LAST DAY OF MONTH

While World War 11 in Britain did bring about a nation of children who were taller and healthier than they had ever been, and while the war also narrowed that informidable gap between rich and poor, at least as far as nutrition was concerned, there are no words for the  loss and the insurmountable grief that landed itself in so many people's hearts.

Can lessons learned from the war help us today?
Many people currently from their various countries are facing unexpected austerity. People are looking for skills and even personal support so as to survive during a time of economic recession or perhaps natural disaster while they live in the midst of a generation which too frequently wastes not only food but also other material goods - a generation where many eat junk food, suffer ill-health at an early age and where even young children are obese.

Can our battle for survival and self-sufficiency be an exhilarating one - rewarding us with a sense of pride in meeting the challenge to stay strong and healthy within our families while we also develop friendships through our co-operation with others in our communities.

What is the legacy that our war heroes have left behind – and what is the legacy that we will leave behind when we pass from this world? But perhaps more to the point - What is the contribution that we are currently making to today’s world?

Do we even know our neighbours - speaking to them, laughing with them, encouraging them, helping one another to have more meaningful lives and to survive through our own difficult times?

REFLECTING AFTER A YEAR OF BLOGGING

To what place has my one year of blogging in 2013 brought me? 
It has brought me to a keener awareness of being a member of community with a desire to contribute to the welfare of my community. How I contribute will partly depend on what I am personally interested in and where I am motivated to contribute, and simply what crops up in my life as I keep my eyes and ears open to my city around me with its multitude of challenges and happenings.

I am challenged to:  

*Be a caring wife, mother and grandmother for my own family; along with being a good neighbour to those in my immediate neighbourhood; 

*Continue to enjoy the local bird life, and join the bird-watching society;

*Continue to take nature photos;

*Decide on the area of my community where I want to serve – in 2013, it was in a volunteer capacity, visiting clients in a nursing home and in a paid capacity, teaching English to refugee children. Perhaps in 2014, there will be a new area such as supporting teenagers in need, possibly teenagers who were in foster care prior to them turning 18, when they reached the age where they no longer qualified for government foster-care;

*Work on a more sustainable home garden and liase with other gardeners in my city; and

*Perhaps write a weekly blog entry on some of my life experiences... I might call it "By the Grace of God, Go I!"  

And so it is goodbye to all of you wonderful blog readers who have shared this year with me. May your lives be enriched by the goodness and grace of our heavenly Father, and may you be blessed in body, mind and spirit through all your life's seasons.    

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Preserving food

The British war-time government encouraged people to  preserve the summer and autumn bounty to use in the leaner winter months. They issued free Dig for Victory leaflets with information on Jam and Jelly Making, Drying, Salting, Pickling and making Chutneys.

War-time instructions for Bottling Fruit: 
Syrup: Dissolve sugar in water, bring to the boil and boil for one minute. (Amount of sugar depending on the sharpness of the fruit e.g. for damsons and rhubarb - 250 g sugar to 600 ml water; while 175g sugar to 600 ml water was a medium, general purpose syrup.)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Place clean, warm jars 5 cm apart on a baking tray lined with newspaper. Pack the fruit into the jars, using the handle of a wooden spoon to push it in if necessary.
3. Bring the syrup to the boil and pour it over the fruit 2.5 cm from the top of the jar.
4. Place the lids on top of the jars but not the clips or screw bands.
5. Put in the oven and leave for the recommended time (see below).
6. Take the jars out of the oven one at a time and secure the lids with clips or screw bands. Leave for 24 hours and test the seal of the lids by removing the clips or screw bands and lifting the jars carefully by the lids. If they remain tight, the seal is secure. If the lid comes away, either re-process the fruit or eat it immediately. 
7. Label and store in a cool, dark place. 

Bottling fruit times: 
30-40 mins for apples, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries & rhubarb. 
40-50 mins for apricots, cherries, currants, damsons & plums.
50-70 mins for peaches and pears.
  
A note from Denise Robyn: I have been successfully bottling/jamming for many years in saved jam and pickle jars from my supermarket purchases - these jars already have a rubber section as part of the inner metal lid. 

Roasted Tomato Passata (The Italian way of preserving tomatoes as passata yields an intensely flavoured puree to serve with pasta or add to sauces, soups and casseroles. Roasting the tomatoes with herbs, shallots and garlic adds greatly to the flavour.)

1. Halve 2 kg ripe tomatoes and spread in a single layer, cut-side up, in a roasting tin.
Peel and slice 200g shallots and 4 garlic cloves and scatter over the tomatoes with a few sprigs of thyme, basil or oregano. 
Sprinkle with a teaspoon sugar, a teaspoon salt and half a teaspoon freshly ground pepper.
Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Roast for 1 hour in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F (gas mark 4).

