 |
| The names of Canadian Soldiers and Nurses that local volunteers were providing knit wear during the Second World War. This archives collection came from the estate of Ruby Speicher. |
THE FIRST ROBIN AT BIRCH HOLLOW; MAYBE WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT AUSTERITY; ARE WE ON THE BRINK?
KNITTING FOR THOSE IN SERVICE OF HOME AND COUNTRY - A TIME WHEN COMMUNITIES BECAME POWER HOUSES OF AMBITION AND OUT
SUZANNE HEARD THE FIRST ROBIN, HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SHE'S GOOD AT THIS, BECAUSE OF FORMER BOARD OF EDUCATION INSPECTOR, FRED HAMIL. SUZANNE, YOU SEE, WAS A STUDENT IN A ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE, FIRST IN THE LAKE ROSSEAU VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE. WHEN THEY BEGAN CONSOLIDATING SMALLER VILLAGE SCHOOLS, IN THE MID 1960'S, SHE WAS THEN SENT FOR UPPER GRADES, TO THE UFFORD PUBLIC SCHOOL. IT WAS AT THE UFFORD SCHOOL, THAT SHE FIRST MET FRED HAMMEL, AND HE WAS SO ACCURATE WITH HIS BIRD CALLS, THAT HE ACTUALLY ATTRACTED A BIRD THROUGH THE SCHOOL DOOR; EVENTUALLY HAVING TO BE CAUGHT WITH A NET, SO IT COULD BE REMOVED. THEN SHE MOVED ON TO WATT PUBLIC SCHOOL, AFTER IT WAS CONSTRUCTED, IN THE LATER 1960'S. I WENT TO BRACEBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL. OUTSIDE OF GENERAL EDUCATION, WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF REGULAR VISITS BY FRED HAMMEL, ONE OF THE FINEST EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS TO GRACE THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD. FRED, A NATIVE OF THE RAYMOND, THREE MILE LAKE, SKELETON LAKE AREA OF WATT TOWNSHIP, (PRESENT TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES), USED TO VISIT THE SCHOOLS UNDER HIS DIRECTION, MANY TIMES OVER THE YEAR.
OUR TEACHERS WOULD LET US KNOW HE WAS COMING, TO VISIT OUR CLASS, BUT LIKE A WAFTING VAPOR, FRED WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN BE SITTING AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS, ASSESSING OUR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. HE WASN'T AN IMPOSING FIGURE WHATSOEVER, AND HE WAS JUST LIKE A FAVORITE UNCLE TO US KIDS. HE WAS DEFINITELY OLD SCHOOL, IN HIS VALUES ABOUT EDUCATION, AND WHAT IT SHOULD DO, TO PROMOTE GOOD CITIZENSHIP, AND COMMUNITY-MINDEDNESS. AND, IF WE HAD BEEN WELL BEHAVED ON THE DAY OF HIS VISIT, HE WOULD REGALE US WITH HIS FAMOUS BIRD CALLS. HE KNEW ALL THE NATIVE SPECIES OF BIRDS, TO THE MUSKOKA REGION, AND IT WAS A REAL TREAT TO HEAR HIM IMITATE THE CALLS; WHICH WERE PRETTY DARN CLOSE TO THE REAL THING. SO WHAT I'M POINTING OUT HERE, IS THAT SUZANNE, MORE THAN ME, REMEMBERED THOSE OCCASIONAL BIRD-CALL UPGRADES, COURTESY OF THE KINDLY MR. HAMMEL; A NAME THAT STILL MAKES A LOT OF US BABY BOOMERS THINK BACK FONDLY, TO THE DAYS AND EVENTS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL. FRED WAS A HANDS-ON ADMINISTRATOR, AND YOU'D OFTEN SEE KIDS GATHERING AROUND HIM, AFTER A CLASSROOM VISIT, TO ASK HIM MORE ABOUT THE BIRDS. NOW, MIGHT WE EXPECT OUR SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS TO BE THIS CLOSE WITH STUDENTS IN TODAY'S EDUCATION SYSTEM? WELL, IT ISN'T GOING HAPPEN, BECAUSE ADMINISTRATORS HAVE ENCASED THEMSELVES IN OFFICE AND "MEETING" PROTOCOLS, SO THEY DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO GET INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE STUDENTS AND THEIR DAILY NEEDS. WELL SIR, SUZANNE AND I ARE GRADUATES OF THE FRED HAMMEL DAYS OF EDUCATION, AND WE COULD NEVER THINK OF OURSELVES AS HAVING BEEN SHORTCHANGED BY THE SYSTEM BACK THEN; DESPITE WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN PERCEIVED AS THE RURAL DEFICIENCIES IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON, WE BOTH SAW THE ROBIN, THAT HAD BEEN CHIRPING AT US SINCE SUNDAY. WE OFFERED A HUMBLE APOLOGY ABOUT THE SNOW COVER, AND ITS DEEP MANTLE OVER MOST OF MUSKOKA. THERE ARE A FEW PATCHES OF OPEN EARTH OVER IN THE BOG, WHICH MAY OFFER THE ROBINS SOME EARTH-DWELLERS TO FEED ON. SO WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SUN TODAY, THERE ARE THESE CHEERFUL SOUNDS OF ROBINS, BASKING (AND A LITTLE CHILLY) IN THE SNOWY GARDENS OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. NOW THAT'S INSPIRATIONAL. SPRING HAS FINALLY ARRIVED. GOD BLESS. AND THANKS FRED HAMIL, FOR SOME INTERESTING CLASSROOM EXCHANGES, A WAY BACK THEN.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT AUSTERITY, AS RELATED TO A WORLD CRISIS?
