Grocery Time!

Goodness, dear readers! It's been less than a week since I posted but it feels like a month! A sudden project fell into my lap this week which resulted in copious amounts of writing in the evenings, and then I spent part of one evening at the clinic getting antibiotics and heavy-duty decongestant for this nasty virus thingy that I've been fighting for over three weeks.

Well, the writing project is done, the meds are working, and I'm back!

I thought I'd share these April 3, 1943 grocery store ads with you (you can click on the ads for a larger image):

They're from the Topeka Daily Capital and they're almost 67 years old to the date! Pretty cool, huh? There's so much I like about these ads. I like that you can see typical spring produce like rhubarb, fresh peas and asparagus becoming available for the first time that year. I like that the Lynde-Falley ad on the left includes the ration points alongside the listing. I like that exotic meats like pickled pigs' feet and oxtails are advertised.

And I like the fact that you have what seem like competing grocery store ads right next to each other. From the research I've done I've found that in the 1940s there were at least three grocery stores within easy walking distance from our house (one block, four blocks and seven blocks). In the 1940s folks typically visited only their neighborhood markets, and usually more than once a week (although gasoline and rubber rationing during the War curbed this practice). So, in a sense, since the two grocery stores highlighted in the ads are over a mile apart they are not necessarily competitors. They can peacefully co-exist, filling their own local niches (you know, just like wildebeests and zebras).

This, of course, is very different from today. Today each store has it's own tri-fold, five-color spectacular insert to entice you to their store - even if it means you drive five miles out of your way to do so. And people today do so.

I have to admit that I have a nostalgic longing for the neighborhood grocery, where the staff would know me by name (and not as that lady that brings in all the cloth bags to use and insists that her glass milk bottles not clink together when bagged). Of course, that's one of the reasons why I shop at the local food co-op; I can get the family-feeling but have to deal with limited variety in return. I'm envious of Jamie's frequent trips to his local green grocer (he's doing an entire month of soups now - check it out). Why don't we have green grocers?

Today the nearest grocery store to our house is four blocks away (in the same building as the Lynde-Falley grocery store in the ad above), but you don't go there unless you want to see if it's reputation is well-earned (expired meats and the like). The next closest stores are well over a mile away. Sigh.

So, readers, I will leave you with these questions:

• How far do you walk/drive to get your groceries?
• Do you go to the nearest store, or do you drive out of your way to visit your preferred chain?

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for sharing!

--Rational Mama

Garden Plans, Part I

Isn't this great?

It's from the February 26, 1943 edition of the Topeka Daily Capital. At this point sugar had been rationed for nine months and canned goods rationing was set to start within a week. Red point rationing of meats/oils/cheeses was still over a month away.

But can you see the excitement in their eyes? That's how the Rational Living family has viewed the seed catalogs this year, too.

We've always perused the catalogs in spring, dog-earing and asterisking (whoa, that's a real word) interesting options and day-dreamy ideas. Typically, we might try one new thing a year (or we might try - and fail - at container potatoes twice), but we normally just fall back to the standard, small tomatoes-n-such garden.

But this year, gardening is serious business. Really serious business.

We will really need to maximum our garden harvest this year so that we have plenty of fresh produce during the summer to eat PLUS have enough extra to store-up for winter. The more home-preserved produce we have going in to the fall and winter the fewer precious ration points we will have to spend.

In order to do this we must be more selective about plant varieties and expand our garden size from modest to massive. This post will cover the varieties and a future post will take you on a tour of our gardening spaces.

The article on the left is from Feb. 23, 1943 and it includes a thorough list of what vegetables were recommended for Victory Gardens. Over the past few months we've developed our own list of what we will plant, based upon family preferences and growing conditions. Here's what we have so far:





Spring Garden
Lettuce
Mesclun
Spinach
Peas
Garlic (Inchelium Red, already in the ground)
Radishes

Summer Garden
Tomatoes (cherry, standard and paste)
Peppers (bell and jalapeno)
Garlic (harvest in July)
Cucumbers (standard and pickling)
Eggplant
Yellow squash or zucchini
Green Beans (pole)
Malabar spinach
Melon (space permitting)
Dill
Basil
Mint
Lemon Balm
Sage

Autumn Garden
Lettuce
Spinach
Mesclun
Kale
Garlic (back in the ground)
Beets
Broccoli
Radishes

We're not going to bother with some items (such as carrots, corn, cabbage and okra) because they are readily available at our local farmer's market for very reasonable prices. Additionally, we will have some surprises each week because we've signed up for our local CSA again.

