WARTIME NUTRITION

I follow the Modern Retro Woman blog site. Since the holidays, author Julie-Ann McFann, Ph. D., has been posting a rather in-depth history of the development of the standard nutrition chart, which evolved into our recommended daily allowances, or the current "food pyramid." (See link under "other interesting sites" on the sidebar.) The focus of "Modern Retro Woman" is living like your grandmother in the modern world. I relate to it because my mother and Julie-Ann's grandmother were the same age and the vintage exploration so inspires me. Anyway, as I was reading the nutrition recommendations from World War II, I thought of a couple of pamphlets with patriotic-looking covers in my mother's cookbook collection. I'd never paid much attention to them before because, after all, I'm not required to make do, but suddenly I was interested. I found those pamphlets the other day and have enjoyed looking them over. The pamphlets are:

Betty Crocker's Your Share -- How to prepare appetizing, healthful meals with food available today (1943)

Victory Meat Extenders, compliments of the National Live Stock and Meat Board

Younger readers might not know that food was rationed during the World War II. Housewives were encouraged to conserve food and stretch meals. Citizens were also encouraged to grow gardens ("victory gardens") to supplement their own food supply and to share with their neighbors or the community. How important was this effort? Was food really in short supply? I once questioned my mother on the subject. She said she didn't know whether food was in short supply or the government just wanted people to get in the habit of conserving. I believe she said that rationing was not a problem for her; she always had enough points to get the food she needed for her family (four children). During the war, she lived part of the year in Headquarters, a remote logging village, and she said that some people would donate their extra ration points to the grocery store because some of the "old loggers" just didn't understand about rationing. With donated ration stamps, the grocer had leeway to provide food to those without stamps.

I thought I might share some of the information from these war-era pamphlets, and I'm starting with a recipe for Stuffed Green Peppers. You might recall that we discussed recipes for stuffed peppers this past year and last night I prepared them for our dinner. Instead of following a cookbook recipe, I used what I had on hand. First I parboiled the peppers for five minutes. Then, to one pound of hamburger, I added ½ cup chopped onion, 1 ½ cups leftover cooked rice, 1 ½ cups homemade stewed tomatoes, 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce (for richer tomato flavor), 1 ½ tsps. Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper to taste. I stuffed three large green peppers with that mixture and baked at 350 for 45 minutes, topping with shredded cheddar cheese during the last few minutes of baking. That made four hearty servings – and one lunch.

Now – Here's a recipe for stuffed green peppers presented in the Victory Meat Extenders pamphlet: 1/3 pound meat – serves 6 (yes – it says six)

¾ cup cooked pork; ¼ cup milk or meat stock; 2 cups cooked rice; ½ tsp. paprika; 1 tbsp. grated onion; 1 tsp. salt; 1/8 tsp. pepper; 6 medium-sized green peppers

Parboil the green peppers for five minutes; remove, and plunge in cold water. Remove the caps and seeds. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Stuff the peppers with this. Place in a pan, pour about 1 cup of hot water around the peppers, and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, or until the peppers are soft. The suggested "victory menu" accompaniments to round out this meal include baked tomatoes, cabbage sections, bread & butter, apple crisp, and a beverage.

Interesting! ¾ cup cooked meat and two cups of rice to serve six. Seems skimpy, doesn't it? Hardly enough for some of you big boys. And not very tasty either. Have I no ketchup, no tomato sauce, no Worcestershire sauce, no onion – not even a clove of garlic -- on hand to add some zip to this meal? (Ironically they suggest serving "baked tomatoes" on the side.) I think if I had only ¾ cup of meat and 2 cups of rice, I'd make something else – like fried rice with lots of vegetables. But – I suppose it's a mindset. The purpose is to get me to think outside the box instead of panicking when rations are in short supply. Also, "they" are encouraging me to conserve that dab of meat and call it a family meal instead of wasting it or giving it all to the man of the house or the teen-aged son. I note that not all recipes are so skimpy. KW

