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
Oh, don't worry about ketchup! Just use your tomatoes to can up some ketchup for your family. I'm pretty sure most 1940's housewives would have made their own ketchup. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's my goal, although I think my paste tomatoes were replaced w/ regular tomatoes (long story), so I may have to get paste tomatoes from the farmer's market.
ReplyDeleteHow do you buy two pounds of sugar? Is there a 1-lb bag I haven't noticed in the store? Or do you save up points and buy a 5-lb bag in a few weeks?
ReplyDeleteAt the grocery store sugar is sold in 4 lb and 10 lb packages. Typically, I buy a 4 lb package and put a star on the bottom half for the 1st week (denoting ration points paid), and then star the other half the next week. It takes two weeks to "buy" a package of sugar this way.
ReplyDelete