WWII and Rationing

Recently, I've been on a kick learning about Victory Gardens, home canning, and the rationing system of WWII. It has been very interesting. I've read most of what I could get from our library and what I could find online (the Smithsonian had some neat pages).

I've always been interested in WWII, and how people pulled together and made great sacrifices. Though I think all war carries a multitude of horrors, WWII at least seems on the outside to be a 'good' war, if that can ever be said of war... the idea of good and brotherhood fighting against evil powers. People not only sacrificed their sons and daughters to fight and work in the war effort, but over 20 million people in the U.S. grew "Victory gardens" so that more of the canned produce could be sent over seas to the troops. Most of these were the urban dwellers, since farmers and those in rural areas had always grown gardens.

I think that victory gardens and 'rationing' would do a world of good for our culture. We buy buy buy, and waste waste waste. If we grew our own food, and put the effort in getting it to the table, I think we'd be less likely to chuck it in the can if it had a brown spot on it. Isn't it odd, in a time where obesity is one of the leading causes of health problems, there are all sorts of expensive diet pills and fads, where people could actually lose a lot of weight if they just grew their own food and limited themselves to it? I found one blog of a lady who was over 300 lbs who put herself on a WWII rationing diet. Limiting her portions to those available in 1940, and eating more of the fresh fruits and vegetables (because the canned ones were sent to the troops) has enabled her to lose over 45 lbs in not a long amount of time.

I've wondered for years why it is that people spend so much effort having nice lawns or landscaping, and why more don't want to plant things they can eat or use, like herbs. Our houses over the past decades have gotten bigger and bigger, while our yards have shrunk considerably, and most people in urban areas (if you can even call Logan urban) don't have garden space... they may have a beautifully landscaped with rocks and boulders, and nice bushes, but nary a plant you could eat. The British, who love their gardens to be pretty, 'dug for victory' and sacrificed their flowers for spinach and onions. (The designs of their gardens were often quite pretty, if you find sites that show you the lay out. 1940s House, a BBC film, went into that a bit).

My mother has always told me of my Grandmother that she had an amazingly green thumb. Because of her gardening skills and her thrift, my mom and her siblings never realized they were poor growing up. They ate well. I remember our food storage area used to sport some of Grandma's canning, and sadly, the only thing I ever tried was her grape juice, which was delicious with sprite. I wish she'd lived long enough for me to be able to ask her questions once I became interested in canning and "making do". Growing up in luxury, it was something I never thought much of... I reached for whatever can in the grocery isle looked good. It wasn't until I married Ryan that I started learning more thrift. I'm incredibly grateful to be "poor" because it has forced me to become more creative and taught me a lot about budgeting, saving, and has encouraged me to take the plunge and learn to can and garden. I've had some successes, and some failures, but I'm grateful that I get to learn about it. And I'm grateful for people who know a great deal about it that I can talk to, or read about.

I do think our society has gotten a bit mixed up somewhere along the line -- living in luxury for so long, many skills that saw our parents, grandparents, or great grandparents through the Great Depression or WWII have been lost along the way. Could society use a little more of the WWII slogan "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"? What happened to not buying things you cannot afford? Or saving for a rainy day? Too many grow up expecting to have a large home, as if that were some type of inalienable right. When we first met with a mortgage agent to find out how much we could afford in a home, he told us a figure greatly above what we'd expected -- if we'd believed him and run on that, we'd have NO savings whatsoever, and we would be slaves to our home. It seems to me in this society obsessed with consuming, that people buy more more more, but get less joy out of life.

I wish for all of us, especially during this Christmas season where so many seem to get caught up in the "buying", that we can remember what's really important: the celebration of Christ's birth and life, our families, the time we get to spend with them, the smiles on their faces. I'll wager, especially if you start when they are small, that your kids will be more grateful for your attention this Christmas than with a new toy... that they'll get bored with in a month's time. I'm sure anyone would rather have a handmade gift or thoughtful letter than another watch or tie. I hope all of our Holiday preparations are enjoyable and in the right perspective.