Thank you for the post, Grandma Donna!

I love Albert and his molting and the grocery box!

It's a great help to see the photos of your meals and short descriptions. I usually jot these ideas down for myself.

We grow a lot of oregano, so I also made a note about the oregano tea; thank you!

I have my grandmother's five-year journal(from 1938 to 1943), but unfortunately, she stopped filling it out pretty much after the first year and a half. She seems concerned about getting groceries and how bad things were going in the world. Not much has changed! 

God is good and I see evidence of that in His provision for us and others through the years.

A program popped up on my YouTube feed about rationing in Britain during WW2.  The site was Imperial War Museums, in case anyone is interested.  I apologize if this was already shared.

Kimberly F, I hope that you get well sooner than later.  It sounds like what you are eating will be most helpful.  We added an extra rain barrel this weekend, it will be most helpful to water our plants. 

I feel that we will see more and more people walking or biking to work and trying to get as much done on one trip when using the car. Who knew when starting the 1942 study we would start resembling this time in real time.  

Everyone, please pray for Kieva's baby "Jacob".  He has had a serious set back, she has put an update in the Jacobs forum page. His page is up at the top of the front forum page.   Just scroll down in his page to the last post.  Kieva could use some booster prayers as well, this is a lot of stress for her. 

Illnesses are something no one can forecast or plan for.  We can all do our best to maintain good health through diet and exercise and regular checkups at doctors and dentists but still be struck down with something minor or perhaps major.  

Praying for you a quick and complete recovery.

Tea S,

I remember that if you use any tomatoes that are slightly ripened, they fall apart in the frying process. A tinge of red is okay. They just need to be firm, not rock hard. But, definitely not soft.  Hope this helps!

Thanks, Melissa :)

This past Fall we had a good amount of large green tomatoes right before frost, we picked them and sliced them into rounds as if for frying. Packed them into wide mouth pint jars added a bit of salt and water and canned them.  To use for fried green tomatoes, remove and drain well, coat with choice of breading and fry as usual....they are fabulous! They don't get mushy or fall apart. We love a fried green tomato on sandwiches especially a hamburger. But we also use them as a side at other meals.

Kimberly, I hope you start feeling better soon!

In line with the thought about finding balance, I have been working hard on decluttering, but yesterday I took the afternoon and evening to read a new book I got and try a new recipe. I don't normally have a rest day, but I think I might start this as it was really nice to have time to do something different. The book I was reading is Rations: A Very Peculiar History. It is from the U.K. It goes into why rationing was needed and how the British people were affected by the various forms of rationing. It also goes into when each thing went on and off the ration. I am from the U.S., but I still found it very interesting. There are some good recipes in there, too.

The new WWII recipe I tried is for a bread sort of like cornbread, but it has 1 cup of cooked rice or mashed potatoes. I had it for breakfast with two eggs. This recipe is also good for those who get commodities, as it includes cornmeal, mashed potatoes or rice, and milk, which are often included with commodities. The recipe is gluten free too. Here is the recipe in case anyone is interested.

Rice or Potato Bread

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups milk (scalded, then cooled until warm—not hot)
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon shortening (or butter/oil)
• 1 cup mashed potatoes OR cooked rice
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Grease an 8x8 pan or small loaf pan

2. Warm the milk

• Heat milk until just steaming (not boiling)
• Let it cool slightly so it’s warm, not hot (so it doesn’t cook the egg)

3. Mix dry ingredients

In a bowl, combine:

• Cornmeal
• Baking powder
• Salt

4. Mix wet ingredients

In another bowl:

• Beat the egg
• Add mashed potatoes (or rice)
• Stir in the warm milk
• Mix in the shortening (it may melt—that’s fine)

5. Combine

• Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients
• Stir until just combined (don’t overmix)

6. Bake

• Pour into a greased pan
• Bake for 25–35 minutes, until:
  • The top is golden
  • The toothpick comes out clean

7. Cool & serve

• Let cool 10–15 minutes
• Slice and serve warm

Thank you to those who sent get well wishes!  My infection was almost certainly caused by the immune suppressing medications I have been taking, and got worse because my GI doctor didn’t take my fever seriously and suggested I try to “tough out” feeling so “yucky”.  I am so thankful for antibiotics — I could have died without them.