2. Rub the tomatoes through a nylon sieve or a mouli. Put in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour into sterilised jars and seal. (If using screw bands, release the lid by a one-quarter turn.) Put the jars in a saucepan with a folded cloth on the bottom, cover with warm water and slowly bring to a simmering point over a period of 25 mins. Simmer for10 mins. Remove the jars and stand them on a wooden base or folded teatowel. 
Tighten the screw bands if you used them. 
When cold, check the seal. Use within 12 months. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a few days. 

Pickled King-cup (wild marigold)
Gather the buds of the King-cup. Wash them well and put in jars. Cover with vinegar in which a few spices have been boiled - and you have one of the nicest pickles imaginable!   
Crab Apple Juice - as a drink or as a flavouring - a good substitute for lemon juice
*Put the apples to sweat - choosing only sound ones, take off the stalks, beat the fruit to a mash and press the juice through a thick cloth. 
*Leave for a day or two until bubbles appear.
*Put into clean dry bottles and cork well, securing the cork with wire.
*Store in a cool place.
*The juice will be ready in a month's time. 

Blackberry and Apple Jam

4 lb firm blackberries, 1 1/2 lb sour apples; 4 1/2 lb sugar; 1 breakfast cup of water.

*Core and slice the apples. Put in the preserving pan with the water and cook till quite soft.
*Add the blackberries and bring to the simmer.
*Simmer for 5 mins then add the warmed sugar and boil rapidly untill setting point is reached. (Make the first test after 10 mins). 
*Put into hot jars and seal. 

Wartime recipes

Nettle Soup:

*Pick nettle tops wearing rubber gloves and discard any tough stalks; wash thoroughly.
*Melt a little butter in a pan and gently cook finely sliced onion until transparent.
*Add a clove of garlic - peeled and crushed - a large peeled and diced potato and a litre of chicken stock (stock from rabbit bones would do fine!)
*Simmer for 20 minutes or so then add the nettles and simmer for another 5 minutes.
*Season with salt and pepper.
*Puree the soup in a blender, return to a clean saucepan, stir in a little cream, serve in bowls with an added swirl of cream and snips of chives cut with scissors.




Blackberry & Apple Pudding:
*Stir 225g (8 oz) self-raising flour and a teaspoon salt in a bowl;
add 115g (4 oz) suet and mix;
slowly add 2 - 3 tablespoons cold water until the dough holds together.
*Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line a greased pudding basin cutting out a wedge to fit.
(Save some pastry for a lid.)
*Add apples and blackberries in layers, sprinkling each layer with sugar.
*Brush the edges of the pastry with water, put on the lid and seal.
*Cover the basin with greaseproof paper or foil and tie down with string. Place basin in a saucepan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up. Boil for 2.5 hours, topping up with water from the kettle as necessary. *Remove paper or foil, ease a knife down the sides of the basin to loosen the pudding, put a deep plate or shallow dish over the top and up-end the pudding basin without getting Burnt! Tap basin sharply if necessary. *Eat with custard or thick cream.

FEEL FREE TO USE ANY FRUIT IN SEASON.
Suet in its original form was the fat found an animal's kidneys.

Eggless, Fatless Walnut Cake
4 cups flour; 1 cup chopped walnuts; 1 good cup milk; 1 cup sugar; 4 teasp baking powder; 1 good pinch salt.

*Mix flour, sugar and chopped walnuts together.
*Add salt and baking powder, then the milk. (It should be slightly wetter than an ordinary cake mixture.)
*Leave to rise for 10 mins.
*Bake in a greased cake tin in a slow oven till risen and brown.

Cheese Muffins
1 +1/2 cups flour; 1/2 cup grated cheese; 1/4 teasp salt; 4 teasp baking powder; 1 egg; 3/4 cup milk

*Beat the egg lightly, add salt and milk.
*Sift flour + baking powder together, then add the grated cheese.
*Make into a dough with the liquid, beat well and roll out. Bread
*Cut into rounds, brush with beaten egg, and bake for 10 mins in a sharp oven.
*Spread with butter and eat hot.

Health Bread
1+1/2 lb self-raising flour, 1 teacup granulated sugar; 1 breakfast cup syrup; 1 egg; 1 breakfast cup large raisins (stoned); 1 breakfast cup milk; pinch of salt.

*Mix flour, sugar & salt then add raisins.
*Beat the egg well and add to milk and syrup.
*Thoroughly mix all ingredients (sufficient for 2 loaves)
*Bake in well greased bread tins in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.

After a couple of days, the loaf can be buttered and cut into slices, wafer-thin, or as required for the menfolk. 
If kept in a tin cake-bin, the loaves will retain their flavour and moisture for at least a month. 

Wartime Christmas Cake without Eggs
1/2 lb plain flour; 1/2 lb ground rice; 1/2 lb granulated sugar; 1/2 lb currants; 1/2 lb sultanas,
1/4 lb mixed peel; 3/4 lb butter or good margarine; 1 teasp bicarbonate of soda; 12 drops essence of almonds; 1/2 pint boiling milk.

