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Make-do and Mend

I feel like such a slug today for having stayed in my jammies (nightie and bed jacket set, actually, that I picked up at the vintage shop the day before the big job loss). I put a skirt and coat on over them when I had to go out to buy cat litter!

Although I have technically done things today. I finally sat down to start ending my winter coat (vintage swing coat bought about 3 years ago) since both armpits have torn and the lining is just a mess. I managed to fix the pits and some of the lining, but am putting of the really long seaming until next week. I'm hand-sewing, so it's a big production.

After I'd finished the first arm, spouse called me in to the office to remind me to put up his dry-erase board. He just bought it yesterday to help him plan (he's a big note taker) and asked me to put it up since I am Keeper of the Drill. He bought me the drill the Christmas before we married (to shocked looks in the family when I opened it) and I don't get much chance to use it. Yes, he could have easily put the board up himself, but was nice enough to offer me the task so I could use my tools. What a nice spouse!

Oh, did I mention the marmalade made from the left-over clemetines? Yeah, that's simmering on the stove right now, soon to go in to sterilized jars (I'm canning). We're not a big jam household, but I couldn't let those thing go to waste. It tastes very different from proper marmalade made from Seville oranges, but it's not bad now that I've added everything under the sun to it (pureed dates for sugar, some Cointreau for more orange flavour, frozen peaches that were lurking in the freezer.) I think it will make a nice toast topper and perhaps filling for a Victoria Sponge. And I was doing my roots with half of the last bit of henna in the house while all this was happening.

On the rationing front (Home Front?), I've gotten our rationing amounts for the first three weeks. I decided that Week 1 would be 1940, Week 2 1941, etc. There was some fluctuation during the years, especially with the sugar ration. I'm not too worried about that one though since we don't use much to begin with, and it's something I tend to buy in bulk anyway. For Week 1, we are each allowed to purchase the following:
Butter 2 oz +2 oz marg
bacon OR ham 4 oz
sugar 8 oz
meat 1 lb 3 oz or 540 g
tea 2 oz (57g)
cooking fat 2 oz
cheese 2 oz

I've decided that since we can't typically buy 2oz of cheese, (although 4 would be perfectly fine for both of us), if a purchase has to be made that's over the amount for two people, say a pound of butter, that cancels out that item for each of us for future weeks as well. Once we have the ration available again, we can buy it, but not before. For things like meat, that ration can be used for beef or soy "beef" (seitan, Gimmee Lean beef, etc), the same goes for bacon. Chicken was not rationed, but often not available, the idea being that you could raise your own. I think I will try to use an equal ration amount for chicken (or vegetarian equivalent for me) a a pound of actually chicken (for spouse) or Quorn (for either of us) tends to last us at least a week anyway.

The ration week went from Sunday to Sunday, so I'm just beginning now. I have a spreadsheet of ration points, but need to coordinate with spouse so that we don't both buy things that go over our two person allotment. Perhaps a Google spreadsheet just so we both can keep track is in order? I'll post our purchases here as well. For now we're living off things currently in the larder.

Comments

50sgal said…
What a fun idea. I often contemplate and research too the 1940s for my experiment. I mean it is 1955 land of plenty for me now, but 10 years ago I was in the thick of it with rationing and such, so I want a good historical foundation for my historical experience. It would be interesting to see the list you make for your rationing. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I also have wanted to try my hand at marmalades, did you like the result and would you do it again?

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