Rational Top Ten

Can you believe it? Tomorrow is the last day of rationing! Since tomorrow will be filled with family gatherings and festivities we thought we'd highlight what we think are the top ten highlights from the rationing year (in no particular order).

Here goes!

1. Realizing, midway through the first month, that we had been allowing ourselves too many blue/green points. Like, 75% too many.

2. The recipes! Without the rationing project as an excuse there is no way we would have even dreamed of making jellied ham loaf or beef heart kabobs. The historic recipes have encompassed the good (nutburgers, victory pancakes), the bad (six layer dinner, full o'bologney, sausage loaf), and the ugly (hot cabbage slaw and...)

3. Liver. Really, even though it's an historic recipe and could be listed above it deserves a solitary mention. Nothing, nothing, we ate during the rationing year made the same impression as liver. If you've never read this post you really should.

Oh, thank goodness we didn't have to try this!

4. After a good four or five years of discussion we finally installed an attic (or whole house) fan. This was critical because of our decision to...

5. Sweat it out during the summer by not turning on the air conditioner in the house. It turned out to be one of the hottest summers in the past decade and even with the attic fan and other remedies (cool baths, oscillating fans, popsicles, etc.) we were miserable. Sticking to your sheets and running out of deodorant miserable. Eventually, we caved and turned on the air conditioner. In the end, this was probably the best decision because...

6. We learned that running the attic fan, ceiling fans and oscillating fans along with the dehumidifier used just as much energy as if we had run the air conditioner in the first place. So I guess you could say that sweating it out over a month of summer heat was a miserable but beneficial learning experience.

7. Local fruit. Man oh man, you just can't beat the fresh blackberries, apples, pears, strawberries and mulberries we munched on this summer. And we even have some extra blackberries in the freezer for the long winter months!

8. When a bottle of ketchup costs nearly half of a week's worth of rationing points, nothing says "Suck it, rationing system!" quite like making your own ketchup. Let's face it - ketchup is not a necessity, it's a luxury. Having the ability to make your own (and control the ingredients) is definitely a guilty pleasure. I don't know if we'll ever buy commercially-prepared ketchup again.

9. Having regular commentators from the all across the United States, the U.K. (especially you, Mr. Graham), Eastern Europe, Canada and visits (per traffic reports) from every continent except Antarctica made Rational Living a truly international community. Kinda seems fitting since the real-life scenarios the project was based on included an international community as well.

10. Even with all the planning required by the rationing project and the huge learning curve experienced in the first few months, no other micro-project during the rationing year was harder that the week we followed U.K. rations. The plan was actually to go two weeks on U.K. rations but the meager servings and food limitations (along with nearly constant hunger complaints from the girls) made us cave at the end of the first week. That week was actually a big turning point for the project, as it really hit home that our voluntary, meager rations (and hunger) were choices for us, whereas plenty on this earth have less than that due to circumstances beyond their control.

And, of course...reader feedback on the blog always made our day. This project wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if we didn't have the helpful and insightful comments from YOU. Thanks for sticking with us through the entire project. This blog will continue on, but we're not quite sure as to the content and form. Stay tuned.

So, are there any other scenarios that we missed that you would have included in a top ten?

--With Love, from the Rational Living family

Whew. And Cobbler

Whew.

That's about the only thing I can say about the past month.

Whew.

October always go by so quickly and this year was no exception. With Halloween on a Sunday there were virtually three full days of Halloween this year. Costume gathering, school parties, friend parties, trick-or-treating...lots to do.

Add to that house issues. Yes, our house is still on the market but the original house that started all of this is completely out of the picture now (and we're okay with that). In the end they were asking too much, especially considering the amount of elbow grease required to get everything up to par. So we've been spending time perusing the internet for possible homes, visiting open houses, debating what features we consider important in the next move and researching schools. We had actually found a property we were very interested in (3/4 of an acre, unconventional A-frame, great school) but then it was taken off the market because of all the foreclosure mess. Sigh. All this and we have to keep our own house nearly pristine in-between improvement projects just in case someone wants to see it.

