Hans Worthmuller was the first of the men that worked for my Grandpa, Phillip, to write. His letter, dated May 6, 1946 took two months to arrive... Postmarked July 2, 1946 in Trinidad. You'll notice that it had been opened for censorship...
His return seemed to be a pleasant one since he easily located his wife and young son and had news of his older son and the anticipation of his release from the POW camp he was held in in Italy.
The US Government's persuasion of people to give up large amounts of red meats and fats actually resulted in healthier eating. However...
Sadly, there were the food manufacturers who took advantage of the wartime shortages to flaunt their patriotism to their profit. The familiar blue box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner gained great popularity as a substitute for meat and dairy products. Two boxes required only one rationing coupon, which resulted in 80 million boxes sold in 1943. Food substitutions became evident with real butter being replaced with Oleo margarine. Cottage cheese took on a new significance as a substitute for meat, with sales exploding from 110 million pounds in 1930 to 500 million pounds in 1944.
After three years of rationing, World War II came to a welcome end. Rationing, however, did not end until 1946. Life resumed as normal and the consumption of meat, butter, and sugar inevitably rose.
Keep in mind that while Phillip and Katie had the POW workers at the farm the rationing restrictions were in place. How did they feed, not only their family including three hungry boys, their daughter, son-in-law and grandson, but also the "boys" from the camp? They had a large garden that I imagine all of the veggies came from. Grandma was an excellent cook... Hans fondly recalled "her skillful cooking" in his letter.
One of my older cousins (the 3rd grandchild of Phillip & Katie, and first grand-daughter) recently shared her memory...
"Eating lunch or dinner was like going to the Golden Buffet! She made a least 3 meats,4-5 vegetable dishes including many different jello recipes. Dessert was pies, cakes, cookies, and more. But you must know this was served after us kids had been with Grandpa at the gas station where we (us kids) had a few treats!! We usually had a Nehi pop of orange or grape or whatever we wanted along with circus peanuts, orange slices, or/and a candy bar. Then, we went back to their house and were expected to eat a large plate of food. Needless to say--- I couldn't eat very much."
Here is one of Katie's recipes...
Place dill and several cloves of garlic in the bottom of the crock. Add your small to medium cucumbers. Add 1-1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 2-1/2 teaspoons alum powder, 2-1/2 teaspoons pickling spice. Add more dill on top.
Mix 8 cups water, 2 cups cider vinegar and 2.75 ozs of salt. Stir until dissolved. Add to the crock.
Cover with a plate and leave on the counter for 2-3 days. Test a small bite for taste and texture. When to your desire, place in jars or containers and store in the refrigerator.
While Hans recalled the fond memories of what could have been a horrible experience as a POW, he waited for the return of his son... the Lost Goslin'.
It is a simple pattern that will come together quickly for you... Go grab the pattern at payhip.
Pickles... some people love 'em. Some people not so much. And the variety available! Dill, sweet, bread and butter... and now'adays, even deep fried!
Just last week I saw a post about a dill pickle pizza... now I LOVE dill pickles... and I LOVE pizza... but together??? My first thought was "that sounds gross", but then I read about it... It doesn't have a traditional red sauce. Rather, it has a garlic dill white sauce, Canadian bacon, mozzarella and sliced dill pickles... Hmmm... "I may try it, just because I'm curious." lol! I was a skeptic about deep fried pickles at one time too.
What are your favorite pickles?
Have you ever had fresh crock pickles?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!
Oh, and don't forget to come back to link up your Lost Goslin' block... open through March 4th.
Quilt Happy!
Melva
