Not a penny spent

The weather is changing into our Autumn and the days are becoming a little bit cooler and we're still have rain as well. All in all a very good time for the garden if you have one. 

In the wartime letters there is talk about tomatoes growing even though they were experiencing a bit of a heat wave and nothing else was growing in their gardens. Tomato recipes were also included in the kitchen section. 

There is still a lot of talk of saving and making do. I'm currently saving a lot of orange peels to use in potpourri crafts.  During the war they wouldn't waste full orange slices for crafts. The peels were put to use in recipes like marmalades, and candied, if sugar was available.

Savings were encouraged more often now and plenty of advertising gave the call to save for war bonds. The money saved was sent to the government to help with the war of the time.

Even though there isn't a war to send savings to, it is still a good idea to put away the 'pennies' for the rainy day emergency. There's lots of ways to save a few dollars here and there, for myself I'm not thrifting which is a hard thing for me, but a nice thing for my savings purse. I'm also considering my no spend challenge again. Perhaps in April.

Also, for now I've turned off comment ability on my blog as sometimes it is just nice to look and not have to participate...well, I think so.

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening where ever you are.

A return to Austerity

I took a break from blogging after dealing with some personal issues. I thought by now I would be well settled into a new home, however drama happened and a move hasn’t occurred just yet. I usually refrain from posting in-depth personal setbacks and drama in detail on my blog so I’ll just move onto blogging.

The return to blogging is going to include the letters posted in Eleanor Barbour’s “Dear Eleanor Barbour” from the wartime newspapers. A lot of the ladies wrote in letters giving an account of their day to day life, what they were doing to make savings, recipes and home hints. The letters give a wonderful insight into the era for homemakers of Australia.

As I continue with the 1940’s homemaking theme there will also include advertising of the time, as now coupons have become introduced to  Australians and the adverts show how much something cost the average homemaker or if a coupon was needed to purchase the item. Without a coupon you could not receive the item. Australia had a lot of items available but things like the Nivea creme stopped being produced after 1939 due to it being a German product. English Yardley perfumes and creams became more popular to support the British and were widely available.

As the war continues, many are still fighting with the Germans, for Australia the bombing of Darwin brought home the war and soldiers were also enlisted to fight the Japanese. Now more than ever, Australians were encouraged to help the war effort and send what they could to the war bonds. Austerity became the key focus of homemakers, spending less, making do, and travelling less developed into a major theme of the era. The homefront became important for many families and home made became a necessity. Home made meals were part of keeping a home and supporting the troops by spending less to save for war bonds.

With the make do motto, I’m going back to creating items for the home using what I have and putting those items away for a future home. The main aim is to spend less and be at home when I can be. The advert above shows pillow cases were available and no coupons were needed. Transfers were also available and in keeping with the era but did not become very popular until the 1950's.

With the state of the world today, all of this sounds very familiar. By posting the letters, the adverts, and continuing with a 1940’s lifestyle, I hope to pass on something useful for today’s homemaker.

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening wherever you are.

Dianthus - Pinks

Old-fashioned garden pinks were the first choice for perfume for many cottage garden lovers. John Parkinson, a 17th-centruy author of the first illustrated book on ornamental plants, could hardly find the words to express his admiration:

"What shall I say to the Queen of delight and of flowers, Carnations and Gillyflowers, whose bravery, variety and sweet smell, tyeth every one’s affection?”

Gillyflower is the old name for members of the Dianthus family, driven from the French giro flier - a clove tree. Many of the old-fashioned pinks were clove scented, the famous ‘sops-in-wine’ variety, which has single, maroon flowers with white markings, was grown around taverns and alehouses so that the petals could be used to flavour the liquor.

Pinks are still the favourites of most cottage gardeners, and few plants have their qualities of ‘bravery’ (hardiness), compactness, perfume, and show of pretty flowers from early to midsummer. Set out new plants in spring, 12 in (30cm) apart, and water them well. Pinks like a sunny position in well-drained soil, and will benefit rom a top dressing of gravel to prevent the bases of the plants from coming into contact with damp soil. You can take cuttings after the flowers have finished - choose strong shoots and cut them off close to the main stem. In late summer, remove the old flower stems and apply a high-potash fertiliser.

A traditional recipe for Pinks potpourri:

1 cup rose petals

1/2 cup petals from pinks

1/4 cup each of marjoram and rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon ground cloves. 

Mix thoroughly and place in china bowls or specially made potpourri containers.  

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening where ever you are.

Bay Leaf

Bay Leaf

(Laurus nobilis)

Sweet bay

Parts Used:

Leaves

Properties:

Aromatic, Culinary flavouring.