A FEW DAYS AGO, WITH SOME TREPIDATION (BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THIS TO COME TRUE) I PREDICTED THE IMMINENT INVASION OF THE EASTERN UKRAINE, BY RUSSIAN FORCES, SOMETIME IN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS. I ALSO PREDICTED THAT "NATO" FORCES, WOULD MAKE THEIR PRESENCE KNOWN, WITH SOME BIG BANGS, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR, TO INVADE A NEIGHBOR-COUNTRY. MY ESTIMATION WAS THAT WITHIN A PERIOD OF SEVERAL WEEKS, IT'S LIKELY THE AMASSED FORTY THOUSAND RUSSIAN TROOPS (TIRED OF THEIR PRESENT PICNIC), WOULD BEGIN AN INVASION OF THIS REGION, MUCH AS THEY DID A MONTH AGO IN THE CRIMEA. LAST EVENING, AN OFFICIAL, DISCUSSING THE SITUATION, POINTED OUT THAT THIS LATEST RUSSIAN AGGRESSION, REPRESENTS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO EUROPE IN A GENERATION. OF COURSE IT IS. AND I'M PART OF THAT GENERATION, WHO REMEMBERS THE COLD WAR, AND HOW WE LIVED DAY TO DAY, WONDERING IF IT WOULD BE OUR LAST. MANY OF OUR FAMILIES PRACTICED AUSTERITY BECAUSE THEY'D ALSO LIVED THROUGH THE SECOND WORLD WAR, AND FOR MY PARENTS, THE GREAT DEPRESSION. THEY KNEW THE DRILL. THEY KNEW HOW TO PULL TOGETHER, AND MAKE DO WITH LESS. LIKE MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO COULD FEED A REGIMENT ON HER "EVERYTHING STEW," MY PARENTS NEVER THREW OUT ANY KIND OF LEFTOVER, WITHOUT ASSESSING WHAT IT WOULD DO TO THE TEXTURE, FLAVOR AND NUTRITION, OF A SOUP OR STEW SIMMERING ON THE STOVE-TOP.
MY MOTHER MERLE, USED TO TELL ME STORIES ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER, BLANCHE JACKSON, IN TORONTO, FEEDING HUNDREDS OF HOBOS AND OTHERWISE LOST AND HUNGRY SOULS, AT HER BIG KITCHEN TABLE; AND OFTEN ON THE BACK STOOP, AS SOME OF THE TRAVELLERS WOULDN'T COME INTO THE HOUSE FOR PERSONAL REASONS. SHE FED THEM ALL, AND NO ONE LEFT FEELING THEY HADN'T BEEN TREATED FAIRLY. THEY NEVER LEFT HUNGRY. AND PROBABLY, THEY HAD SOME LEFTOVERS TUCKED INTO THE BINDLE-STIFFS AS WELL.
IN MY YOUTH, IN THE LATE 1950'S, AND EARLY 1960'S, BOTH MY PARENTS WORKED, AND I SPENT MY THOSE YEARS UNDER THE WATCH OF MY SECOND MOTHER, ANNE NAGY, OWNER OF OUR APARTMENT BUILDING IN BURLINGTON. SHE WAS AN AMAZING COOK, AND TAUGHT ME AT A YOUNG AGE, ABOUT HOME ECONOMY. SHE COULD STRETCH FOOD TWICE THE DISTANCE, WITH NO COMPROMISE TO THE QUALITY OF THE DISH, SOUP, STEW OR PIE. I THINK MY MOTHER PICKED UP SOME OF HER PROTOCOLS OF KITCHEN ECONOMY, FOR OUR FAMILY AS WELL. THE PURPOSE FOR MENTIONING ALL THIS, IS THAT I GREW UP IN A FAMILY WHO ANTICIPATED HARD TIMES COMING, AND KNEW HOW TO KEEP US WELL FED ON A MINOR AMOUNT OF PROVISIONS. MILLIONS OF NORTH AMERICANS LIVED THE SAME WAY, EXPECTING THAT ONE DAY THE RUSSIANS WERE GOING TO CALL, AND IT WOULDN'T BE A FRIENDLY VISIT.
