. I had trouble sourcing recipes from her when I put together the family cookbook. After it was printed though a family reunion turned up her doughnut recipe and some good memories. I was delighted to get the recipe, in her handwriting written on a card to another family member.

Grandma’s Doughnuts

1 C Sugar

2 Eggs. Beat this with spoon.

1/2 C Sweet Cream

1 C Buttermilk, add:

1 tsp. Soda (to Buttermilk).

1 tsp. Baking Powder to 1 cup Flour. Add to first part.

3 cups Flour, but not all at once.

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg (McNess – HeHa!)

1/2 tsp. Salt in Flour

Mix well, but not real stiff.

Put flour on board and fold dough over and over to form a ball. Pat and then roll 1/2 inch thick and cut out. Fry in Spry or Crisco. Melt this in a frying pan so pan half full of melted. Drop piece of bread or a little doughnut ball to test if it is just hot enough to brown. And you can save this and use it over again. Say about 350 degrees and turn as soon as they come to top and then turn again until other side is brown. I think you’ve seen me make these before. It makes three dozen. The little balls make three dozen more.

Her letter goes on to talk about the postage rate going up to 13 cents (making the letter written in 1975). She also talked about the crops – Army worms were in the grain and had to be sprayed. The field was turning golden and the corn was so high they could no longer see the neighbor’s farm.

Happy Birthday Great Grandma! I know your farm in Heaven has an even more beautiful view (without Army worms).

Posted in Birthdays

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