Now I have to balance resting and recovering with getting the house back in order.  I focused any energy I had into making sure everyone was fed, and the house needs tidying and dusting.  I did rally to dust the bedroom with my husband on Friday, but the last time the rest was dusted was before our trip, as I arrived home unwell.

Edited to add:  15 minutes ago my husband asked me where the dry erase markers were (of course they were exactly where they always are, and he looked, lol) so he could write down that we need to buy all purpose cleaner.  I told him the plan was for me to make it now, so I did.  I decided on a baking soda + castile soap cleaner because I’m not sure the guys can remember not to use vinegar on the granite counters.  I did the math, and one batch of cleaner costs 5¢ to make.  One of our (reused) bottles took a double batch, and the other a single batch.  I did add essential oils, but didn’t figure that into the cost as I am just using up some older oils and wouldn’t put them in the cleaner if I didn’t have it already.  The larger bottle of cleaner costs $5.59 at Target, and the smaller bottle would have cost $4.50 to refill if I bought a refill for it (which is $9).  I’ll take 15¢ over $10!

I used to make all of our cleaners for at least 20 years, but at some point my husband asked for regular cleaners and I switched to those.  Now I will do a combination.  I know that he doesn’t want to use homemade cleaner in the toilets, or homemade scrub cream vs. Barkeeper’s Friend.  I much prefer Sprayaway glass cleaner to any homemade version I’ve made, and there have been plenty!  But all purpose cleaner is what we use most often, and I’ll make that.

I’ve been thinking about 1942 and neighbors.  Our neighbor just returned our hose, which he borrowed because his was too short, and he is eco-minded enough to not just go out and buy a hose for a single project.  The hose he borrowed was gifted to me by a member of my Buy Nothing group (brand new!).  The neighbor also gave us some avocados from his tree, which he does every year.

I think in 1942 people might have known their neighbors better than we do now, and neighbors would have relied on each other.  I am lucky to have lived in the same house for going on three decades, and to live in a older, “front porch” neighborhood, because I think it makes it easier to get to know your neighbors when you actually see them.

Joyce C.,

That sounds like a great idea, since some years there are a lot of green ones left at the end of the season - more than a family could probably use fresh.

Did you have to pressure can them, to avoid risk of botulism?  I seem to recall reading that only fully ripe tomatoes are high acid enough to be safety water-bath canned.

We did pressure can them 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure although the article said you could water bath for 30 minutes.

We didn't use all of the green tomatoes, some were ripened in house. first time trying it so didn't want to over do it.

There was no sense making a whole lot in case we didn't care for them....didn't want to waste time and lids.

BECKY SUE K :I know how you feel about clearing out things.  I have tried to get my son and husband on board with sorting out things and getting rid of stuff that is just sitting around  gathering dust.  I can't manage to explain to them how much of a a load all of this stuff is for me without getting angry which accomplishes nothing.  So I have been going through my stuff and carting it off to various places where it can be reused and just dumping other things into the garbage cans for the landfill.  I try to get at least five things offloaded every week but it feels like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon but it's better than nothing.  It's such a piddly amount that's gotten rid of it does get discouraging.  I guess the only thing to do is keep on keeping on.

Wow, wonderful post and great comments! I always learn so much. :)

I was reading through a vintage magazine I have, Country Gentleman June 1943. It's a farming magazine but has some articles for women also. Here are some things I thought you all might find interesting. 

Tandi S This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing the article. 

Tandi S, thank you so much for sharing these images from the magazine!

victoria w and Becky Sue, It took me a long time to realize that we all live in our home and that they guys have the right to have things the way they want just as much as I have do.  I don’t try to get rid of there things anymore, or even to suggest that they declutter.  There are now several areas of the home that are simply no longer my domain.  The big room that is shared as a bedroom for my son, TV room, music room, and office for my husband is theirs to take care of, my husband does the tidying, dusting, and vacuuming in there.  My son cleans the bathroom attached to that room as it is their bathroom (husband and son), although I go in there occasionally to do my hair as the light and mirrors are better.  That bathroom has a walk in closet and my husband and son share it, since that is where they both shower, and I have the little closet in our bedroom.  Then there is the garage — the only rule is that they not block my chest freezer.