THIS MOST RECENT FORAY BY THE RUSSIANS, PROBABLY DOESN'T WORRY MOST CANADIANS, EXCEPT IF THEY HAVE UKRAINIAN ANCESTRY AND RELATIVES STILL IN EUROPE. BUT THEN, THERE ARE THOSE EUROPEANS, WHO HAVE KNOWN THIS ANGRY RUSSIAN BEAR INTIMATELY IN YEARS PAST; AND KNOW WHAT THIS COULD MEAN TO THE SECURITY OF NOT ONLY THE CONTINENT, BUT FOR EVERYONE ON THE PLANET. WHILE I DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME EMBROILED IN FEAR AND TREMBLING, HIDING IN OUR ROOT CELLAR, AWAITING THE BIG BOOM, I WORRY MOST THESE DAYS, THAT CANADIANS ARE GOING TO BE CAUGHT TERRIBLY ILL-PREPARED, FOR THE ECONOMIC FALL-OUT OF A NATO-RUSSIA DUST-UP OVER THE UKRAINE. WHAT WILL IT DO TO THE PRICE OF OIL AND WHAT CONSEQUENCES WILL DEVELOP, OVER TIME, AND DURATION OF THE CONFLICT, TO DESTABLIZE THE WORLD ECONOMY. THE INVASION OF THE CRIMEA CAUSED ONLY A SLIGHT RIPPLE IN THE MARKETS. EVEN THOUGH THE RESIDENTS OF THE CRIMEA WERE COMPROMISED BY LARGELY UNWELCOME GUESTS, AND THERE WAS SOME MINOR LOSS OF LIFE, THE MARKETS DIDN'T CRASH, BURN, OR DO MUCH MORE THAN CAUSE TRADERS MILD INCONVENIENCE; AND A TAD OF UNCERTAINTY FOR FIFTEEN OR SO MINUTES OF INTERNATIONAL HISTORY.
BUT IF FORTY THOUSAND TROOPS INVITE THEMSELVES, INTO THE EASTERN UKRAINE FOR EASTER, AND NATO IS FORCED TO RETALIATE, IT WOULD BE THE FIFTEEN MINUTES OF TOTAL RECKONING, AS A TRIGGER POINT, THAT COULD SEND THE WORLD ECONOMIC CLIMATE BACK INTO THE COLD, BLEAK DAYS OF WORLD WAR. THERE ARE EXPERTS WHO KNOW THIS, BUT ARE HOLDING THE CARDS CLOSE. THEY KNOW WHAT A PANIC CAN CAUSE? JUST WATCH THE PRICE OF GOLD? WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR HOMES AND LIVES, IF A WAR OF THIS SIZE, AND POWER, WAS TO BREAK OUT? AS MOST CANADIANS HAVE ONLY MINOR KNOWLEDGE OF THIS CRISIS, ON THE VERGE, IT WILL SEEM STRANGE AND UNEXPECTED, WHEN THEY FIND OUT WHAT AN EPIC BATTLE, BETWEEN SUPER-POWERS CAN DO, A HALF WORLD AWAY. SOME OF THIS SCIENCE-FICTION STUFF, WE SEE IN A THOUSAND TELEVISION SHOWS AND MOVIES, WILL BE FAR MORE REALISTIC, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, TO THE POINT OF ACTUALLY HURTING; BUT METHINKS IT WILL BE A SITUATION NO ONE WILL FIND ENTERTAINING OR RECREATIONAL. THERE ARE NO SUPER HEROES TO CALL. THIS REQUIRES MORTAL SOLUTIONS. I HAVE TWO MILITARY AGED LADS. WE HAVE A SMALL MILITARY FORCE IN CANADA, IN CASE YOU THOUGHT WE HAD A COMMITMENT OF MILLIONS. WE ARE PART OF NATO. WE HAVE HAD CONSCRIPTION BEFORE. MAYBE WE SHOULD START THINKING ABOUT WORSE CASE SCENARIOS, TO GET BETTER PREPARED FOR THE "NEW NORMAL," LIKE THE ONE THAT OCCURRED AFTER THE EVENTS OF "9-11." THE ONE WE HAVE SORT OF FORGOTTEN ABOUT, THAT WE AGREED, AT THE TIME, WE WOULDN'T LET SLIP FROM OUR MINDS. DO YOU REMEMBER THINKING, EARLY ON THAT FATEFUL DAY, IT MUST BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END? A WORLD WAR UNFOLDING. MEMORIES OF THE SNEAK ATTACK OF JAPAN ON PEARL HARBOR? WE SHOULD ALL KNOW THAT BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, SO IT MAKES SENSE TO ME, TO SPECULATE ON A FEW WHAT-IFS, BECAUSE I HATE SURPRISES. INVADING THE CRIMEA WAS BAD STUFF. POLITICAL SUICIDE. INVADING THE EASTERN UKRAINE, WILL BE THE SPARK TO A POWDER KEG, THAT HAS BEEN LEAKING POWDER FOR DECADES. WHY 2014? WHY IS RUSSIA SO EAGER TO PICK A FIGHT IT CAN'T POSSIBLY WIN? WHY WOULD IT RISK ITS ECONOMIC GAINS, FOR COLD WAR ISOLATION? A LOT OF QUESTIONS BUT VERY FEW ANSWERS.