ON DOING THE DISHES

I've been trying to stay focused on my new housekeeping system. I've made the job cards, and while I couldn't find labeled 3x5 dividers locally, I did find blank ones that serve the purpose even better. While shopping for a box, I happened to think of my mother's last recipe box. To use it for another purpose tugged at my heartstrings, but she doesn't need it now, I told myself, and it's silly not to make use of it. So, I transferred the contents of Mother's hand-painted wooden box to a plastic box and labeled it. I'm not as interested in those recipes as I am in the ones she used during my growing up years, but you know, the day will come when those recipes from the '70s and '80s will be sought after as "retro." So, the card system is functioning and I see progress.

"I love my dishwasher," said daughter Hallie when we were in Seattle. Dishwashers are great time and energy savers. When I was growing up we didn't have a dishwasher until I was 13 (1962). We did dishes the old-fashioned way, and it was a big deal. When I was little, my sister stood me on a chair and I was "allowed" to dry some select unbreakable items. Eventually, it was just me at home with my parents and I was expected to help with the dishes most every meal. At first I was mainly the drier because Mother insisted the wash water be very hot. I was not allowed to wash until I could stand to put my hands in the hot water. As I grew older, I had more responsibility in the dishwashing process. If Mother was involved in sewing or had something else to do, I might be expected to do them by myself. My mother considered that the dishes were not done until they were all washed, dried, and put away. Allowing the dishes to "drain dry" denoted laziness. Even when we had a dishwasher, pots and pans were always washed by hand. And of course, doing the dishes included cleaning the table, the stove, the sink, and countertops. If we had an evening obligation, we ate early so that the dishes could be done to specification before we left the house. The standard was that the dishes were done and the kitchen cleaned following every meal and before you left the house. The same standard was practiced by my husband's mother.

Washing dishes at Grandma Ina's house on the homestead was an even bigger deal, but I now treasure the fact that I was privileged to have the experience. There was no running water in that place, so when we started cooking a meal on the old woodstove, we would make sure to put a pot of water on in preparation for doing the dishes. After the meal, we would take the old wash pans from their place on the wall in the pantry – one for washing, one for rinsing, one for draining. Plates and dishes were removed from the table, scraped free of scraps, and stacked. Preparation was necessary due to limited space. The dishes didn't drain well in the pan, so the dishtowel was frequently exchanged for a dry one. As we did the dishes, we would look out the window, the same window and the same scene I see today when I'm at the farmhouse. And some days, when I'm thinking of old times, I almost have to pinch myself when I turn the faucet on and water flows out. It's magic!

I also love my dishwasher and wouldn't like to go back to hand washing. But I do think the camaraderie of doing the dishes together constitutes a loss to the home and a loss to society. We visited while we worked. As the family worked together things came out that might not have otherwise, perhaps giving a parent insight to a child's character and the opportunity to share wisdom and advice. Sometimes there were arguments over the dishes. That, too, might be seen as giving individuals opportunity to air and resolve differences. And when we were finished, we had accomplished something together, even though it was menial in nature. Something about that was basic and comfortable.

A sampler in my mother's kitchen read as follows:

Life's riches other rooms adorn

But in the kitchen home is born. KW

IDA MAKES A WEDDING DRESS

The following is an excerpt from Grandma Ina's autobiography. The year is 1880 and the family is crossing the Great Plains in search of a new home. They might have been in Nebraska.

"Dress patterns were cut out of newspapers and passed from one to another and enlarged or made smaller as needed. Idy made a wedding dress for a neighbor woman. It was gray mohair and made with pleats in groups of three above the hem. This was made with only a basque and shirt pattern cut from a newspaper pattern and a picture in a magazine to look at. I can still see Idy on her knees pinning those pleats into place and the worried look on her face. The floor had been spread with papers and the bride-elect was firmly planted on them. Later she wore the dress to the 4^th of July picnic and there were admiring comments on it. These called forth the statement by Idy, "I made it!" which she has always regretted making, but which is still kept fresh in the family, as a choice bit."

