Hi- if you have landed on this page from Jasmine Phillips wartime rationing article on www.queensofvintage.com you can find a few wartime recipes to the right of my blog on the recipe pages..

Full recipes and daily blog of my 1940′s Experiment relating to the information quoted in Jasmine’s article can be found at www.1940sexperiment.com

This is just a shout out to Em- my 11 year old daughter who recently spent her first week away from me ever. She had a great week attending a “Surviving the Wilderness” community program in Halifax while staying with her Dad & Deborah.

“After completing this week you will be ready to survive in the wilderness. You will learn how to use a map and compass, properly light a fire and ways to keep our forest clean and safe. There will also be activities that will including paintball, geocaching, bike riding, orienteering and swimming”

She was one of the youngest AND the only girl and here is a photo of her participating in her favourite part of the week Paintballing…

I am sooo proud of you peachy plops!!

Mom xx

The other day I posted the same thoughts contained in my last blog post on my own website… someone suggested I Google ‘Williams Windmill’…

I did…

And then after work today, on my way back from grocery shopping to home, I stopped off at the wharf in Mahone Bay to sit looking at the ocean to recharge the soul (and borrow the wireless broadband)! I went to my favourite website TED.COM.

I enjoyed absorbing topics like bringing cheap and environmentally friendly refrigeration to anywhere in the world without the need for electricity or gas or indeed any fuel and then I spotted William Kamkwamba.

William Kamkwamba needed light….

William Kamkwamba made his own light…

William Kamkwamba made a WINDMILL

WILLIAMS WINDMILL…

Please watch..

So OK- here goes…

I’d love to harness the energy from the wind and sun and set up my house so at the very least I could produce a significant amount of my own power in a clean, renewable way.

For years I have scanned the internet, worked out what this involves (setting up and cost) and everytime I feel disheartened at the sheer expense of doing this…

There is no way my income could realize even a loan to do something like this yet alone pay one back.

Sooooo- I am looking for ways that small changes could be made within the household (in addition to using less power which I always strive to do anyway)

Maybe set up a series of micro power systems- projects that maybe could be achieved financially without the need for loans.

Things that interest me to try out are things like

* homemade solar ovens
* some sort of home made micro wind turbine that could be made out of junk?
* how could one utilize small solar panels (the type you can buy in Canadian Tire) within the household?
* rainwater harvesting?

I also like the idea of the system that Nodding Group sell which helps heat your water using the sun and therefore reduces the amount of oil/power you need to heat water in your hot water tank…can something similar be produced at home for a fraction of the cost?

What projects have you done at home that have been successful?

Thanks in advance!

C xx

A Big Obsession…

I have a BIG obsession. Nearly 10 years ago I started cooking and photographing recipes….I’m not talking fancy food here. My passion has nearly always been basic, staple, frugal food and none so more than WWII recipes.

In our world of excess & air-miles, the simplicity of make do food using mostly rationed, locally sourced or home grown produce is the kind of food that IMHO needs to be recreated, photographed and remembered.

So OK the food doesn’t excite the taste-buds in quite the same way but I can’t help it…it’s the simple stuff that does it for me. If I can create a meal for pennies and it feeds me or SOME of the family- that gives me quite a thrill!!

Wartime Cheese Pudding (poor mans quiche)

Tasty & Frugal – it’s in UK weights so you’ll need kitchen scales

Ingredients

4oz breadcrumbs (slightly stale is Ok)
10floz milk
1oz strong grated cheddar (you can use more if you want)
1 egg (or equivilent in dried egg)
1oz margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon dried or dijon mustard
salt & pepper to your own taste

Method

Heat the milk
Pour breadcrumbs into saucepan with the seasoning
Stir until milk fully absorbed
Leave for 15 mins or more until absorbed
Add grated cheese, egg & margarine and beat until all melted and mixed in
Put into a greased 9in pie tin
Bake for about 40 mins or so at 180 celcius until set and brown
Best served slightly warm

When the pudding is cold it is sliceable, close your eyes and savour the taste, just like quiche but a fraction of the fat and cost.

Tip- always use a strong cheddar for flavour and make sure the pudding is well browned as this brings out the cheesy taste!