SO AS A LITTLE PRIMER TO WHAT WAS COMMONPLACE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, I WANTED TO RE-PUBLISH SOME FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ADVICE, MADE AVAILABLE TO CITIZENS, ABOUT SUCH MATTERS AS HOME ECONOMY, INCLUDING "EATING FISH," AND "THE WARTIME GARDEN." PICTURED ABOVE TODAY'S BLOG, YOU WILL SEE LISTS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL, AND OVERSEAS ASSISTANTS (SUCH AS CANADIAN NURSES), WHO WERE TO BE THE RECIPIENTS OF KNIT-WARE, CRAFTED BY STALWART REGIONAL VOLUNTEERS, DURING THE DARK DAYS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. FIRST, SOME TIPS ON "ONTARIO FISH AND HOW TO COOK THEM."
"BE PATRIOTIC - EAT FISH; ONTARIO'S CITIZENS CAN HELP TO WIN THE WAR BY EATING FISH, AND PARTICULARLY BY EATING THE CHEAPER, THOUGH SCARCELY POORER, KINDS OF FISH. OUR SOLDIERS AND KINSMEN OVERSEAS NEED EVERY POUND OF FOOD WE CAN SEND THEM, AND THE PUREST PATRIOTISM, WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE SHOULD EAT THE FOOD WHICH WE CANNOT POSSIBLY EXPORT, IN PREFERENCE TO THAT WHICH CAN BE EXPORTED AND UPON WHICH OUR ALLIES RELY. EAT FISH BECAUSE IT IS WHOLESOME, PALATABLE FOOD. EAT FISH AND REDUCE THE COST OF LIVING. EAT FISH AS A PATRIOTIC DUTY."
"ONTARIO WATERS ARE RICH IN FISH; NATURE HAS STORED THE WATERS OF ONTARIO WITH FISH OF MANY KINDS. ON THE ONE HAND, WE HAVE BASS AND BROOK TROUT, TO DELIGHT THE ANGLER, AND ON THE OTHER, WHITEFISH, SALMON TROUT, AND MANY OTHERS TO FEED MILLIONS AS THE FISH OF COMMERCE. THIS RICH HERITAGE COSTS MAN NOTHING TO FEED AND BRING TO MATURITY - IT WAITS ONLY TO BE HARVESTED. IT IS OUR DUTY TODAY, IN THIS TIME OF FOOD SHORTAGE, TO EAT FISH IN ORDER THAT MEAT AND GRAIN, MAY BE SAVED FOR EXPORT. FISH IS WAITING TO BE CAUGHT - IT TAKES BOTH TIME AND MONEY TO RAISE MEAT AND GRAIN, AND THESE ARE NEEDED AT ONCE FOR OUR SOLDIERS AND KINSMEN OVERSEAS.
"THE FOOD VALUE OF ANYTHING DEPENDS UPON ITS CHEMICAL MAKE-UP AND ITS DIGESTIBILITY. IN BOTH RESPECTS FISH STANDS VERY HIGH. IT CONTAINS BOTH PROTEIN, THE BODY-BUILDING COMPOUND, AND FAT, THE FUEL OR ENERGIZING COMPOUND, IN EXCELLENT PROPORTIONS, AND IT IS MORE EASILY DIGESTED, AND MORE READILY ASSIMILATED, TO THE BODILY NEEDS THAN MEAT. THE MORE FISH WE EAT, THE LESS IT SHOULD COST. THE MORE MACHINES OF ONE KIND, A FACTORY TURNS OUT, THE LESS EACH WILL COST; SO, THE MORE FISH WE EAT, THE LESS IT WILL COST A POUND, TO SUPPLY IT TO US. A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MACHINERY - THE FISHERMAN, THE RAILROAD, THE DISTRIBUTOR, THE RETAIL MERCHANT - TO GET FISH TO US AT ALL, IT CAN SUPPLY TEN TIMES THE QUANTITY, FOR ABOUT THE SAME OVERHEAD COST. IF THEREFORE, WE ASSURE OUR FISH MERCHANTS OF A REGULAR AND INCREASING DEMAND, THEY CAN AFFORD TO REDUCE THE COST PER POUND, AND AT THE SAME TIME GIVE A MUCH BETTER SERVICE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS." AS THE BROCHURE, ONE OF MANY PUT OUT BY THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE PROVINCES, AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, OFFERS AS GOOD HOME AND NATIONAL ECONOMY; "THE PATRIOTIC DUTY OF EVERY CITIZEN TO CONSERVE THE FOOD SUPPLY, OF MEAT AND GRAIN, BY THE LARGER CONSUMPTION OF FISH."