Every day when I tidy I deliver items to the big room for them to deal with.  Letting go of how that room looks has been good for me, as it was a losing battle to keep it decluttered and tidy when it wasn’t my stuff making it messy.  I used to create all sorts of systems to organize their things, and the systems didn’t work because they were based on my organizational style, which doesn’t work for their brains.  Even in the bedroom, I tidy my nightstand drawers at least once a month and my husband tidies his every 5 years or so

Oooh, so much good info in this post - as always.  I'm only now getting to read it and respond which is late.  One tip I figured out in case it helps someone else: I often see those large big box store shelving units that you would use in a garage for totes of Christmas decor and such.  They are probably  6-8 quart jars deep and the shelves are far enough apart that you could have another whole layer of goods if there were more shelves in the box.  I prefer working with more like "bookshelves."  I fit three quarts deep which I can easily rotate and there is just enough room so that it not wasted space (not sure I'm making sense).  Anyways, might consider bookshelves rather than garage shelves if just starting out.

I cleaned my first window/jam/sill/screen yesterday - not sure I want to share a pix, would be too embarrassed.  We just moved in this last year so this is their first cleaning in who knows how long.  It does feel good to get things all aired out and clean though.

I've been very busy lately! We set up our charging station in the backyard for our solar generators. I ordered some tarps for the solar panels to protect them from the rain and extend their life. I bought tablecloths to use as tarps from a company called Freckled Sage that makes plastic oilcloth by a 1952 method that never has any offgassing or weird smells. They have old-fashioned printed patterns, and I just love picking out something that looks vintage. :) 

We got our second rain barrel too. They've gone up so high in price since we bought the first one! I got a fraud alert from the credit union to confirm that I made the purchase. I told my husband that even the credit union couldn't believe how expensive they've gotten. :) I found some cold-pressed linseed oil that's been boiled the old way for days and some pine balsam turpentine that smells like Christmas trees. That's going to be our weatherproofing mixture. Oh! I guess I should tell you that our rain barrels are wooden oak caskets that used to be whiskey barrels. They have a spigot and an adapter to connect the barrel to the downspout. That's why they need weatherproofing. I love the old-fashioned way they look. :) 

We finally figured out why my sewing machine kept snapping the thread. We took the cover off and found a part inside that was sticking out a little and catching the thread. We pushed the part back and all fixed! I was ready to throw the sewing machine away and buy another! We kept trying to adjust the tension and nothing was working. Then it turns out to be something so simple!

Other things we will be taking apart are two ceiling fans that stopped rotating the blades within a day of each other. Right when we're starting to get hot weather too! My husband checked the wall switch wiring, and it's fine. The bedroom fan has a pull chain. It clicks, which is supposed to mean it's not broken. So next we have to take the fans apart and check the motor assemblies. We ran out of time last weekend. I find that I've turned into a person who really hates replacing things. :) 

I’m brand new to this blog and forum. I’m finding this whole thing very interesting.  Living like 1942!  
I look forward to learning from all y’all 

Lady L,

I used a steel shelving rack from my garage to store my home canning, shelves are 4 quart deep and it works really well for me. it is not too tall so that helps as I am a shortie... I was determined to find something around here to use and using it gave me the impetus to get rid of the various bits and pieces of "life detritus" that had accumulated on it in the garage. Unfortunately I still have plenty more to get rid of....

Today I made a bit of potato salad out of the leftover egg salad. I baked 2 potatoes  and used the shells to make potato skins for my supper. When I went to check the mailbox I discovered the wild onions are up and I picked some to clean and chop over the sour cream topped potato skins. So good!  Soon the morel mushrooms will be popping up. 

I am currently researching the wild onions, I want to dehydrate some and use as chives. 

When I buy celery, I scrub and chop the bottoms of the ribs, I dry them and make a sort of bouquet garni to drop into stews or soups. I use a coffee filter and twist it up with saved bread ties. 

I made homemade lemon pepper seasoning a while ago and it turned out so good. zested the peels, juiced them and then added the leftovers to white vinegar for cleaning solution. There are also orange peels in the vinegar.

Every time I forage something I hear my grandma, she was so wise about using found things and stretching things. 

Tandi S I love that some ladies deep-cleaned one room a day in winter to have more time for gardening in spring, on the Streamlined page. They took their victory gardens seriously!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The forum discussed some serious subjects last post, and now people are sharing about the fuel situation in Australia. However, I've found that instead of being anxious, I'm feeling more and more relaxed because I'm doing what I can to prepare. Today we went to a barbershop that is within walking distance and only charges $15 for a haircut. I can cut my son's hair now, but I'm still not good enough to cut my husband's. We save twice with the new barber because we don't have to use the car and the haircuts cost less. These kinds of things make me feel prepared for anything to come. 