And then there was last week. The girls were off of school on Monday so we had some extra bonding time and they were sweet, sweet, sweet. On Tuesday Eowyn woke up with a stomach ache and quickly began vomiting. Unfortunately, she started on an empty stomach and has a history of acid reflux. Thus, in less than four hours after she first vomited we were in the emergency room. She was very dehydrated and was showing signs of intestinal damage so she spent two days in the hospital, soaking up the I.V. fluids in between tests and lots of meds. At one point they gave her morphine which alleviated the pain enough that she could sleep, but it dropped her respiratory rate down so low that all the machine alarms were going off. A lot. Ugh. Not good times.

She came home last Thursday with several prescriptions to get her by until she can see her pediatric gastroenterologist in Kansas City this coming Monday. So far, so good...but we were all rather exhausted last weekend - both physically and mentally.

We needed something to make everything right...to sort of reset the household. So last Sunday night I made venison stew with dumplings and a pear cobbler for dessert. The stew was wonderful - stick to your ribs comfort food. The cobbler was absolutely amazing and oh-so-simple. I used a jar of cinnamon pears I preserved in September and the taste was amazing, but I'm sure you could use commercially-canned fruit and have equally impressive results.

I'm going to post the cobbler recipe I used because I know we all have those times...when life has strung us out and scraped us thin. This may not make everything better, but it will make you feel a bit more at peace.

Ingredients
1 15-16 oz can of fruit (peaches, pears, apples, blueberries or cherries would work well)
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
5 TB butter, melted
1 cup milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8" x 8" baking dish.
3. Drain canned fruit and evenly distribute fruit in the bottom of the prepared dish.
4. Combine remaining ingredients and pour the mixture over the fruit.
5. Bake the cobbler for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

The fact that the cobbler did not survive long enough for me to take a picture should serve as an adequate testimonial.

Wishing all of you healthy, happy days.

--Rational Mama

(Kinda) Historic Recipe: Pear Butter

So...what do you do when you have nearly 70 pounds of pears (and some apples)? The first (and easiest) thing we do to extend the harvest is make pear butter.

Now, I'll be honest and tell you right up front that I use my crock pot (slow cooker, for those across the pond). That is a bit anachronistic but serves the same purpose as simmering gently on the stove top for all those hours. Believe me, it is best that I not have something simmering on the stove top for long...I tend to be forgetful and have been known to set timers so that I don't burn or over-boil dinner. I get distracted very easily, as I am usually multitasking (not well, apparently) and do not gauge my time correctly. During one incident (prior to rationing) I was steam-microwaving some green beans and become in some web-based entertainment. Unfortunately, the 14 year old microwave didn't turn itself off after seven minutes but just kept cooking and cooking and cooking. After a total of about 22 minutes I realized what was going on and unplugged the darn thing. The microwave never smelled the same way again.

All this to say: yes, I use my crock pot.

Making pear (or apple) butter is quite simple. First wash, peel and core 5 1/2 to 6 pounds of fruit. This is made easier at the Rational Living household with one of these:

It is a period-appropriate apple peeler/corer/slicer thingy. For lack of a better name it is called Apple Magic in our household - and magic it is (the girls love to operate this thing and many hands make light work). Simply wedge the bottom of the fruit onto the three-prong base and turn the handle. The fruit moves toward the peeling apparatus and on to the coring blade. What you're left with is a coiled, peel-less piece of fruit.

Soak the fruit in lemon water to prevent browning.

Once all your fruit is peeled and cored, chop the fruit into dime-sized pieces. Cuisinarts are a great non-1940s way to accomplish this task quite quickly. Just sayin'.

Combine the chopped fruit with three cups sugar, one tablespoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspon ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

If you're using the stove top method the mixture should be brought to a boil in a large pot, then simmer gently for 10 or so hours.

If you're using the crock pot then add the mixture to the pot and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. It helps if the lid is tilted slightly to allow extra moisture to escape. I like to start this in the evening before I go to bed and then it's magically done before I go to to work the next day.

Cooking times will vary depending on the moisture content of the fruit.

Once your butter is...butter...you can either place it into small containers and freeze it or process half-pints by water bath method (1/2 inch head space, 10 minutes).

Yum!

--Rational Mama

Can You Handle the Pressure?

By the 1930s canned goods were so readily available that they were regularly showing up as ingredients in cookbooks. With the emphasis on Victory Gardens and canned goods requiring lots of blue/green ration points there was a whole lotta canning going on during WWII.

At the start of the War 64% of American women canned. In 1943, the peak civilian canning year in the U.S., 75% of American women canned. Of that 11% increase, 8% said they had never canned before the war. While that statistic seems small, it actually represents thousands of women who had to learn the art and science of canning.

