Page iS 



BETTER FRUIT 



June 



Sugar Rations and Jam 



This season of the year suggests sum- 

 mer fruits, canning, preserving and the 

 sugar supply. Three pounds per person 

 per month, the voluntary ration, per- 

 mits little margin for preserving, and 

 careful householders are asking, "Will 

 there be more?" The United Stales 

 Food Administration answers that it is 

 endeavoring to supplement this allot- 

 ment and provide ample sugar for the 

 home-canning season. Provident house- 

 keepers, however, can co-operate with 

 this plan by saving from their present 

 supplies for the time when they begin 

 to put up summer fruits for winter use. 

 On account of the shortage of ships the 

 January and February sugar receipts in 

 this country were far below those of 

 the corresponding months of last year. 

 Our sugar supplies are further limited 

 by the fact that America and the Allies 

 draw on the same source for sugar, and 

 that source is principally' Cuba. So 

 even with an improvement in shipping 

 facilities housekeepers cannot get the 

 pre-war supply of sugar. 



America's problem is simple cam- 

 pared with that of England, whose 

 people are almost to the point of count- 

 ing the grains. Such is the shortage of 

 food there that householders must see 

 to it that every ounce of sugar counts 

 and every piece of fruit is saved. Last 

 January the British Food Controller 

 advised saving as much sugar as pos- 

 sible for jam making out of the meager 

 individual ration of eight ounces a 

 week. The women were assured that 

 such savings would not constitute 

 hoarding. People with orchards and 

 fruit gardens had been asking whether 

 they would receive extra sugar for pre- 

 serving. At first the chairman of the 

 Royal Commission on the Sugar Supply 

 took the position that it was not con- 

 sidered fair to the town population that 

 extra sugar for jam for home consump- 

 tion should be allotted to people living 

 in the country just because they were 

 fortunate enough to have the fruit 

 (London Times, January 16). In Feb- 

 bruary, however, he sent out more en- 

 couraging news, and in the parlia- 

 mentary debate of March 21, Lord 

 Rhondda stated that it would be pos- 

 sible during the coming fruit season to 

 distribute 10,000 tons of sugar to private 

 fruit growers for putting up their own 

 fruit (Xational Fruit Journal, March 

 27). 



Just as the ration card deals with 

 King and workman alike, so this extra 

 supply of sugar will be distributed with 

 a democratic fairness, inspired by that 

 spirit of sharing which has come to 

 England out of common danger and 

 suffering. Those who receive extra 

 sugar for jam making must guarantee 

 not to use it for any other purpose. 

 They will be credited with one and 

 three-quarters pounds of jam for every 

 pound of sugar supplied, and will be 

 expected to reduce their purchases of 

 jam to that extent so as to leave for city 

 dwellers the commercial jams and mar- 

 malades. The actual amount of sugar 

 each anxious housekeeper receives will 

 depend on the quantity of raspberries, 

 strawberries and plums that grow in 



her well-kept English garden. How- 

 ever, the local food controller will not 

 allot more than ten pounds of sugar for 

 each member of the family unless the 

 jam maker will guarantee to sell her 

 jam back to him for the benefit of the 

 jamless public. In this case the Food 

 Committee will pay her a price for her 

 jam based on quality, but not above 

 current wholesale price. 



This careful looking after jam pots 

 and preserving kettles is to make up 

 somewhat for the shortage of butter. 

 Butter has virtually disappeared from 

 the English grocery store and home- 

 produced anil imported margarine has 

 taken its place. When we remember 

 that the weekly individual ration of 

 butter or margarine is only four 

 ounces, we understand the even-handed 

 distribution of sugar for jam. In view 

 of this shortage of butter and the de- 

 mands of the army and navy, England 

 has found it necessary to supply the 

 manufacturers of jam with sugar to 

 maintain their maximum output. Eng- 

 land's 1918 jam belongs to the national 

 pantry and not merely to the shelf of 

 prideful housekeepers. The Food Con- 

 troller means to make no slip on jam. 

 Each pound of sugar allotted is to pro- 

 duce its quota of jam and surplus fruit 

 will be carefully stored for more jam 

 whenever sugar is available. 



England has worked out a method of 

 pulping and preserving fruit that in- 

 sures its keeping for two years. Addi- 

 tional pulping stations have been estab- 

 lished in the fruit-growing districts to 

 take care of this season's surplus. 

 Through these means and the control 

 of transportation and the distribution 

 of fruit to markets the Food Controller 

 counts on getting the fullest use of this 

 year's fruit crop for the benefit of all 

 the people. — U. S. Food Administration. 



Potatoes and Patriotism 



Every potato in the land is crying to 

 be eaten, crying to be allowed to save 

 wheat. Satisfy your hunger with pota- 

 toes. 



