HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



home: making 



MISS HELEN A. HAKKI.MAN. I»-inonstration Agent 



Conservation Through Community Effort 



More than 80,000 quarts of 'fruits and 

 vegetables were canned in community 

 kitchens in Massachusetts last year. In 

 addition to the canning, several hundred 

 bushels of products were dried. These 

 figures do not include the thousands of 

 quarts of products preserved in the 

 homes of those who came under the in- 

 fluence of one of these community cen- 

 ters. 



There were thirty-five or more com- 

 munities in the state that were organ- 

 ized to do work along lines of canning 

 and drying. All these centers were re- 

 markably successful in that they in- 

 creased quite largely the preservation of 

 food materials. The loss from spoilage 

 was very small, in no case being more 

 than 2 '.'c and in most cases running 

 less than 1 7r. 



The cost of doing the work where vol- 

 unteer labor was used was very low, 

 running from 3 cents to 7 cents per 

 quart with an average price for all 

 fruits and vegetables of 6 cents per 

 quart jar. In those communities where 

 all paid labor was used the prices ran 

 from 7 cents to 13 cents per quart jar. 

 The items included in the cost were 

 labor, sugar, salt and the rubber ring. 



Patrons of these community canneries 

 who had to buy new jars were able to 

 purchase them at a price 2 to 3 cents 

 per jar belov\r the regular retail price. 

 This was made possible because many 

 communities bought their jars in car 

 load lots and were therefore able to sup- 

 ply their patrons at wholesale price. 



There should be many more of these 

 centers organized this season. Such an 

 enterprise is worthy of the careful con- 

 sideration of every community interest- 

 ed in food conservation. 



Here are a few of the reasons why 

 community kitchens should be estab- 

 lished. 



1. They will produce the maximum 

 of food preservation, because the com- 

 munity becomes saturated with the idea 

 of food conservation. The majority of 

 people become enthusiastic and increase 

 their store of preserved foods and the 

 slackers and indifferent ones are shamed 

 into activity through the work of their 

 neighbors. 



2. The community kitchen offers the 

 most economical way of canning and 

 drying one's products. 



It economizes in time, energy and 

 fuel. Five women in a community 

 kitchen can do all the canning and dry- 

 ing that would be done by 40 to 50 

 families. This would relieve 35 to 45 

 women for work of other kinds. Think 

 of the saving in fuel and energy. We 

 need to conserve our woman power, and 



Sewing Courses 



Southampton and Chesterfield have 

 planned a series of three lessons on Sav- 

 ing materials and money. Alteration of 

 patterns, and Renovation of Clothing, 

 to be given by Mrs. Reed of the Mass. 

 Agricultural College, in May. 



South Hadley study groups recently 

 had an interesting "Street Meeting" 

 when each woman brought a wartime 

 dish and told how it was made. This 

 was a most enthusiastic meeting and 

 proved very instructive. 



Do a little egg preservation on your 

 own account and have eggs for winter 

 use. Your Farm Bureau will be glad 

 to send you directions. 



Have you a thrift center in your town 

 at the library, store, or other place, 

 where wartime recipes may be secured 

 and exchanged, literature distributed, 

 food exhibits made? 



this would be one good way of doing it. 



3. Many families will be given a 

 winter's supply of fruits and vegetables 

 who otherwise would not have it. 



There are many in every community 

 who do not know how to can and dry. 

 Others who do not have time, and still 

 others who do not have the inclination. 

 A community kitchen will take care of 

 all such families. 



4. The cost of products is reduced to 

 a minimum. 



This has been shown in the figures 

 already given as obtained from centers 

 operated last season. 



5. Give excellent training to women 

 if volunteer labor is used. 



Hundreds of women can be given 

 excellent training in canning and drying 

 since they are required to do all the 

 work under the direction of a trained 

 supervisor. 



■6. Last but by no means least is the 

 friendly spirit of cooperation which has 

 developed in those places where the 

 work has been done. The influence on 

 the amount of food presei-\'ed has been 

 very marked. 



Your community should have an 

 organized center this year, even if it is 

 operated only one or two days per week 

 throughout the canning and drying 

 season. 



Let the slogan of every community be 

 "A quart of preserved fruits or vegeta- 

 bles for every day in the year for every 

 family in the community." 



Your Farm Bureau and your College 

 of Agriculture will assist you in every 

 way to bring about a realization of this 

 slogan. 



Training School in Conservation 



In every County of the State, short 

 schools in preservation will be held this 

 summer with the Mass. Agricultural 

 College, cooperating with the Farm Bu- 

 reau. .June 4, 5, 6 and 7 are the days 

 assigned to Hampshire County and it is 

 hoped that at least one or two women 

 in each town will make a special effort 

 to attend this school to be held at the 

 Mass. Agricultural College. The pro- 

 gram includes home and community 

 work in canning, drying, storing fruits 

 and vegetables. The only expenses will 

 be for travel and entertainment. The 

 course is open to anyone who is willing 

 to return to her town and assist in con- 

 serving the crops as part of her war 

 ser\'ice. Let's have the best school in 

 the State. Send your name at once to 

 your Farm Bureau so that further par- 

 ticulars may be sent you. 



Sugar Situation 



The following is a summary of a con- 

 ference with the United States Food Ad- 

 ministration officials. 



"It is expected that there will be 

 plenty of sugar available for canning. 

 The Food Administration officials state 

 that the principal difliculty in the sugar 

 situation has been due to lack of trans- 

 portation facilities. These officials state 

 that they have plans under way for sup- 

 plying commercial canners and that they 

 are giving attention to the supply of 

 sugar need for home canning work." 



On Wednesday afternoon, April 17, 

 the Home Economics Club of Southamp- 

 ton met in the Town Hall and had a very 

 interesting meeting. The principal fea- 

 ture of this meeting was a lecture 

 demonstration given by Miss Murray of 

 the Sewing Department of Smith's Agri- 

 cultural School on the trimming and 

 renovating of spring hats. Several 

 women brought hats and trimmed them 

 under Miss Murray's direction. 



Mrs. .Johnson, the Ass't. County Food 

 Administrator, spoke briefly on "How to 

 Live without Wheat." 



All agreed that it was a very helpful 

 meeting. 



Potatoes 



Now is the time to eat potatoes! Why? 

 The French Army bread ration has just 

 been cut down. Why? We have not 

 saved enough wheat! 



One medium sized potato is one of the 

 fuel foods. It yields also considerable 

 mineral mattei-. Try the following reci- 

 pes, but first learn how to boil a potato: 



Coucluded oli page 7 



