The War Kitchen

  I started this blog to share ideas to help folks be a bit more self sufficient or explore bits of historic recipes or how our collective nations populations survived food shortages because of war. Sadly it is daily more relevant to real living now.  It is easy to think a conflict far away will not effect you, but they do and can. The current invasion of the Ukraine will have immediate and dreadful impacts on people’s lives in that region. A refugee crisis is unfolding as I write this. Innocent good people who never did a wrong thing in their lives will die. People who never dreamed of harming anyone Ukrainian or Russian will now have too. Trade, food supplies, the ability to produce food (farming disrupted), power needs for heat and cooking, clothing and shelter shortages, medical care shortage and transportation chain disruptions will all happen. The people of the Ukraine will need help. Other Governments will be forced to make decisions… and war unfolds. More than likely here in th

  Corn Bread 1 3/4 cups corn meal                             1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 cup flour                                            1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder     1 1/2 cups milk                                     2 tablespoons shortening Mix thoroughly dry ingredients, add milk and melted shortening; beat well and pour into well greased pan or muffin tins and bake in hot oven about 25 minutes. From  "Best War Time Recipes" Royal Baking Powder Co. New York Copyright 1918

  Gelatin is a useful food ingredient and is in many products but if you have a food restriction it maybe problematic. Most food restrictions are either secular ethics based or religious law based. So a quick run down on navigating the great Gelatin Debate… to eat or not to eat that is the question?   All Gelatin comes from an animal source. If you object to eating animals this means in general you will need to avoid any product containing Gelatin. There are some substitute plant based possibilities but regular forms of Gelatin will not be acceptable.   For a very long time Gelatin was considered Kosher in the USA because of the manufacturing process but people became concerned that pork bones or skin might be used so now one must look for a certifying organization to know it is Kosher. Thus if you follow either a Kosher or Halah diet you will need to be careful about your Gelatin source or use one of the plant based substitutes. Some Gelatin brands use pork, so finding Gelatin that is

 Now for something different… 1 Sprinkle 1 envelope unflavored gelatin in1/2 cup cold water (chicken or turkey stock) to soften. 2 Place over boiling water and stir until gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. 3 Blend 1 can Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup with 1/2 cup cold water (chicken or turkey stock), 1 tablespoon lemon juice and dash black pepper. 4 Add dissolved gelatin and mix thoroughly. Chill to unbeaten egg white consistency. 5 Fold in 1 can Seasoned Roasted Chicken or Turkey, diced, (or 1 1/2 cup boned cooked chicken), 1/2 cup chopped Celery, 1/4 cup chopped Green Pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped pimientos, and 2 teaspoons grated Onion. 6 Turn into 3 cup mold (1 quart mold) or individual molds, and chill until firm. 7 Unmold onto crisp salad greens and serve with salad dressing. 8 Makes 4 Servings. (Approximately 139 calories per serving without dressing.)  Add spices, herbs, curry has been suggested.

From Cookery In War Time 1939 State Poster, Pennsylvania 1917    

A nice WWII recipe Recipe from Cookery In War Time 1939  

 From Kansas Farmer February 7th 1914

I know it is past Christmas but these recipes from WWII are worth checking out. Also it is interesting to see that “Xmas” was in use long before the digital age.  

 From the Kansas Farmer 1914

 This doll called Princess Tambon is a cloth lithograph doll that was offered in the Kansas Farmer in 1914. Lithograph dolls where popular. I had to do some hunting to find images of the real doll. I found her on  https://www.liveauctioneers.com  I was just curious to see if any still existed and what they looked like. I think I like the lithograph dolls, some are rather nice pieces of art. Kansas Farmer also offered patterns in 1914

 The new chicks. Some still need names. D’Uccle Bantam Cockerel hatched 1/20/22 DNA tested for gender Peepers Current Weight .20 ounce Copper Blue Maran Pullet hatched 2/2/2022 Sexed by breeder Current Weight .15 ounce Black Australorp Pullet hatched 2/2/2022 Sexed by breeder Current Weight .20 ounce Blue Copper Maran Pullet hatched 2/2/2022 Sexed by breeder Current Weight .20 ounce Rhode Island Red Pullet hatched 2/2/2022 Sexed by breeder  Aveline de Forz Current Weight .20 ounce Rhode Island Red Pullet hatched 2/2/2022 Sexed by breeder Blance de Artois Current Weight .20 ounce Barred Rock Pullet 2/2/2022 Sexed by breeder Pepper Current Weight .20 ounce

  Why did I add Naked Necks to the household flock? I did a bit of research on them over the years. Some studied indicate chickens with Naked Neck genetics put on a little more meat than their brothers and sisters without the gene. In addition they have 20% less feather than a normally feathered chicken. Thus if I ever decided to raise chickens for meat plucking feathers would be easier. They are known to be tasty. They do well in hot weather. They lay browning eggs normally. They are gentle and good with children supposedly. Finally they look interesting to me and I like them. I plan to do some cross breeding experiments with them as part of demonstrating how genetics work. The Naked Neck gene is a dominant gene. 1 naked neck gene gets you birds with a tuft of feathers (the bow tie) on their neck, a chicken with 2 genes has no bow tie, and a chicken without the gene has normal feathering on their necks. Some Basic Information from Cackle Hatchery, other hatcheries, various websites an

  WWII poster Great Britain The Rhode Islands  All three of these breeds should have the exact same body conformation. All these breeds should have a horizontal oblong brick shaped body. The tail should be at a 45 degree angle and their head held high. Medium sized wattles and earlobes. Reddish Bay Eyes. Yellow skin and shanks. Feathers should be tight and compact. The Rhode Island Red This breed is an excellent dual purpose breed, capable of laying a large amount eggs, and still large enough to make a decent meal out of.  The breed gradually developed in the state of Rhode Island as various breeds of chickens were imported. I consider it an American Landrace developed by people who needed a well rounded useful chicken. The breed actually faced some resistance in being admitted to the APA because of it’s humble beginnings of utility chicken bred and kept by families, it was assumed it would not breed true. Eventually it was accepted. Ultimately the Rhode Island Red would be exported wo

This is a fake wicker patio chest that I cut a hole in and turned into a nesting box. I did not worry about air vents as it is woven loosely enough for air. If you repurpose a wood or solid plastic chest I would cut out two holes and put mesh screen over the holes.  This box can be placed anyplace in my yard where my chickens are, it is light weight enough to be easily moved.

 Preparing for food shortages, emergencies, going some place were refrigerators don’t exist or canned ration living should include trying your canned foods out before you actually need to use them. Though it might be tempting to buy a case of a canned something or other on sale it is far wiser to know what your buying taste, nutritionally and food restriction wise before a large quantity of a food item is brought home. Doing you due diligence in taste testing canned foods before stocking up on anything will save you money and disappointing meals latter. You also don’t want to end up having to take what you can get because of your neighbors realizing there is a possible emergency or problem with the food and your stuck buying food you hate. I suggest picking a new canned food brand and product to try out once a week. If it meets your requirements for your diet and tastes good then consider adding it to your pantry.   Before my family became Vegetarian we had some canned Corned Beef in t