* Mix the flour, rice, sugar, fruit and peel altogether.
*Cream the butter, and stir it well into the mixture.
*Put the soda into a tablesp of cold milk, then bring to the boil the remainder of the milk - add the soda to the hot milk.
*Gradually blend the milk into the mixture while boiling hot.
*Beat well and put in a fairly large tin.
*Bake in a good oven for 4 hours.
This cake will keep for months and improve with time! 

Fish Soup
a handful spinach or sorrel; 1 or 2 small onions; 1 carrot; 1 potato, 2 oz butter; parsley, mint & chives; 2 small whiting or whatever meat you can catch or buy.

*Chop the spinach, onions, carrot, potato, parsley, mint & chives.
*Brown these in butter and add boiling water, salt & pepper.
*Add the whiting or other fish whole and cook for about 20 mins.
*Take out the fish and remove the skins and bones.
*Strain soup and serve with pieces of fish and vegetables in it.

The Oslo Meal (a vegetarian meal which was found to be so nutritious that the health of school-children who were given it daily was much improved. They grew taller, learnt faster and were better tempered.)

4 oz any raw mixed vegetable (e.g. shredded cabbage, lettuce, chopped parsley)
Grated carrot if available
sliced tomato
grated betroot, cooked or raw
salad dressing
2 tbs dried milk powder
2 tbs vinegar
water
salt, pepper and mustard. 

*Mix well together
*Accompany with wholemeal bread and butter, 2 oz cheese, apple and as much milk as rations allow.   

Ham Bone Puree
3/4 pint haricot beans, butter beans, lentils, split peas or dried green peas
1 small peeled turnip
1 peeled potato
1/2 oz dripping
pinch baking soda
1 ham bone
1 peeled onion
1 stalk celery
1/4 pint hot milk
1 sprig parsley
1 quart cold water
salt & pepper

*Rinse the beans, lentils or peas in a colander under the cold water tap, and drain well. Place in a basin. Cover with 2 quarts boiling water. Add a pinch baking soda and soak overnight. Strain and rinse again under the cold water tap, then drain well.
*Cut the vegetables into small pieces (add sliced carrot when making a ham bone soup of any pulse except haricot bean).
*Melt dripping in the soup pan, and add the sliced vegetables. Cook over slow heat until all the fat is absorbed.
*Add the ham bone, water, the pulses, parsley and salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.
Stir occasionally during that time.
*Now rub the contents of the pan, except for the bone, through a wire sieve, then rinse the pan and pour in the puree.
*Reheat the puree, stirring occasionally, then add the milk, salt & pepper to taste.
*Pour into a hot soup tureen and serve with croutons.

Tops (allow 1 1/2 lb for 4 portions)
Broccoli tips, turnip tops, and beetroot tops have good food value, as do the broad bean tops.
*Shred with a sharp knife after removing any coarse bits for soups and stews.
*Cook quickly in a little water.
*You may add a few bacon rinds chopped small, a few teasp of vinegar and a sprinkling of nutmeg or a shake of caraway seeds for a new and intriguing addition to a meal.

Oatmeal and Herb Sausages
*Boil 3/4 pint salted water, and stir in 1 cup oatmeal - cook for 1/2 hour stirring frequently.
*In a bowl, place 1 medium onion chopped finely, 1 teasp mixed herbs, salt & pepper, chopped parsley and tomato sauce. Add a well-beaten egg and enough fine bread-crumbs to make a stiff dough.
*Add the oatmeal to this bowl, then flour the hands and roll the mixture into sausage shapes. Dip the "sausages" into flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fry a golden brown.
*Serve with hot sauce.

Potato Pastry
4 oz mashed and sieved potato; 1/2 teasp salt; 8 oz plain flour; 3 oz fat; 2 tablesp baking powder.

*Sieve dry ingredients then rub fat into flour and lightly mix in potato.
Mix with a little water into a dry dough.
Knead well and roll out.

Mock Marzipan
1/2 lb haricot beans;  4 tablesp sugar; 2 tablesp ground rice; 1 teasp almond essence; 1 tablesp margarine.

*Soak the beans for 24 hours, then rinse. Cook until tender in fresh, unsalted water.
*Put beans on a tin in a warm oven to get dry and floury. Rub them through a sieve.
*Beat the sugar into the bean puree, add the ground rice, warmed margarine and finally the flavouring.
*Beat until quite smooth and well mixed.
Use for cake covering or sweet making. Any kind of flavouring and a few drops of colouring matter may be added. 