SPECIAL PAMPHLET NUMBER 76, PUBLISHED BY THE AGRICULTURAL SUPPLIES BOARD OF CANADA, PRODUCED IN SUPPORT OF THE HOME WAR EFFORT, IS ENTITLED THE "WAR-TIME PRODUCTION SERIES," SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING "THE WARTIME GARDEN." IT NOTES AS FOLLOWS: "THERE IS A GREATER NEED FOR HOME PRODUCTION OF VEGETABLES NOW, THAN AT ANY TIME DURING THE WAR. EVERY AVAILABLE BIT OF LAND THAT IS SUITABLE SHOULD BE PUT INTO A GARDEN. THOSE WITH EXPERIENCE SHOULD HELP THEIR NEIGHBOURS, WHO WISH TO START; BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT PRODUCTION SHOULD BE THE GOAL. JUST HAVING A GARDEN WITHOUT CARRYING IT THROUGH TO A SUCCESSFUL RESULT, IS A WASTE MATERIALS AND MANPOWER. SEED, FERTILIZER, SPRAY MATERIALS AND TOOLS, ARE AVAILABLE BUT WE CANNOT AFFORD TO WASTE THEM."
AS FOR COMMUNITY GARDENS, "WHERE A LARGE AREA OF SUITABLE LAND CAN BE OBTAINED, FOR THE USE OF A NUMBER OF FAMILIES, THE WHOLE GARDEN SHOULD BE GIVEN UNIFORM TREATMENT OF PREPARATION. AFTER BEING FITTED FOR GARDEN WORK, IT SHOULD BE DIVIDED INTO PLOTS OF ABOUT ONE QUARTER ACRE AREA, OF APPROXIMATELY FIFTY BY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN FEET, EXTENDING ACROSS THE FULL WIDTH OF THE AREA. THIS MAKES LONG NARROW GARDENS. THE PLAN COULD THEN BE ARRANGED SO THAT THE PLANTING OF POTATOES, BEANS, CABBAGE, ETC., COULD RUN AROSS ALL THE GARDENS. THE TIME FOR PLANTING WOULD BE THE SAME, AND CULTIVATION GIVEN AT THE SAME TIME, UNDER PROPER SUPERVISION. WHEN INSECT AND DISEASE CONTROL WAS NECESSARY THIS COULD BE DONE TO BEST ADVANTAGE, BY GIVING THE SAME TREATMENT TO THE PARTICULAR CROP IN ALL THE GARDEN PLOTS AT THE SAME TIME. THIS WOULD BE MOST EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL OF MATERIALS." THE BOOKLETS, NUMBERING SIX, WERE ORIGINALLY FROM THE BEAMSVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL, AS SENT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DURING THE MID-YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
THE MOST FASCINATING, MUSEUM QUALITY EPHEMERA, WE OWN, REGARDING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, AND HOMELAND SERVICES, IS THE "MONARCH" KNITTING BOOK NUMBER 87, FEATURING "HAND KNITS FOR MEN AND WOMEN IN SERVICE," PUBLISHED BY THE MAKERS OF MONARCH YARNS. THE BOOK WAS USED BY LOCAL CITIZEN-VOLUNTEER, RUBY SPEICHER, A WELL KNOWN AND RESPECTED CRAFTER, IN SOUTH MUSKOKA, TO HELP WITH THE EFFORT TO SUPPLY KNIT-WEAR TO CANADIAN SOLDIERS, AND NURSES, SERVING IN EUROPE. THE PAGES THAT WERE FOLDED INTO THE MONARCH PATTERN BOOKLET, CONTAIN THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO SHE WAS KNITTING PIECES FOR, IN SERVICE OF HOME AND COUNTRY. THIS IS A REAL WAR-TIME TREASURE, AND DEMONSTRATES SO CLEARLY, WHAT RESIDENTS OF RESPECTIVE AREAS, ACROSS CANADA, WERE VOLUNTEERING TO DO, IN ORDER TO HELP THE MEN AND WOMEN WORKING WITH THE ALLIED FORCES. WE PICKED THIS BOOKLET AND INSERTS UP, DURING A BUYING TRIP TO ORILLIA.
SO WHAT ABOUT POST WAR HOME ECONOMY?
