I think many of us these days is not in the habit of being frugal. I know that in the papers in the last year or two, there was mention of a few people who bought nothing new for a year and greatly reviewed their buying habits - and habits is what they are. So many of the "things" we purchase we don't actually need, just want. I am a guilty party here, especially with books and magazines, though the books I buy are usually 2nd hand from charity shops or car boot sale stalls, and are often useful books of recipes or craft ideas. I also keep my craft magazines forever and refer to them over the years.
Pause a while then, and think what the future may hold, if inflation continues to soar, food prices make grocery shopping increasingly difficult, and people actually have consider leaving "treats" on the shelf. On tv recently, a Sheffield couple were interviewed about the cost of living. The wife said that they "were having to eat leftovers" - um, doesn't everyone? - and then the husband said, "Yeah, and we have to buy fruit and veg from the wholesaler," at which point there was much rolling of eyes in my household, as we get the majority of our fruit and veg (though we grow some ourselves) from the local wholesaler in Abergwili. It is a FRACTION of the price of supermarket fruit and veg. True, some needs to be eaten or used quickly, but it is priced to reflect this. During the current week, for £1 per box, I have had plums, bananas, peas and damaged apples. I will be jam making today (Dark Plum and Banana Jam), shucking peas for tonight's meal and the freezer, and we are still eating the apples. Dessert tonight is going to be an Apricot and Blueberry Crumble Cake - I bought several punnets of Blueberries when they were on offer in a certain supermarket earlier in the year and froze them. Fresh apricots were £1 for 2lbs in the wholesalers this week. Even at £8.50 per 56lb sack, Maris Piper potatoes are FAR cheaper than small bags in the supermarket, as they work out at around 15p/lb.
I need to go and get some more eggs today. A neighbour has a free-range set-up and I swop jam or chutney for eggs; I like bartering.
Let's hope that things never get so bad that we HAVE to exist as folk did in the Channel Islands in WWII, when they were occupied by the Germans and supplies were extremely difficult to get hold of. Housewives had to return to Victorian habits, such as gleaning, which provided grain which they could take to the mill in return for the same weight of flour. Frying Pan Scones were made from gleaned oats and flour, baking powder and salt. Once supplies ran out, baking powder was made from cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and either ground rice or cornflour. Alternatively, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar was a useful raising agent, although the vinegar flavour needed to be masked by ground ginger.
When tea ran out, islands became very resourceful and turned to the hedgerows for inspiration. Bramble tea, made from blackberry leaves, became a very popular drink, as were the leaves of wild strawberries which, when dried and brewed, made a passable approximation of China tea. Young bramble shoots and woodruff were sometimes added to greater improve the flavour. The islanders also made "tea" from baked parsnips and carrots, camellia leaves, lemon balm, lime blossoms and green pea pods, although the name "winklewater" was often given to the resulting drinks! Coffee was made from grated and roasted parsnips, and even acorns were also used, and of course dandelion coffee was popular. I'm not sure if the coffee substitute of Lupin Seeds ever caught on though! (Many thanks to Bryan Chalker's "Out of the Frying Pan into Der Fuhrer" - the story of the Channel Islands' Kitchen Front of World War Two.)