Community canning centers were created in larger urban areas and the Office of Civilian Defense and other civic organizations held canning demonstrations and classes to teach those inexperienced women how to properly can produce to maximum nutrition while preventing spoilage. It worked. During WWII the average canning woman had 165 jars of self-preserved food in their larder, half of it representing produce grown by the family.

The following delicious excerpt from an article in the April 22, 1943 Topeka Daily Capitol reports details from one so-called "Canning School."

CANNING SCHOOL A SERIOUS AFFAIR

Bridge Table Chatter Lacking

There was a noticeable lack of light chatter and the bridge table attitude among attendants at the United Victory Canning School in the Municipal Auditorium Wednesday afternoon. Heretofore, an occasion for much sociability and gossip, the school in wartime was transformed into a serious study time.

The women who attended know well the importance of the food crisis which they as housewives must face for the duration. And they were there to learn - to learn food conservation, wartime recipes, how to prepare edibles with the least amount of waste, and the methods of canning whereby they might be sure jar after jar of vegetables and meats would not spoil before used.

Took Notes

Women leaned forward in their chairs to hear the tips and instructions auburn-haired Miss Zella Hal Weyant told them over a public address system.Many carried small paper pads and took notes on her lecture. With deft movements, Miss Weyant, home economist for the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, canned fruits, vegetables, meats and poultry in a pressure cooker.

In addition to the cooker method Miss Weyant explained the older method of cold packing now usually termed the hot water bath type of canning. All phases of canning were brought out and will be repeated in today's canning session.

Not a Style Show

Contrary to usual belief so near Easter Sunday, the meeting was not a veritable style show. True, there were well-dressed matrons in attendance - as well as housewives with victory shopping bags over their arms. The conversation during intermission however, ran to Victory gardens and defense on the home front rather than spring hats.

Present was a crowd of approximately 1,100, including not only wives and mothers, but 4-H clubs, businesswomen, junior high school students, and members of Washburn [University] and high school home economics classes. One instructor brought with her a group of ninety-five young homemakers. The crowd was dotted throughout with men and boys.

...Homer Cunningham, genial WIBW radio announcer, was mater of ceremonies during the distribution of the gifts. Fifteen baskets of [donated] foodstuffs, glass fruit jars, canned milk, plants, cereals, salt bread macaroni, floor wax and cloths, yeast, syrup and a set of glasses and pitcher were amount the practical articles given away.

Under the auspices of the Office of Civilian Defense and American Red Cross nutrition executive committee, the school will continue promptly at 1:30 o'clock today in the arena of the auditorium, doors of which will be open at noon.

Miss Weyent is assisted by Miss Elizabeth Lillibridge, home economist of the Gas Service Company.

I love this article for so many reasons. I love how its emphasis on housewives and matrons marginalizes working women. After all, the canning schools mentioned in the article were being held during the work week. The truth is is that many women could not afford either the time or money to can up their own produce. New canning supplies were hard to come by during the War and community canning centers were underutilized.

I also love the somewhat salacious writing: "Women leaned forward in their chairs to hear the tips and instructions of auburn-haired Miss Zella Hale Weyent told them over a public address system." And the serious tone of the conversation on Victory Gardening and NOT spring hats! Intrigue! It almost sounds like a dime-store mystery novel...

"Well, shucks," mumbled the town's one and only police officer, Lieutenant Jones. "Miss Zella," he confided in his raspy drawl, "We need your help. The town pharmacist, Mr. King, has just been found belly up at the soda fountain. It looks like foul play and you're the best detective this town has, for better or for worse. Can you help us?"

Miss Zella paused for a moment, thinking about the peaches she planned to preserve that afternoon. The peaches would have to wait, even if it meant the preserves would be less than perfect. Some things are less than perfect, the auburn-haired Miss Zella told herself - including murder. And with that thought she placed her spring hat on her head with a defined precision and headed towards Sweet Sips, the town soda fountain on Main Street...

Sorry about that, I got carried away.

Anyhoo...here at Rational Living canning is, of course, serious business. We first tackled water bath canning about 12 years ago, and this year there will be plenty of goodies from that method: pickles, jams, beets, and salsa.