I HEARD A CUSTOMER IN THE SHOP, TODAY, COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING JUST RECEIVED A HYDRO BILL, THAT WILL COST HER WELL OVER FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR TWO MONTHS. SHE HAS A SMALL APARTMENT AND LIVES ALONE. THEN THERE ARE THE EVER-RISING UTILITIES AND TAXES. THE SHRINKING INCOME. THOSE ON FIXED INCOMES. I PAID A BUCK THIRTY-FIVE A LITRE FOR GAS LAST NIGHT AND WANTED TO CRY. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A SMALL PORK ROAST FOR TONIGHT'S DINNER BUT THE TWENTY-SIX DOLLAR ASKING PRICE SCARED ME OFF. THEN THERE WAS THE TWENTY BUCKS FOR A CHICKEN, AND WE HAVE TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY TO COOK IT. IF YOU'RE A RETAIL PRICE-WATCHER OUT THERE, SOMETHING BAD IS GOING ON, AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PUBLICITY ABOUT THE CHANGES. THERE ARE A LOT OF SHOCKED FACES, OF UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS, STARTLED BY RISING MEAT PRICES, THE SAME FOR A MAJORITY OF FOOD ITEMS THESE DAYS. IT MAY NOT SEEM A TIPPING POINT JUST YET, BUT ON THE CUSP OF WORLD CRISIS, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO FOOD PRICES, GAS AND OIL, IF AND WHEN THE RUSSIAN TROOPS STEP OVER THAT THIN RED LINE. THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS, WHO CAN NOT AFFORD MUCH MORE THAN A VARIETY OF CANNED SOUPS, STEWS, PASTA, RICE AND VEGETABLES, ON SALE PIZZAS AND FROZEN DINNERS. AS FOR NUTRITION? NOT GREAT.
SO A GOODLY SLICE OF OUR POPULATION, IS ALREADY HAVING TO BE SUPER RESOURCEFUL; JUST NOT PRACTICAL OR ECONOMICAL. OUR PROVINCE STOPPED TEACHING THESE SURVIVAL SKILLS IN OUR SCHOOLS, A LONG TIME AGO. BUT JUST TO REMIND THEM, WE JUST RECEIVED AN OLD COOKBOOK, ENTITLED "YOUR MONEY'S WORTH IN FOOD; 120 TESTED RECIPES AND MONEY SAVING FOOD FACTS," PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THE WOMEN'S INSTITUTE AND HOME ECONOMICS SERVICE. THE BOOKLET WAS PUBLISHED IN 1949, WHICH WAS A POST WAR RECESSION FOR MOST FAMILIES, FINDING IT HARD TO RECOVER AFTER THE ECONOMIC AND WORK STRESSES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR; AND THE SHORTAGES THEREAFTER. THERE IS A PRICE COMPARISON IN THE BOOKLET, DETAILING WHAT ONE CANADIAN DOLLAR BOUGHT IN 1937, AS COMPARED TO ONE DOLLAR SPENT IN 1949. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE POUND OF BUTTER COST THIRTY CENTS IN 1937, AND 73 CENTS IN 1949. TWO QUARTS OF MILK COST TWENTY CENTS IN 1937 AND THIRTY-SIX CENTS IN 1949.
"FOOD PRICES STILL PROBLEM," REPORTS THE BOOKLET. "THE HIGH COST OF FOOD CONTINUES TO BE THE GREATEST CONCERN OF MANY CANADIAN HOUSEWIVES. THE RETAIL FOOD INDEX HAS ADVANCED FROM 146 IN DECEMBER, 1946, TO 202 IN DECEMBER 1948. HERE ARE A FEW FIGURES. SEE FOR YOURSELF. BREAD WAS SEVEN CENTS A LOAF IN APRIL 1946. IT WAS DOUBLE THAT, AT FOURTEEN CENTS, IN JANUARY 1949. MILK WENT FROM ELEVEN CENTS TO EIGHTEEN CENTS, IN THREE YEARS. BUTTER, IN THE SAME PERIOD, WENT FROM FORTY-FOUR CENTS, TO SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS; EGGS, FROM FORTY-FOUR TO FIFTY-NINE; SIRLOIN STEAK, FORTY-FOUR CENTS A POUND, TO SIXTY NINE CENTS; ROUND STEAD, FORTY CENTS, TO SIXTY-NINE; BLADE ROAST, TWENTY-SIX TO FIFTY-FIVE; STEWING BEEF FROM TWENTY THREE CENTS, TO FORTY-NINE; LEG OF LAMB, FORTY-FIVE TO SIXTY-NINE; BACON, FIFTY-TWO CENTS A POUND TO SIXTY-NINE, AND IN SOME PLACES, AS HIGH AS NINETY-TWO; LARD, NINETEEN CENTS TO THIRTY-THREE; SUGAR FROM EIGHT CENTS A POUND TO NINE CENTS; COFFEE, FROM FORTY FIVE CENTS A POUND, TO SIXTY THREE CENTS; TEA, FROM SEVENTY-EIGHT CENTS TO A DOLLAR FOUR."