That terrible freeze we had killed the blossoms on the peach and pear trees. I am so glad we have a late blooming plum tree. It wisely waited until after the big freeze to put out its blossoms. I didn't plant the plum thinking it would be reliable in a freeze, but I'm so glad we have it. I don't think the fig tree made it. I decided instead of another tree, I'll use that spot for rhubarb. My rhubarb died in the garden again last year. I don't know what rhubarb has against my garden, but I love rhubarb, so I'm not giving up. We'll see how it does where the fig was. It took years before the blueberry bushes quit dying. Now they are very reliable. They even made it through the big freeze! When they built our house, they scraped off all of the top soil and sold it to a golf course, but I can grow lots of things now that I've improved the soil. Hopefully I can grow rhubarb too. :)

This morning I had a go at making some eggless pancakes for breakfast. I usually make eggs and bacon for my carpenter apprentice son, and I'll have porridge or toast myself during the Lenten fasting season, but we were out of eggs (our chooks being difficult and getting past their productive years), and I wanted my son to have something substantial before going to work, so I thought this would be a treat for us both.

I used a mashed banana in lieu of egg (which I know works), some almond milk, and thought I'd use up a couple of orphan remnants from my pantry of ingredients I will not be continuing to purchase. Hence, I ended up using some almond meal and coconut flour. Well, I won't go into details, but what a dismal failure! I managed to eat a little, but couldn't stomach the rest of my serve. As I was about to leave for work I didn't have time to make anything else, so my son had to survive on having some tea and toast after I'd left to catch the bus, instead of his usual full breakfast.

Anyway, it's now bedtime, but I've been wondering all day what a 1942 woman would have done in this situation. It's certainly taught me the importance of not trying anything made up and "fancy" when ingredients are in short supply, as that food was wasted which would have been a big no-no in WWII and should be today too. Also, I'm wondering if another reason that cooking basic plain food is wise in these times, is as you can almost guarantee it's going to tasted good and nothing will be wasted. In 1942 with much smaller portion sizes and minimal calories where many people lost weight, I guess it would have been even more important (especially for men in physical labouring trades) to not miss meals if possible, and eat every bit of nourishment they could.

Already in this 1942 study, I'm seeing so many everyday happenings through an entirely different lens!

Rebekah C, That sounds like a disappointment!  Did you use any regular wheat flour?

Stephanie G, I love reading about how you are preparing and becoming more self sufficient!  For the guys, I can do a buzz cut with tapering sides, and that’s about it.  These days they want traditional cuts, so we wait for coupons.  My husband stretches his haircuts out to about 4 per year.  I don’t have to pay for my son’s haircuts.  I do cut my own hair most of the time and have for decades.

Grandma Donna, I love that you usually feature food and meals in each post.  I’ve found that food is the area of the budget I have the most control over, and I appreciate your simple meals.

Yesterday I cooked 6+ pounds of potatoes as our heat wave made them start sprouting.  This is early for us, but we are used to not being able to keep potatoes in the house during the warm months.  At lunch time I made a batch of mashed potatoes, which also used a brick of cream cheese that was more than a month past the best by date.  For dinner I made a chicken gravy with the broth I cooked Sunday, using the chicken fat on top to make the roux, and then I shredded most of a chicken breast into the gravy, and had that with the potatoes.  I didn’t have any chicken drippings, so I added in a small knob of butter with the roux and then seasoned the gravy with my homemade onion-garlic salt.  My husband asked me what I’d made, and I told him it was sort of like chicken stew, only it was more gravy than chicken, which seems fitting for 1942.  For the guys I made Indian spiced potatoes (I’m still not allowed anything spicy), which they ate with leftover basmati rice.  My husband made a salad and added in the 1/2 cup or corn they didn’t finish the other night.  We all have leftovers to eat for lunch for the next couple of days, or I might have us eat the same meal for dinner tonight rather than cooking fish from the freezer.  That’s another thing we are getting really good at, not cooking a planned meal if we have enough leftovers.

Stephanie G:  I'm right there with you on the rhubarb.  I love it and every spring I go out and buy another sacrificial rhubarb convinced that I can get it to grow this time for sure.  This year I am going to grow it in a big pot thinking that if I get a good big root ball going this year it can withstand being stuck in the ground next year and become a permanent fixture.  The only thing that I have found about growing them that I might be missing is that they need a lot of feeding----manure and compost every couple of months.  So I will be fattening this one up hoping for the best. 