But, just like homefront do-gooders we're expanding into pressure canning, thanks to a very generous donation of a pressure canner from a Rational Living friend and reader. Using a pressure canner allows one to preserve non-acidic/non-sugared/non-pickled items, like green beans, meats, and soups. I'm definitely going to get TMOTH's help on this one, since I have a sincere phobia of unintentionally making something explode (chemistry lab was never any fun for me). I think our first try will be with green beans.

So what are your canning plans? Have you ever canned before?

--Rational Mama

Can't Be Beet

Local beets are just now becoming available at the farmer's market and a few days ago I pickled a few jars of beets.
I love working with beets - there is something about their intense color that suggests jewels or gems, hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. And the way they stain your fingers keeps them on the mind long after they've entered your tummy.

--Rational Mama

Sugar Coated Forgetfulness

We haven't been doing much baking for the past few months (outside of making our own sandwich bread every week). As a result, I had gotten very laissez-faire when it came to our sugar rations. We're allowed a total of two pounds of sugar per week and I think an entire month went by without me buying any. Clearly, I don't keep the cookie jar full like a typical 1940's housewife. We didn't need the sugar, and I didn't want to be a hoarder.

I mentioned something about this to TMOTH a few weeks back and he replied, "What about all the sugar we'll need for canning this summer?"

D'oh!

During WWII sugar rationing a household could apply for a one-time 15 pound supply of sugar to be specifically used for canning. I haven't yet come across any newspaper articles from 1943 that explain exactly what percentage of those applications were approved - I'll have to dig a little deeper. But the point was, and is, that you better buy your sugar now if you're going to be canning later.

So, I have amended my shopping ways and will now purchase our two pounds of sugar every week. What we don't use in canning we can use in the fresh fruit pies and sweets we plan to make and freeze while locally available fruit is available this season.

Now, I wonder if there is any other rationed item that I'm not buying that will be in a pinch for later...

Sigh, it will probably be ketchup.

--Rational Mama

Jammin'

How often do you eat jam or jelly?

If you have kids in the house (or at least a kid at heart) the answer is probably "pretty often." In the Rational Living household the girls eat some form of peanut butter sandwiches nearly every day - by choice, I might add. It could be PB&H(oney) or PB&J(am) but either way they are a house favorite.

During WWII jams and jellies were rationed under the blue/green point system, with the exception of citrus-based marmalades. Typically ranging from 14 to 16 points per 16oz jar, a daily PB&J habit for a family with multiple children could quickly eat away over one-third of a household's blue/green point allotment.

Lucky for us, last summer I canned several jars of cherry and peach jam (I also put up some jalapeno jelly but for some reason it isn't considered PB&J material). At the time we didn't know we would be rationing within a few months (how historically accurate of us) so this surplus has been a lucky break. And so this year I'm determined to again can several batches of jam/jellies to get us through the remaining rationing period.

Since you need either fresh or frozen fruit to make jam we are very limited in what options will be available, but this week locally-grown strawberries began flooding the farmer's market. Let the jammin' begin!

This weekend I made the first batch of the season: strawberry-ginger jam. Unusual combination? Yes. Heavenly? Most definitely. I won't go into the nitty-gritty of how to can (there are plenty of websites, such as Moo Said the Mama, which offer great tutorials on the basics of canning), but I will share the super-simple recipe I used.

Ingredients:
4 lbs fresh strawberries
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 heaping tsp ginger powder

Directions:

• Remove the green tops of strawberries and crush enough strawberries so that you have 4 cups full.
• Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and ginger in a large, heavy pot and stir over medium-low heat.
• Once the sugar is dissolved turn the heat up to high, stir frequently and bring mixture to a rolling boil.
• Keep at a rolling boil for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Ladle strawberry jam into hot, sterilized canning jars.
• Wipe rims and add lids/rings.
• Process with boiling-water method for 15 minutes.
• Carefully remove jars and place on cabinet - leave undisturbed for 24-48 hours until seals have set.

Don't forget to find a volunteer to help you clean out the pot!
This recipe made four and a half jelly jars and doesn't use any additional pectin, so it is a very manageable canning project for the beginner. It's absolutely delicious and I plan to make at least one more batch while local strawberries are still available.

Oh, and if you like to think (and eat) outside of the box...microwave a portion of the jam in the microwave for 20 seconds and pour it over all-natural vanilla ice cream. Pure joy!

--Rational Mama