"WE SEE BY THE PAPER THAT THERE'S A GREAT HUE AND CRY, ABOUT THE HIGH COST OF LIVING AND PRESENT FOOD PRICES. THE HOUSEWIFE KNOWS ONLY TOO WELL, HER FOOD DOLLAR DOES NOT STRETCH AS FAR AS IT DID IN DAYS GONE BY. REMEMBER WHEN YOU COULD BARELY CARRY HOME THE GROCERIES, PURCHASED WITH A ONE DOLLAR BILL? NOW YOU TUCK THEM JAUNTILY UNDER ONE ARM. WITH SUCH REDUCTIONS IN THE PURCHASING POWER OF THE DOLLAR BILL, IT BEHOOVES US ALL TO GET OUR MONEY'S WORTH IN FOOD. FOOD PLAYS SUCH A VITAL ROLE IN HEALTH THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOWER OUR HEALTH STANDARDS, EVEN THOUGH PRICES HAVE SOARED. A SOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEM IS, TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PENNY WE SPEND, BUYS NOT ONLY FOOD, BUT FOOD FOR HEALTH. BUDGET FIRST FOR HEALTH FOODS." THIS WAS THE DIRECTIVE OF THE PUBLICATION IN 1949.
IT CONTINUES, BY NOTING, "WHAT ARE THE FOODS WHICH WE REQUIRE EACH DAY FOR HEALTH? HOW MUCH OF EACH DO WE NEED? NUTRITION AUTHORITIES HAVE LISTED THESE FOODS AND RECOMMENDED AMOUNTS. THIS LIST IS REFERRED TO AS 'CANADA'S FOOD RULES'. SPEND YOUR PRECIOUS FOOD MONEY ON THE FOODS INCLUDED IN THIS LIST. SPEND MONEY WISELY. YOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH MAY WELL DEPEND ON IT." I THINK MOST HOME ECONOMISTS TODAY, WATCHING WHAT PEOPLE ARE BUYING, TO FEED THEMSELVES, AND THEIR FAMILIES, WOULD AGREE WITH ONE GENERAL STATEMENT. WE ARE NOT EATING ECONOMICALLY. AND PROBABLY, AS WELL, WE ARE NOT EATING AS HEALTHY AS WE COULD, ON A LIMITED BUDGET.
"BETTER BALANCED MEALS AND GREATER VARIETY WILL BE THE RESULT IF MEALS ARE PLANNED SEVERAL DAYS OR A WEEK IN ADVANCE. YOU WILL ACTUALLY SAVE TIME IN SHOPPING AND IN FOOD PREPARATION TOO."
"TO HELP YOU AVOID PITFALLS, WE HAVE LISTED BELOW EXAMPLES OF EXTRAVAGANT AND ECONOMICAL FOODS. BY EXTRAVAGANT FOODS, WE MEAN THOSE THAT DO NOT PROVIDE THEIR SHARE OF FOOD ESSENTIALS IN PROPORTION TO THEIR COST. ECONOMICAL FOODS ARE THOSE WHICH YIELD YOUR MONEY'S WORTH IN FOOD VALUE: EXTRAVAGANT FOODS INCLUDE, STORE BOUGHT COOKIES AND CAKES, STORE PICKLES, STORE CATSUP, READY-TO-EAT CEREALS, PREPARED MIXES (PANCAKES, PASTRY, GINGERBREAD, ETC.) SPECIAL CAKE FLOURS, WHITE FLOUR AND WHITE BREAD USED EXCLUSIVELY, CANNED SOUPS, NUTS, OUT-OF-SEASON VEGETABLES, EXPENSIVE CUS OF MEAT."
"ECONOMICAL FOODS; MILK, WHOLE AND ESPECIALLY SKIM MILK AND BUTTERMILK; EVAPORATED MILK (DEPENDING ON LOCAL PRICE), CHEAPER CUTS OF MEAT, LIVER (BEEF, PORK), KIDNEY, HEART; WHILE WHEAT FLOUR, AND WHOLE WHEAT BREAD, WHEAT GERM, ROLLED OATS, OATMEAL, CRACKED WHEAT, FLAKED WHEAT; VITAMINIZED APPLE JUICE; DRIED PRUNES, PEACHES, APPLES." "THUS YOU SEE THAT GOOD FEEDING DOES NOT NECESSARILY DEPEND ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU SPEND, BUT ON THE WISE PLANNING OF MEALS AND ECONOMICAL MARKETING (GOING TO THE MARKET)."