In the spirit of not wasting, I'm vowing to use up most of the produce seeds that we have leftover from previous years. This includes seeds for tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, mesclun, beans, radishes, some cucumbers and most of the herbs. We ordered the rest of our precious seeds from Seed Savers.

We'll be starting seeds in the greenhouse before the month is over and the peas should be in the ground by then as well. Of course, that means we need to get supplies and start turning over the soil and mixing in compost and the like. We've had so much moisture on the ground for the last several months that that everything is too wet; hopefully some dry, sunny days are in our near future.

That's our list...what are you planting, dear reader?

--Rational Mama

A Bumpy Day

Yesterday had a few bumps to it, it seems.

First, we had an early morning emergency jump start of one of the vehicles. Apparently, in the hustle and bustle of checking the weekly mileage on the vehicles the night before I left the keys in the ignition and in the "accessories" position (yes, you may sent a Homer-like "D'oh!" my way). Luckily, I did this in the vehicle in the garage and NOT the one in the alley (otherwise, this could have been a much bigger bump in the day). Early morning jump starts while you're trying to get to work on time are no fun.

Second, Eowyn's been home sick for a few days with a fever and sore throat. It's no fun for anyone to have a puny little one in the house, especially one with huge brown eyes (and she knows how to use them).

Also, the oven range was repaired. Apparently the computer unit and digital oven display were shot and were replaced to the tune of $271.00. Cheaper than buying a new oven? Yes. But it still hurts. And I still blame the liver.

And speaking of hurts, I had my regular blood donation appointment (how very "Greatest Generation" of me) yesterday after work. For the first time in ages they had real trouble finding a vein and ended up poking me in both arms. Actually, "poking" isn't the most accurate term - probably "harpooning" would be more appropriate, as evidenced by the nice-sized bruises on both arms this morning. But those obligatory Nutter Butters they push on you after you donate were sure delicious.

I'm home with a recovering Eowyn today while TMOTH helps out with Sissy's class - they have an all-day field trip. I think I might have the better end of that deal, since so far Eowyn's in pretty good spirits and there is no sign of the fever yet.

Maybe we can sneak out into the backyard and soak up some of this delicious sunshine with which we've been blessed. This time of year I can often be found in the backyard, staring at the garden and scratching my head, mentally planning what will go where.

The peas should be in the ground before month's end! Better get cracking!

Hope everyone is having a nice spring day.

--Rational Mama

Mesclun! (Gesundheit)

Remember long ago when Sissy and I planted two containers with lettuce and mesclun seeds?

Well, here's how they're looking today:


The mesclun is doing great, if not a little leggy from working with what sun is available in the south-facing window in the bathroom. The lettuce is struggling a little; it had a longer germination period and suffered at least one noshing by the residential felines.

The good news is that the weather has warmed up enough that I placed both containers in our small greenhouse. Once upon a time the previous owners of our house had a nice little lean-to greenhouse added on to the detached garage. Running water and gas heat and exhaust fans and everything and it runs the full length of the garage. Story goes he was an orchid fanatic and grew his own orchids.


The next owners were not so much into the growing thing so they capped the water and gas off, leaving for us (only the fourth family to own this 100 year old house) a walk-in, three season cold frame. It's currently a bit of a mess inside, storing a haberdashery of warm-weather supplies. But that will soon change since most vegetable seeds need to be planted in the greenhouse by the end of the month in order to transplant when the last frost has done its deed.

In the meantime TMOTH will be adding some lumber supports to the planting bed that is normally our lettuce/spinach zone (great morning light, no harsh and hot afternoon light) so it will be ready for action soon.

And the baby garlic, nestled in their blanket of straw, are growing just big enough to give off a wonderful fragrance when the sun hits them right.

Thank goodness the growing season is so close! The other day Eowyn asked when we could go to the farmers market because we haven't been in a while. I just looked it up - the local farmers market opens April 10th!

I don't care what the calendar says, spring has sprung!

--Rational Mama