Tips from 1940s Maritime Homemakers

The Nova Scotia Public Archives do an incredible job of preserving historical documents and making them publicly available on the web. This morning I came across a wonderful 30-page book of wartime recipes for Maritime homemakers.

Although we don't have to live on war rations these days, some of the tips and recommendations in this book are as sound today as they were in 1945.

- stretch peanut butter by adding hot water
- make your own pet food with cheap stewing beef, carrots, rice and quick-cooking oats
- turn stale bread into breadcrumbs
- save juices from canned fruit for sweetening baked goods

Here's a recipe the booklet published for homemade ginger ale. I never realized it was this simple:

1 pint molasses
1 gallon water
2 tsps. ground ginger
cider vinegar

Mix together water, molasses and ginger. Add enough cider vinegar to make an acid as desired. Let stand 24 hours. Serve very cold.

Funny that in a book about economizing during the war, there is a half-page ad for the "Very Latest in Furs" -- featuring silver fox, Eastern Canadian mink and Russian squirrel scarves.