Scalloped Potatoes and Cheese. — Ar- 

 range a layer of sliced raw or boiled 

 potatoes in a greased baking dish and 

 sprinkle with grated cheese. Repeat 

 until the dish is nearly full. Pour milk 

 over the whole, about one-half cup to 

 every three potatoes. Skim milk may- 

 be used. Bake in a moderate oven until 

 done. The length of time required de- 

 pends upon whether the potatoes are 

 raw or boiled and whether the baking 

 dish used is deep or shallow. Boiled 

 potatoes baked in a shallow dish will 

 take only 20 minutes. Raw potatoes in 

 a deep dish may take as much as one 

 and one-half hours. 



A Shepherd's Pie. — Grease a baking 

 dish; cover the bottom with mashed 

 potatoes. Add a layer of cooked minced 

 meat or fish, seasoned well and mixed 

 with meat stock or gravy. Cover with 

 a layer of mashed potatoes at least an 

 inch deep. Bake long enough to heat 

 through, 20 or 30 minutes. 



Potato Biscuit. — (Using one and two- 

 thirds cups instead of three cups of 

 flour.) No liquid, 3 tablespoons fat, 

 1 teaspoon salt, 5 teaspoons baking 



powder, 1% cups wheat flour, 1% cups 

 mashed potatoes. Sift dry ingredients, 

 work in fat and add mashed potatoes. 

 This makes a very stiff dough. Roll 

 one-half inch thick and cut into bis- 

 cuits. Bake .'ill to 35 minutes in a mod- 

 erately hot oven. 



Potato Biscuit. — (Using two cups of 

 (lour instead of three.) 1 tablespoon 

 liquid, 3 tablespoons fat, 1 teaspoon salt, 

 5 teaspoons baking powder, 2 cups 

 dour, I 1 :; cups mashed potatoes. Sift 

 together dry ingredients, mix in the fat 

 and add the potatoes and liquid. This 

 makes a very stiff dough. Roll one-half 

 inch thick and cut into biscuits. Bake 

 30 to 35 minutes in a moderately hot 

 oven. 



Potato Rolls (three dozen). — 3 cups 

 mashed potatoes, 4V2 cups flour, 3 tea- 

 spoons salt, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 

 1 cake compressed yeast softened in 

 M cup water, % cup milk (scalded), 2 

 tablespoons fat. Add the hot milk to 

 the potato and when the mixture has 

 cooled until it is lukewarm, add the 

 softened yeast and other ingredients. 

 Allow the dough to rise to double its 

 bulk. Work it down and let it rise 

 until it has increased in size by about 

 one-half. Then shape the rolls, let them 

 rise until they are double in size and 

 bake them in a hot oven. 



Potato Muffins. — (Saving a fourth of 

 the flour.) % cup liquid, 1 tablespoon 

 fat, 2 tablespoons syrup, 1 egg, 1 cup 

 mashed potatoes, Wi cups wheat flour, 

 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons baking 

 powder. Add the liquid, melted fat, 

 syrup and beaten egg to the cooked 

 potato. Sift the dry materials together 

 and add to the first mixture. The dough 

 will be too stiff to mix easily with a 

 spoon. Use a knife or a fork. Bake 

 about 30 minutes in a moderately hot 

 oven (205 degrees C, 400 degrees F.). 

 Makes eight large or twelve to sixteen 

 small muffins. 



Potato Soup. — 2 cups hot riced or 

 mashed potatoes, 1 quart milk, 2 slices 

 onion, 3 tablespoons butter, 2 table- 

 spoons flour (rice flour or corn flour), 

 IV2 teaspoons salt, .celery salt, pepper, 

 cayenne, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley. 

 Melt the butter, add to it the flour 

 and seasonings, stirring the mixture 

 until smooth. Add gradually to this 

 one cup of milk and boil for one min- 

 ute. Add the potato, mix thoroughly, 

 then add the rest of the milk and the 

 slice of onion. Heat to boiling. Re- 

 move the onion, strain the soup if nec- 

 essary, add the parsley and serve. 

 Water saved from cooking celery is a 

 good addition to potato soup. Two cups 

 of tomato juice and one-sixteenth tea- 

 spoon of soda may be substituted for 

 two cups of milk. 



Potato Puff. — Add beaten whites of 

 eggs to mashed potatoes (2 eggs to 6 

 medium-sized potatoes). Pile the mix- 

 ture lightly in a baking dish and bake 

 it in the oven until it puffs and browns. 

 The yolks of the eggs and one-fourth 

 cup of grated cheese also may be added. 



So long as the boys are at the front, 

 difficulties are to be subdued, impos- 

 sibilities to be trampled down. 