The sweet bay is the true laurel of ancient Greece. Its leaves were used to make crowns for triumphant heroes, distinguished poets and victors of the Pythian games at Delphi. The title, Poet Laureate, comes from this use.

In Greek myth, Apollo was pursuing a mountain nymph named Daphne. The gods changed her into a laurel tree to escape him. Apollo consoled himself by weaving a garland from ‘her’ branches and, after this, the tree was held sacred by Apollo.

Cultivating: The Laurus nobilis needs special care in frost areas. It is not a hardy plant for the out-of-doors, but it adds a great deal of charm to an herb garden and will grow well as a tub plant if great care is given it.

The potting mixture must be prepared with 2 parts loam, 2 parts sand, 2 parts peat moss and fertiliser, preferably cow manure.

It prefers a sunny spot and the soil should be kept moist at all times. When frost threatens, the plant should be placed in a protected area.

Harvesting: Like most herbs, bay leaves should be picked in the early morning when they are clean and still fresh from the morning dew but not wet. Place leaves to dry gradually in warm shady spot. When dry but not brittle, arrange the leaves and weight them to flatten them so they do not curl. When completely dried and pressed, pack carefully in tightly covered opaque containers until needed. 

Uses Of The Herb:

Culinary:

Use bay leaves as part of a bouquet garni for soups, stews, and sauces. Add to stocks, marinades and stews, curry, and poached fish. Remove leaves before serving. Place in rice jar to flavour rice. Heat in milk to flavour custards and puddings. Use to flavour vinegar.

Medicinal:

Use an infusion of the leaves as a digestive stimulant. Apply infusion to scalp to relieve dandruff. Essential oil is good for massaging sprains and rheumatic pains. Make sure the oil is diluted by mixing it with a ‘carrier oil; such as sweet almond beforehand.

Cosmetic:

Add a decoction of bay to bath water to tone the skin and relieve aches.

Decorative:

Clipped and trains day trees in tubs are an elegant and traditional decoration for doorways and walls. Use branches in full leaf for wreaths.

Household:

Crumble dried leaves into potpourri. Hang branches up to freshen the air.

To make spiced scented coasters:

Bay leaves  

Cinnamon sticks

Star anise

Cloves

Crush six bay leaves, a couple of cinnamon sticks, some cloves, and star anise with pestle and mortar.

This scented spice mix then can be placed between squares of fabric and sewn in.  The aroma of the crushed spices is released when a warm tea cup or coffee mug is placed on the coasters.

A larger mat can also be made to rest a tea pot on or a hot pan.

(Disclaimer: As always be careful about using herbs. Consult your doctor before use. Never use on small children or pregnant women)

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening where ever you are.

Winter Sachet

Sachet (Sa Sha - A small bag containing perfumed herbs used to scent clothes) Using a sachet is the most fragrant way to perfume clothes, linens and note papers. Victorian ladies sewed little sachets into every thing in the house from arm chairs to sewing baskets. Sachets can be placed in envelopes of personal mail, hang bags in clothes closets, lay little pouches with your lingerie, and pretty embroidered envelopes find a place in gifts of handkerchiefs.

Bags for sachet are sewn from bits of silk. More elaborate designs use a less tightly woven fabric over the silk but the silk or an equally tight weave cloth must hold the sachet as it tends to powder and contents escape from the looser weaved fabrics such as lace.

Depending on the use, sachets range in size and shape from tiny, plump pillows of two inches square to envelope size. If you like needlework, they are delightful stitched in all manner of elaborate flights of fancy.

To make a sachet you dry the ingredients as you would for dry potpourri. All petals and leaves must be quite crisp otherwise they may mildew.

WINTER SACHET 

This is the best recipe for wool and clothes which have to be stored.

One 1 cup of dried rosemary, add the same of mint leaves, 1/2 cup thyme, and two tablespoons of crushed cloves. Mix this well and age it, then make lager sachets to scent your summer storage. No moth will go near it.

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening where ever you are.

Rose and Spice Potpourri

This mixture has a dusty appearance because of the spices. A few perfectly dried rose buds, whole dried miniature roses or  dried petals can be used on the sides and tops of glass jars to brighten this beautiful but simple potpourri.

Ingredients:

4 cups dried rose petals
1 cup mixture of freshly ground cinnamon, cloves and a little nutmeg
1/2 cup orrisroot powder ( Note: I used a couple of ground chips of rose resin as a fixative instead of orrisroot powder)
10 drops rose oil

Rosebuds, whole roses, or petals for decoration

Method:

Mix rose petals and spices thoroughly with your hands. Blend oil and orrisroot powder together with your fingers and add to the petals. Put mixture into an airtight container and allow to mellow for 3 weeks before transferring to jars or bowls.

I hope everyone is having a good day or evening where ever you are.