Toad in the Hole

  See some extra recipes on this link:
http://www.allthatwomenwant.co.uk/wartimerecipes.htm

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

I look forward to trying out some wartime recipes in the year to come. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQyU4lokVe4

Waste not Want not

With a lack of meat, rabbit hutches in back gardens and a multitude of rabbit warrens in fields and woods became the war-time scene. At harvest time, a reaper would cut from the outside of a field, progressing until a rectangle of uncut grain was left at the field's centre - becoming smaller and smaller until a ring of men and boys would surround it to catch the sheltering hordes of rabbits.

Nothing was wasted in the food line - peelings, outside leaves of lettuces and cabbages, and even tea leaves were fed to chickens, rabbits or pigs, or was used as garden compost.

The compost bin
received anything not given to chickens, rabbits or pigs. 

Paper, rags, metal, rubber and washed bones were sorted into boxes or tied in bundles and left on pavements for collection to be recycled.  Even washed bones were recycled, for they were boiled down to make gluey were ground up as a fertiliser, or the used in aircraft manufacture, or they were made into glycerine for high explosives for shells and bombs. A single chop bone weighing 2 oz could supply two rounds of ammunition for RAF Hurricane fighter guns.    

Re-cycling

Feathers were saved for stuffing pillows 

Raw materials of almost every kind were in short supply during the war – paper, aluminium, animal feed, rubber etc. Everyone was called to take care with what they used and to re-use whenever possible.  Most urban streets had a pigswill bin that residents put their scraps in – the contents being regularly collected and boiled to feed a couple of local pigs, one to go to the government and one for local use; children collected paper door-to-door perhaps using a baby’s pram; feathers were collected to make pillows for servicemen and scraps of knitting wool were used to make blanket squares. Shoes, boots and clothing were recycled through jumble sales and swap shops. Bones were washed, collected, ground up and sterilized as a fertilizer for the field and for home gardens. Unfortunately, the metals from iron railings outside houses and aluminium pots and pans that were patriotically donated to the war effort were mostly the wrong grade of metal for the manufacture of war goods such as Spitfires. But in donating such goods, there was a rise in public morale, with people feeling that they had “done their bit for the war”.

 HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

We live in a “throw-away-generation” with a different mentality to the 1940s. Goods are often made with the intention of having a short life-span so that we will soon buy again. If one has a 40 year old car , fridge or washing machine that is giving no trouble, it may not make a lot of sense to buy a new one that is destined for the rubbish heap within ten years!

I have made an attempt to down-size my wardrobe – and I have to admit that it does cut down the time spent in working out what one will wear! I re-use the plastic shopping bags brought home from the supermarket. And any unwanted, but still useful house-hold items have made their way to the second-hand shop.

Cleaning in the home

During the wartime, Britons were allowed only a small ration of soap – just a few ounces each week per person – to wash clothes, wash dishes, clean  the house and wash one’s body and hair. Women soon learned to improvise – salt for scrubbing wooden work surfaces; vinegar as a weak solution for wiping enamel and formica worktops and for washing up glasses, cups and saucers as well as for cleaning paintwork; splashes of milk for polishing linoleum floors; bicarbonate of soda for all kinds of stain removal; damp newspaper serewed up for cleaning windows and wiping out greasy pots and pans; and whiting mixed with a tiny amount of water used as a scouring powder for cleaning baths, sinks, pots and pans.

• HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

• I won't be boiling towels and sheets in a "copper" with a wood fire to heat the water as my mother did, and I won't be squeezing wet clothes through the two rollers of a mangle, turning it by a handle. However, the time saved by using today's amazing automatic washing machines will give me more time to do some internet research about safe and hygenic home-cleaning methods - for I intend to stop using chemicals for cleaning within our home.

Medicines from nature

medicinal plants

As World War 11 progressed, women needed to rely on their own devices as well as their grandmothers' secret recipies for not only soap, polishes, flavourings, baby lotions, dried fruits & vegetables, alcohol but also medicines. 

Rosehip Syrup
*Top, tail and wash about 5 lb undamaged hips.
*Place in a saucepan with 3 pints of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins.
*Rub the hips through a sieve and mix with half the fruit's weight in castor sugar.
*Cook and stir for about 20 mins (10 mins after it begins to simmer).
*Pour into glass jars, allow to cool and seal with waxed paper.
*Keep for 3 or 4 months in a dark place.
Give children 1 teaspoon daily as a Vitamin A & C tonic.
The thick syrup can be thinned down for drinks.

Medicinal Jam (can be used as a mild natural laxative for children - delicious on brown bread)
1 lb prunes; 1 lb seedless raisins; 1 lb demerara sugar; 1/4 lb whole almonds

*Remove stones from the prunes.
*Chop prunes and raisins very finely, together with the blanched almonds and kernels from the prune stones.
*Soak all overnight in 1 pint water.
*Next day, add the demerara sugar, bring to the boil and cook for 30 mins, boiling not too fast.
*Pour into hot glass jars and seal down immediately.