Poor Ida! She's 16 years old, a young wife but skilled enough in the art of sewing to make a wedding dress for someone of the community with whom she has a passing acquaintance. What do you think of her immodest comment? Obviously she was judged as showing poor manners by speaking up to claim the workmanship, and this was probably seen as tantamount to bragging. Now, at Ida's expense, family members will keep alive this indiscretion "as a choice bit" for the next 70 years! I guess I think there are worse things, yet modesty and humility are character traits to be desired. KW

OLD-TIME WEDDING CAKE

The oldest family wedding of which I have knowledge was that of Uncle Ed and Aunt Ida. Ida was Grandma Ina's older sister. Ina writes of the wedding as follows:

"Ed and Ida were married that winter, December 14, 1879, in Kansas. He had added a small addition to the house, which was of sod, for a bedroom for them. The wedding was a simple affair; the only guests were one neighbor family. The woman, Sevilla Maxfield, helped in dressing the bride and preparing the wedding dinner. I recall of that dinner only the wedding cake. It was a large one made by Ma – her favorite 'pork cake,' and of course, it was 'frosted.' They were married by a justice of the peace who skated up the river from his home to ours. Mr. Maxfield's brother dropped in at our place soon after the wedding ceremony was over. I recall his cheerful manner and good-looking face, and how he said, "Lord bless me, I must kiss the bride!" which he did without more ado and in good style. We rather suspected that he may have wished himself the bride-groom." By the way, according to my calculations, Ida was 15 in 1879. Ed was much older. They eventually settled in Drain, Oregon, and had a long life together.

The photo above is of Lafe and Lucy Dickson, my great-grandparents, in 1903. Lucy is the "Ma" mentioned in the paragraph above. My dad used to chuckle that in all their photos, Grandpa Dickson would hold their marriage license while Grandma held the Bible.

Wednesday is "recipe day" according to my newly ordered household system. On recipe day I not only organize recipes but have the option of a recipe adventure. Today I baked my Great-Grandmother Dickson's pork cake, an experience I've been looking forward to.

First, I thawed the pork fat I've been saving when Mike trimmed pork chops. Finding that I had only enough for half a recipe, I decided that was probably enough anyway. This cake won't be low in "sat fat." Since Ina's recipe lacked method, baking temperature, and flour, I checked online for some ideas. The recipe called for me to run the fat twice through a food chopper, but I cheated and used my food processor. The result was not a pretty. [See photo right.] I made a cup of instant coffee, added a teaspoon of soda, then poured that liquid over the fat. While that cooled, I grated the rind of an orange. At this point I began to use the mixer, a luxury my grandmothers didn't have. I added molasses and sugars, then the dry ingredients, the orange peel, raisins, citron (I used Radiant mix), and the almond meats I had chopped earlier.

Sad to say, the cake is darker on the bottom than I would have wished, even though I cut the heat. But it's edible and really quite tasty, if you like fruitcake. I think I'll frost it with a browned butter frosting.

Would I do it again? Yes! I had a good time. KW

ON KEEPING HOUSE

I've always struggled to keep house. "It's a disease," said my oldest sister. "You get it from your mother." Yes, it's true – our mother wasn't as interested in keeping a tidy house as she was in her sewing / handiwork projects. "I'm a project worker," she admitted. So Alma came once a week to help while Mother handled the seasonal work.

"Why can't you just do it?" some might ask. Well, I think some of us just don't have an innate sense that tells us where to start and when we've done enough for today. "A woman's work is never done," as the old saying goes and that seems overwhelming. And once I've done a task, I tend to feel I shouldn't have to do it again. For example, I re-organized my pantry a year ago and can't quite face that it needs to be done again. Facing my housekeeping failings is a part of becoming the "modern retro woman."