"PLAN YOUR MEALS BEFORE YOU GO TO THE STORE, AND MAKE OUT A DEFINITE MARKET LIST. THIS ENABLES YOU TO SAVE TIME IN SHOPPING. IN THE LONG RUN, YOU WILL PROVIDE BETTER BALANCED MEALS WITH GREATER VARIETY FOR LESS MONEY. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY SPECIAL SALES AND REMEMBER THAT BULK PACKAGES ARE USUALLY CHEAPER, THAN THOSE FOODS PUT UP ON SMALL FANCY PACKAGES. YOU SAVE MONEY ON CANNED GOODS BY PURCHASING STANDARD OR CHOICE QUALITY, RATHER THAN FANCY QUALITY. THE FOOD VALUE DOES NOT INCREASE WITH THE GRADES. MAKE A PRACTICE OF STUDYING THE LABELS. THE CHEAPER CURS OF MEAT ARE FULLY AS NUTRITIOUS AS THE MORE EXPENSIVE CUTS AND WITH PROPER COOKING CAN BE MADE JUST AS PALATABLE. FOODS THAT ARE IN SEASON ARE A GOOD BUY BECAUSE THEY ARE AT THEIR CHEAPEST IN PRICE AND HIGHEST IN FOOD VALUE. INCIDENTALLY, FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SHOULD BE STORED IN A COOL ATMOSPHERE TO CUT DOWN THE LOSS OF VITAMIN C."
HERE'S ONE I'M SURE MY MOTHER MUST HAVE READ. "MAKING USE OF LEFTOVERS; THE BEST PREVENTION OF LEFTOVERS, OF COURSE, IS NOT TO COOK MORE THAN YOU KNOW YOUR FAMILY WILL CONSUME. WE KNOW FAMILIES THAT ALWAYS HAVE TWO OR THREE POTATOES LEFT IN THE DINNER POT. THEREFORE THEY CONTINUALLY HAVE A LEFTOVER PROBLEM. A LITTLE FORETHOUGHT IN MARKETING IS ANOTHER WAY OF AVOIDING THIS. HOWEVER, IF YOU DO FIND YOURSELF WITH A SURPLUS WE HAVE LISTED BELOW A FEW SUGGESTIONS ON THE ART OF GETTING RID OF LEFTOVERS; BREAD LEFTOVERS, BREAD PANCAKES, MELBA TOAST, BREAD CRUMBS, BREAD PUDDINGS; CEREALS, SOUPS, PUDDINGS; FISH, CHOWDERS, SOUFFLES, FISH CAKES, SANDWICHES, SALADS; FRUIT JUICES, SYRUPS, SAUCES, JELLIES; MEAT, STEW, MEAT PIE, HASH, SANDWICHES, MEAT ROLS, OMELETS, SALADS; SOUR CREAM, SALAD DRESSING, SOUR CREAM PIE, CAKES, MEAT DISHES, GINGERBREAD, COOKIES; SOUR MILK, MUFFINS, GRIDDLE CAKES, CAKES, COTTAGE CHEESE, GINGERBREAD, SALAD DRESSING; VEGETABLES, SOUPS, SALADS, CREAMED ON TOAST."
AS FOR SOUPS, "A HEARTY SOUP IS A MEAL IN ITSELF, WHICH YOU WILL DISCOVER WHEN YOU TRY THESE RECIPES. YOU WILL NOTE THAT WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LOW COST AND HIGH FOOD VALUE OF BEANS, AND INCLUDE THEM IN THE MAJORITY OF THESE SOUPS. BEANS HELP BALANCE THE FOOD BUDGET AND ADD NOURISHMENT TO YOUR DAILY MEALS; THEY INCLUDE RECIPES LIKE SCOTCH SOUP, LIMA BEAN SOUP, QUICK BEAN SOUP, BEAN PUREE SOUP, BAKED BEAN SOUP." WHAT ABOUT SOYBEANS IN CASSEROLE, ECONOMY STEW, CHEESE AND LIMA BEAN CASSEROLE, HAMBURGER AND MACARONI CASSEROLE, HAM AND EGG CUSTARD. THERE'S A FULL RECIPE LISTING IN THE SMALL BOOKLET, WITH THE TARGET OF HELPING CONSUMERS STRETCH THEIR GROCERY DOLLARS A LITTLE FURTHER. THERE ISN'T A RECIPE LISTED FOR MY GRANDMOTHER'S "EVERYDAY STEW, BUT SUFFICE TO SAY, THE TITLE REALLY DOES SAY IT ALL. NOTHING WENT TO WASTE. THAT WAS BLANCHE JACKSON'S HOME ECONOMY. SHE DIDN'T NEED A BOOK TO TELL HER HOW RESOURCEFUL SHE NEEDED TO BE. SHE HAD SIX KIDS TO FEED, THROUGH THE MOST OPPRESSIVE DAYS OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. MY MOTHER NEVER REMEMBERS GOING HUNGRY, EVER.
No comments:
Post a Comment