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

We are very fortunate to have a  healthy lemon tree in our garden, with a variety of citrus trees coming along nicely. Many years ago, an orange tree supplied our large family each with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for 9 months of the year. No one ever caught a cold during those months! 

In order to address on-going health, I will make a concerted effort not to eat junk food or processed food - especially foods using refined products such as white sugar and white flour.

Pest control in the home garden

An increase in farm productivity during World War 11 resulted in an increase in pests – from insects to rats, mice, squirrels, wood pigeons and sparrows. A wide range of insecticides and pesticides had been used experimentally before the war, and they now began to be used widely. Many of these chemicals are today considered to be unsafe, but one non-chemical weapon against sparrows was big groups of boys and girls making lots of noise with rattles and shouting at the tops of their voices for long periods of the day during the harvest season. Rhodents were poisoned, trapped and hunted down with ferrets. Also there were rat catchers who were trained to  catch these prolific breeders which could quickly devour crops with their voracious appetites, gnaw at doors and windows to find their way into houses, as well as contaminate drinking water and feed supplies.  Another non-chemical strategy was crop rotation which prevented the buildup of diseases and insects.

Crop rotation  meant not growing the same crop in the same place two years running. Dig for Victory Leaflet No. 1 (see the link below) gave the Brits colourful illustrations of a detailed cropping plan.   www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/DigforVictory1/DigForVictory1_2-3.htm

 HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

While I plan to not grow the same vegetable in the same spot for more than 2 years, 

keeping a record of what I have planted and where, 

I will be hoping to prevent a buildup of disease. 

Also I will apply a sprinkling of fossil shell flour if necessary – natural damaceous  earth can act as an insecticide which is harmless to humans. 

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1007800-11-banned-food-ingredients-still-allowed-us/#slide=14

Nettles are a great insecticide and fertilizer. But because I don't want nettles going to seed in our garden and spreading as weeds,  I will only pick the nettles from our bushland when I want to use them. Comfrey leaves are not only useful as a herbal tea, for they can also be used as both an insecticide and fertilizer (with a little added soft soap) - so I will be encouraging my comfrey plants to grow bigger!

http://merrilynhope.com/how-to-make-liquid-organic-comfrey-fertilizer/  this site talks about adding onion skins and garlic to the comfrey fertilizer/insecticide.

Flowers in the home garden

One Cornwall farmer who had a flourishing 30 acres of spring bulbs to cut for the flower market -daffodils, narcissi, anemones and tulips - recalls his sadness at digging up his bulbs right down to the cliff edge, in order to grow wheat, potatoes, carrots and onions. Other farmers growing flowers such as lilies and orchids under glass replaced their colourful peace-time crops for tomatoes and lettuce.

The Minister  of Agriculture in 1940 appealed to every householder to convert flowerbeds to vegetable plots. Vegetables needed to be grown in all good garden soil if the Brits were to get through the war with their tummies fed. However, people were encouraged to set aside part of the garden for flowers, partly to keep up their morale and partly to ensure that there would still be a supply of flower seeds available when the war ended.

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

I really don't need any encouragement to grow a few flowers 

because I simply love flowers, both in the garden and in the home. 

Cheese

The Ministry of Food's Miracle Food No 5 was Cheese. The World War 11 Radio Doctor announced that a cheese of 20 lb contains as much nutriment as a sheep's carcase of 60 lb! The war-time cheese ration of 2 oz per person per week did not go very far - grated in a lunch-box sandwich, cooked as a souffle grilled on toast as Welsh rabbit or used as a bubbling brown sauce on cauliflower cheese or macaroni cheese.

Milk containers such as these would contain milk headed for the factory to be turned into cheese.
My grandfather, who had survived being an Anzac during the First World War, worked in a milk factory in the 1930s - hence he was not required to join the forces for a second time. 

Oatmeal

The Ministry of Food's Miracle Food 4 was Oatmeal, to give energy, protect from illness and make strong bones and healthy blood. And during the war, it had the virtue of being home grown on British soil. With a government subsidy, it cost less than 3 1/2 pence a pound to grow. Housewives were urged to use oatmeal to bulk out other foods, mixing it with flour for cakes and pastry, thickening soups with it and adding it to savoury puddings and pies to make the precious meat ration go further.

I was a post-war baby (known as a baby-boomer), and I can still remember my mother singing World War 11 songs as she worked in the kitchen. One of her favourite songs was "Mares Eat Oats" -  "Mairzy Doats"! 
  
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.
A kiddley divey too. Wouldn’t you? Yes!
Mairzydoats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.
A kiddley divey too. Wouldn’t you?
If the words sound queer, and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey.
Sing: “Mares eat oats and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy” Oh!
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.
A kiddley divey too. Wouldn’t you — oo?
A kiddley divey too. Wouldn’t you?

HOW CAN I APPLY THIS TO MY LIFE?