Stephanie G, when we've been posting about the fuel situation here down under, we're not just referring to Australia - NZ has shortages, the UK is in dire straits, and every country in the world has some kind of fuel problem - the Asian countries nearby have restricted flights, restricted travel to and from work, most countries are asking people who can do so to work from home to conserve fuel - so it's not just one or two who are affected, this crisis has brought the entire world to its knees and we're being held to ransom.

Grandma Donna wrote,  Hi Lee D!  Welcome to the blog and our forum :)  We are studying 1942 and never dreamed that we we were going to resemble some things in todays real time.  We are researching and studying what it was like on the home front during ww2.  So right about now we should be helping the red cross out by knitting bandages, some can be crochet, or starting a war garden called a Victory Garden here in the U.S.   People come from all around the world to read my blog so here in the forum we are a wonderful group of people from all around the world.  So don't be confused when it is hot here and someone is talking about how cold it is there, or the opposite Cold here and Hot there because they might be in a different season.  It is fun to learn things from people that have different words for the same thing such as biscuits we think something to eat for breakfast with bacon and eggs.  Others say biscuits and mean cookies. :)  

You will get used to it and hopefully learn some helpful things.  We are glad that you are here.  I do not answer all of the comments but I read every one of them.  

Pam, just like ww2, the rationing and shortages started in the UK and other countries before it did here.  You are right to bring up the fuel problem, it is getting concerning in our real time and year of 2026, many people are struggling.  

Everyone, This morning I learned that many countries have been added to the growing list asking people to ration, (and this is not the 1942 study) to take public transit in areas that they can and also to do all they can to cut back on electricity, even cut their showers and water use.  At this time everyone should be paying attention and the good thing is here on this blog we can feel a little better than most because we have been learning how to be frugal, we are learning what our generations before us did with the little they had.  We need to know how to keep and use a stocked pantry.  Even though we are better prepared we cannot become complacent because this is very serious and just because we are not on that list yet, does not mean that it is not going to affect us.  

Edit here to insert.  I also want to say that compare 1942 and 2026, we are more dependent on electricity and fuel than they were in 1942, our food items have changed, we do not have the resources they had with farmers and there were many more small farms in 1942.  Getting to work is more difficult today and it made me think of the blog post I did this year for the 1942 study talking about when the fuel ration hit the country jumped back to using horses to deliver milk, furniture and goods.  I cannot seeing us do that today but if it were ever needed it would be today in many countries and it is a matter of time here. 

I can tell you from overseas news and emails that we are not getting all of the news here in the U.S. There is more going on that people do not know in the U.S. unless they look at international news.  

As some of you have said, you feel better doing what you can to prepare which calms anxiety. I too feel much better about working towards doing all I can to be able to keep my home as normal as possible should there be an outage or some kind of setback. Knowing what to do if the power goes out, figuring out the water situation and learning what meals you can make from what you have in your cupboard.  Grandma Donna

I went to the local library asking about books from 1942 relating to how households were managing.  She found three and ordered one from a library in Illinois.  The other two she is going to purchase for the local library.  I'm excited to have the chance to read them without purchasing them.  She felt there was enough interest in WWII years to add them to the library.  The current books for the 40's decade focused on movies watched, activities people did and other social information.  While interesting not apropos for our study.

During pre-war years and through the 1950's there were radio programs out of Shenandoah, Iowa called radio homemakers.  They were folksy conversations by housewives and at least one published a newsletter sent to listeners.  I'm not sure if these were weekly or monthly.  If one could find copies of them for 1942, it would be very informative for our study.  I know one of the families shared often about their family members in the military.  My grandmother got the newsletters, and I read hers and enjoyed them very much.  I don't recall for sure but think the name of the newsletter was Kitchen Klatter.

I live about 8 blocks from the library, doctor, dentist and 7 blocks from our Main Street.  However, there is no longer any shopping on Main Street, and we don't even have a grocery store in town.   I'm no longer physically able to walk that distance and really, there is no point as there isn't much there.  Still, even though the distance is short, I plan my trips so that I do banking, library, post office etc. in one trip.  I drive 25 miles for shopping and only go once a month to 6 weeks.  I typically only buy gas every third month, so price isn't an issue for me.  Lack of gas would, of course, be an issue!