I am one who needs inspiration and identified system in order to be disciplined about my housekeeping. Years ago I subscribed to a housekeeping system (Sidetracked Home Executives) that involved a 3x5 card filing system. I put a lot of effort into it, and it worked for me initially. (Kind of like Weight Watchers works initially.) When we moved in 1987, I revised the system for a much bigger house but life happened and eventually the box got stashed in a cupboard – BUT I knew where it was. Then we "downsized" and moved from a big house to two houses. ("You can't keep two houses," they say, but I'm trying.) I have turned both houses and a storage loft upside down. I just can't find that filebox – and that in itself is proof of the fact that I need a better system. So, I'm starting over – and you know what will happen: as soon as I've reconstructed the system, I'll open a cupboard, push some doo-dad aside, and there will be my bright yellow box. Or, I'll open some miscellaneous box marked "Daddy's glass" or "yarn," and there it will be in the bottom. I seem to remember – well, never mind. (Sometimes I remember things that didn't happen.)

In the words of an old hymn – "In beauty, grandeur, order, His handiwork is shown." And that word "order" is demanding my attention. KW

ON BEING A MODERN RETRO WOMAN

Growing up, my goal was to be a housewife. I had plenty of role models – my mother, my grandmothers, my best friend's mother. In fact, I grew up in an era when most women were housewives. A man hoped to make a good enough living so that his wife didn't have to work outside the home. Things began to change in the '60s and '70s as the feminist movement influenced our lives. As women, we were told that "just being a housewife" wasn't good enough for us. Don't get me wrong -- I have no quarrel with liberation. But I do think that in the process we undermined the value of homemaking and consequently, we de-valued the place of the home in society. In the midst of these changing values, I went off to college. I was confused as I struggled – and failed – to find a focus for my life's work. Years later my mother would say, "If you had chosen a major that fits your interests, it would have been home-ec." I could see that she was right.

When I retired two years ago, I had the privilege of re-inventing my life. I could once again be a housewife, but the children were gone and my efforts felt a little fruitless. As I reviewed the things that had come to me through my mother and grandmothers, I discovered a burning desire to learn, re-learn, and practice the household arts they valued – to become a "modern retro woman." We're modern – because, of course, we aren't stupid: We're not going to turn in our modern time-saving, labor-saving devices. But we're retro because we love the values, the ethics, of practicing the household arts. Making a study of it has brought a dimension of interest to my daily life.

The "modern retro woman" is not my catch phrase. It belongs to Julie-Ann McFann, Ph.D. I first became acquainted with Dr. Julie-Ann through the podcast, Grandma's Sewing Cabinet. I then began to read her blog by the same title, and from there I discovered she authors yet another blog, "modern retro woman." She recently mentioned our blog (mwhomestead) as "embracing homemaking as a creative process," and that's exactly what I have endeavored to show – with honesty – through my daily activities. It's great to find an online support group for the retro feminine arts. (See links below.)

I recently had a bit of fun dialoging with Dr. Julie-Ann. She confirmed what I suspected -- that her paternal grandmother who taught her to sew was the same age as my mother. That means they themselves were taught the household arts by mothers and grandmothers who never knew electricity. They were children during World War I, young mothers during the Great Depression, approaching middle age during World War II. They listened to radio programs before television became a fact of life.

[The photo above is of Mother, Daddy, and me watching the county fair parade in Orofino, Idaho, 1951. The photo to the right is of my mother fitting my wedding gown in April, 1975. "The wedding dress should show the bride," she said. If only she could see today's dresses. She appliquéd the quilt on the bed by hand and dressed the doll in the frame.] KW

Fairy Godmother's Guide to Happiness

http://fairygodmotheradvice.com

Grandma's Sewing Cabinet

http://grandmassewingcabinet.com

A Modern Retro Woman

http://modernretrowoman.com