Porridge for breakfast will continue to be my healthy breakfast choice in our Australian winter, 

whole rolled oats, and not the "instant oats".   Cooked in a saucepan with water (1 cup water to 1/3 cup oats), then adding a little salt, and stirring in some milk and a dribble of honey or golden syrup.  

I will most certainly start to make Flapjacks as a snack:

55 g/2 oz butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing; 115 g/4 oz golden syrup; 55 g/2 oz demerara sugar, 225 g/8 oz rolled oats

*Preheat oven to 180 degrees C; Grease 8 inch square, shallow cake tin.
*Melt butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan
*Stir in the oats and turn the mixture into the cake tin, spreading it evenly.
*Bake 30 -35 mins in a preheated oven.
*Take out of the oven and cut into square or rectangular pieces immediately, leaving in the tin until completely cold before removing.

I might even consider setting aside a patch of our suburban garden to try growing some oats, just for fun! 

But one thing that I really should do is a bit more singing while I potter around the house!

Growing Greens - herbs and salads

The Ministry of Food's Miracle Food 3 was Greens!

Salads of raw cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and young dandelion leaves were advocated along with watercress and mustard and cress - but lettuce and cucumber were considered to be "practically useless for vitamin C. The Radio Doctor gave sound dietary advice to eat something raw and green every day.

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

The following are some of the plants I intend to grow in the coming year, complementing the herbs that already grow semi-permanently in our garden......

*A variety of chicory growing in the garden will be one of my challenges for the coming year. Being deep-rooted plants adapting to a wide range of soils from light sands to heavy clay, and being able to thrive in either the wet or dry or exposed situations, I should have success with chicory.

While the majority of chicory are grown for their leaves, some are cultivated for their roots and shoots. I look forward to a new experience of using edible roots - white and tender - either eaten raw (chopped or grated in salad), or cooked and eaten cold. With roots being moderately hardy, I should be able to lift them throughout the winter for a healthy winter vegetable. And with continual sowing through spring and summer, there should be a continual supply of chicory over many months - even throughout the year in Queensland's mild climate.

*Oriental brassicas such as Pak choi accept cut-and-come-again harvesting so are a good addition to the home garden.

*Leaf beets such as Swiss chard and perpetual spinach will be eaten both raw and cooked.

*Dandelions are already growing in my garden with their flowers, leaves and roots all being edible.  I will use the root tops sliced raw in salads and the young leaves raw in salads or sometimes boiled if they are tasting bitter, with the flower petals tossed raw into a salad or  even pickled in vinegar and spices.
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.htmls

*Fenugreek is a hardy legume and I have sometimes bought fenugreek seeds to make my own healthy sprouts.... so now is the time to have a go at growing  my own fenugreek for the first time! Or at least buy some more seeds for sprouting. 

*Celeriac - a turnip rooted celery - is good in salads raw or cooked, and I have often used the stems as "celery" with a cut-and-come-again harvesting method without even using the root!

*Tomatoes are a continuous picker over many months in our garden. This coming year I hope to grow enough to also make chutneys, sauces and bottled tomatoes.

*Sweet peppers provide an addition to hot and cold dishes, plus the chutneys. I will grow a few sweet peppers interplanted with French marigolds to discourage some garden pests.

War-time Root crops

Sugar beet farming was particularly important during the war years. After World War 1, this industry had been subsidized by the government, and at great cost to the British taxpayer,  it continued to be subsidized during World War 11. During the years of rationing, the weekly sugar ration (with the sugar coming from the British sugar beet) was 12 oz per person. 

Sugar beet is particularly resilient to drought as beet sown early in spring would develop a deep taproot capable of drawing moisture and  nutrients up from the subsoil. Sugar beet  roots were pulled up by hand and topped and tailed with a special knife. The tops were originally ploughed back into the soil as a green fertilizer, but in 1940, the tops began to be used as feedstuffs for livestock.

Root crops were promoted by the Ministry of Food as Miracle Food 2, and carrots were right there in the forefront, with recipes such as Carrot Hotpot, Carrot Croquettes, Curried Carrots, Carrot Fudge, Carrolade (a drink combining carrot juice with the juice of Swedes) and Carrot Marmalade.

BBC Radio Home Service broadcast "From the Kitchen Front" every morning for 5 minutes during World War 11. One broadcast in 1941 talked about mixing jam with grated raw or cooked carrot so that the jam could go further.

Swedes, turnips, celeriac and parsnips - all to be grown in home gardens - were used in soups and stews, or they were cooked until soft and were perhaps mashed together with an equal amount of boiled potatoes keeping the Wartime families healthy.

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

I  already have a few sugarbeet plants in my Queensland garden, and look forward to experimenting with how to use them - perhaps I will even be able to make a little sugar!!  

Next season I won't plant them so close, as the root can grow to the size of a person’s head! 