This study has become very relevant to 2026 since we started.  I read enough news to keep myself aware of what's happening, but do not watch TV news as I consider it primarily propaganda.  If you ignore the far right and far left and take the middle with a lot of skepticism I figure you might get close to the truth.

I wrote a long post and then it disappeared - so starting again and I'll try to remember what I wrote earlier.  It's sweltering to-day, almost 37 degrees Celsius and this is the first month of autumn - we go by the calendar here, not the equinox so autumn starts on the first of March.  We're lucky to have a very fuel-efficient car so the cost of fuel is not a worry for me, it's the lack of fuel that is the big problem.  It's not just domestic markets - it's lack of diesel.  The farmers can't get diesel for their farm machinery (nor fertiliser for their crops) so they can't plant or harvest, therefore trucks can't convey produce to the factories/refineries, no trucks, no produce, no delivery to the supermarket so no supplies - it's very much a flow on effect.  Building has come to a standstill and even the garbage collection is in doubt as of now.  Diesel is the life blood of this huge country - to you overseas it might look like a small island but in fact it covers vast distances and can only be traversed by road or rail (or air of course but we're talking supply chains here).

Fortunately, here on the coast we don't need any heating for winter as it's very mild, and this is our best growing season, summer is way too hot to grow much at all.  I have my mum's 1943 cookbook from a ladies magazine and also my old school recipe book, both of which contain very basic recipes which use what is on hand or substitute for same - I also have an old 1940's Pear Cyclopedia that has multiple easy recipes as well as handy hints for medical emergencies and the like - always handy to have these in dire situations.

Rhubarb is a heavy feeder.  If your soil is poor, I'd consider buying a rich mix and composted cow mixing 50/50 into a planting hole and discarding poor soil elsewhere.  Then at least annually give it a heavy feeding of composted cow.  I guess I should explain, composted cow is a bagged fertilizer rich and dark that works.

Kimberly F no I didn't use any wheat flour and that was likely my first mistake, as that would have helped the batter hold together, but there were other issues too. Oh well, the chooks enjoy my failure even if we did not!

I had a chat with my boss yesterday about whether she'd thought about how these fuel problems etc might affect the business. Thankfully, she had already been doing a lot of thinking and planning, and today she called us all together for a little meeting and reassured us that her employees are her first priority, and she'll do all she can to ensure our jobs are secure. It was good to hear, and I felt broke the ice which allowed others to begin conversations about their concerns as well.

On the topic of my new mode of transport to work in the next town, each day there seems to be more people on the bus, so perhaps others are starting to switch too. I know our government has been encouraging people to use public transport if possible. I'm thankful it is working out for me, because most small towns in the region where I live don't have any public transport options to other towns.

The weather here has been crazy. Yesterday was cooking and we had a "summer" storm with hot wind and warm rain. I was so hot walking home from the bus after work. Today however started off fairly mild, but the rain on the way home as well as the wind was freezing. Thankfully I carry a raincoat, umbrella and wool beanie in my work bag, but I definitely need to add a scarf and mittens as well asap! Such a strange Autumn we're having here in South Gippsland Australia, but it sounds like the northern hemisphere is getting it's share of strange Spring weather also.

Pam thank you for telling me what's been happening in other countries. victoria w I am so glad I'm not the only one who kills their rhubarb annually! This year I got a Glaskins Perpetual rhubarb plant. I hadn't heard of it before, but it's supposed to be one that has a longer harvest period. I just hope it has a longer lifespan than my other rhubarbs! Thank you to everyone who gave rhubarb tips. I'm going to see if I can get some manure from the dairy we get milk delivered from. I think it would help my asparagus too.

I find it shocking how fast rationing and lifestyle changes were implemented around the world! I know we've all been very good planners when it comes to disasters and outages, but I'm wondering if there is any way to wind back our lives to a simpler way externally, not just internally. Could we use a horse and wagon? The Amish do. I'm not even allowed to have chickens, so I can't put a horse in my backyard, but I wonder what it would take to recreate an old fashioned infrastructure for those who can have a horse in their backyard.  The horses would provide fertilizer. Farmers wouldn't have to worry about getting fertilizer shipped to them, and the rhubarb would like it. :) Maybe to save the world from destroying itself, we need to wind things back.