I will have to turn to internet sites such as this one to learn how to grow and use my sugarbeets. 

http://www.myfarmfood.co.uk/manchester/food/from_the_farm/crops/detail_where_does_half_of_our_sugar_come_from.asp

I look forward to being creative with using carrots - finding my inspiraton from the links below. 

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/ww2kitchencarrotswatermark.pdf

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history4.html#broadcasts

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/ww2kitchencarrots130441wmk.pdf
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/WW2%20Kitchen%20Front%20Broadcasts.pdf

The humble potato

Farm land as well as market gardens that had previously grown flowers became vegetable patches for the humble potato, the food that was the favourite vegetable of the Ministry of Food.

Certain foods were promoted by the Ministry of Food as foods essential to good health, especially for children. The campaign to promote potatoes as a substitute for bread was a great success, with 60% more potatoes being eaten by the end of war that at its start.

The cartoon characters of Potato Pete  and his friend, Doctor Carrot along with adaptations of traditional
nursery rhymes aimed to get adults and children to both enjoy and value vegetables.

Potatoes new, Potatoes old, Potatoes in a salad cold;
Potatoes baked or mashed or fried, Potatoes whole, potatoes pied;
Enjoy them all including chips Remembering spuds don't come in ships!

The Ministry of Food provided information leaflets on Miracle Foods, namely the potato, roots, greens,  oatmeal and cheese.

One of the ministry's recipes presented in their Food Facts was "Potato Floodies", which really was a potato fritter.

Potato Floodies
4 medium-sized potatoes; 4 tablesp plain flour; 4 tablesp chopped mixed herbs (optional); dash of cayeene pepper (optional); 4 tablespoons of dripping or vegetable oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Peel the potatoes and grate them in a bowl.
*Add sufficient flour to form a stiff batter.
*If you are wanting a "savoury dish", season with salt/pepper and herbs.
*Heat a little oil in a frying pan, and drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into it. Turn when brown - cook about 4 mins each side.
*If you are wanting a "sweet dish", serve with a little jam or lemon juice & sugar.

Potato Pastry
175 gm self-raising flour; pinch salt; 70 gm cooking fat or butter; 55 gm potato (peeled & grated); 1 -2 tablespoons ice-cold water.

*Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
*Sift flour & salt into a large bosl and rub in the fat/butter. Then add the potato and mix. Add enough water to bind the dough.
*Roll out on a floured surface and line a 23cm flan case. Prick the base all over with a fork.
*Bake for 15 mins until golden brown.

Here is a filling for a War-time Mock Apricot Flan:
Grate 450 gm young carrots and simmer in a saucepan with 4 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons plum jam and 1/4 teasp almond essence. Simmer until a soft pulp is formed (perhaps for 1 hour). Spread the mixture onto the cooked pastry case. Melt an extra 2 tablesp plum jam with 1 tablesp water and use it to glaze the tart.  

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

Now is the time for me to be serious about growing potatoes.  I agree that there is absolutely nothing like the taste of a small new potato boiled just after it has been carefully prized from its earth mound – and it is ever so many years since my last tasting of a "new potato"!  Seeding potatoes can be quite expensive – it is much cheaper to buy several varieties of potatoes from the local supermarket, writing the name of each variety on paper and popping the potato’s name in the bag before heading for the check-out. Then I will need to plan where the different varieties are planted, labeling them carefully so that I will know their identity and how each of them is best cooked.  

Growing food on every inch of land

The friendly Mr Middleton, also known as “The Wireless Gardener” during World War 11, gave Sunday afternoon radio broadcasts which continued throughout the war, playing to enormous audiences. In actual fact, Middleton’s home garden had plenty of pests and the weather was frequently not in his favour for growing vegetables, but it was his advice that helped millions of British home gardeners get the best out of their plot of land, growing their runner beans, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions etc.

People were encouraged to dig up every available scrap of land and grow food on it. And so, the front and back gardens were dug up, along with the roadside verges, the railway cuttings, the public parks, the school playing fields Many families worked together on their "allotments" - here are some images from that time.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=world+war+2+allotments+&qpvt=world+war+2+allotments+&FORM=IGRE

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

I am fortunate that I don't need to relinquish every inch of our garden to vegetables! 
I can keep the lawn!
 But in my venture towards a greater level of self-sufficiency, I will certainly be increasing 
the size of the vege garden, along with taking an interest in growing some fruit.  

Mechanization

The War Years were years of unprecedented mechanization. Even before World War 11 broke out, the government was planning for Britain’s survival – and it already had 3,000 Fordson tractors in reserve, such was their foresight!

Tractors became a feature of all farms, and in the war years, they were transforming the landscape. With farmers working by starlight and by lamp, these tractors could work 24 hours a day.  Along with the tractors, there was the gyro-tiller, the prairie-buster and the rotary cultivator – these machines exploiting the marshes, the hillsides, the bogs and the heath. All of the countryside was taking on a new face. Never again would it be as it had once been!

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

Currently we use a car, a petrol lawn mower, a chain saw for cutting our winter wood, an electric pressure hose to clean outside walls and paths, plus a multitude of mechanized tools and household equipment. An addition that we might consider would be a mulcher, but in the meantime, we can continue our composting by cutting up greenery with secateurs or running over it with the lawn mower to reduce it for the compost heap. 

Does the land need to be drained?

Poor drainage was the major reason for a good deal of land in Britain being unsuitable for growing crops during World War 11. The challenge of improving drainage of fields was met with the use of a drain plough or mole plough, a bullet-shaped plough that drags through the ground at a depth of around 40 cm, leaving in its wake a small channel that allows water to drain away. Such ploughs, while they proved to be difficult to master, were particularly suited for areas where there was heavy clay subsoil.  

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

Fortunately our suburban block is well drained. However, two of my friends had to drain their block by digging channels and burying perforated plastic drainage pipe. Happy digging if you are one of those people who need to improve your drainage! Have a look at this link for some tips. 

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/landdrain.htm

The need for high protein content in food

The Ministry of Agriculture fought to defend livestock farming during World War 11,  but the Ministry of Food emphasized that acre for acre, it was crop production for human food that provided a better yield than fodder crops for animals. And so it was that the government made farmers turn large areas of grazing land over to land for food crops for Britain's people. Dairy cows were generally safe, but it was not a good time to be a pig or a chicken! Sheep numbers overall fell by as much as 42 % during Britain's time of need to get the most out of their land. 

HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?

Well, I really wasn’t planning on getting a pig, a goat or a cow as I feel that my life would be more constrained if I had livestock to tend to. Not like my second son who one day would like to raise some pigs or my friend's son who already has a few pigs! Instead, my aim is for some of my home-grown vegetables to be ones with high protein content ... such as beans, spinach, cauliflower, okra, broccoli, asparagus, and yes – even comfrey.

Vegetable (100 grams)	Protein (g)
Asparagus	3
Aubergine	1
Beetroot	2
Broccoli	3
Brussel Sprouts	3
Cabbage	1
Carrot	0.5
Cauliflower	3
Celery	0.5
Cucumber	0.5
Fennel	1
Leek	1.6
Lettuce	0.7
Mushrooms	2
Okra	2.4
Onion	0.7
Spring Onion	2
Parsnip	1.5
Peppers	1
Pumpkin	0.5
Radish	0.7
Spinach	2
Swede	0.5
Sweet Corn	2.5
Tomatoes	2
Turnip	0.8
Yam	2

http://www.weightlossforall.com/protein-vegetable.htm

Some examples of high protein vegetables include a varied quantity of beans, grains, nuts and seeds. Protein contains essential amino acids, often referred to as building blocks of the body. In reality, our body is in need of amino acid and not protein. We need twenty different varieties of amino acids - nine of which our body cannot produce.  Therefore the amino acid content of protein rich vegetables is absolutely essential for our body.

Soybeans, quinoa (a grain), and spinach are some examples of high protein vegetables. However, not all protein rich vegetables have all essential amino acids. For instance, grains have low Lysine content and legumes have low Methionine content in comparison to some other vegetables having considerable protein content.

The basic idea is to combine low protein contents with the high ones for the combination of amino acids. http://www.massgrown.org/high_protein_vegetables.html

Our bodies only produce what is known as the non-essential amino acids (NEAA). The other amino acids, known as the essential amino acids (EAA), which the body cannot produce, must be supplied from diet and/or supplements. These include the following: Tryptophan, Lysine, Methionine, Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Threonine and Phenylalanine. 

Eggs, dairy, meats (including fish and poultry) and soy are examples of complete proteins that contain all the EAA and NEAA and can supply all amino acids/protein needs.

Below are a list of the essential amino acids and sources of foods that contain them:

• Tryptophan: dietary sources include chocolate, oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, meat, fish, turkey and peanuts.
• Lysine -  dietary sources include green beans, lentils, soybean, spinach and amaranth.
• Methionin: dietary sources include fish, whole grains, and dairy.
• Valine (a Branched Chain Amino Acid AKA BCAA): dietary sources include dairy products, grain, meat, mushrooms, peanuts, and soy proteins.
• Leucine (BCAA): dietary sources include cottage cheese, sesame seeds, peanuts, dry lentils, chicken, and fish.
• Isoleucine (BCAA): dietary sources include eggs, fish, lentils, poultry, beef, seeds, soy, wheat, almonds and dairy.
• Threonine: dietary sources include dairy, beef, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds.
• Phenylalanine: dietary sources include dairy, almonds, avocados, lima beans, peanuts, and seeds. http://www.sharecare.com/health/protein-diet-nutrient/body-make-amino-acids-need