The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-01-16
Homemakers' Column
Edited by Miss Mildred Barton, Home
Demonstration Agent for Garrett
County, Oakland.
Planning to Produce the Family
Food Needs

Running a family is like running
business. The beginning of the calen-
dar year is a good time to take stock
of what is on hand-to look ahead and
decide what is needed in the line of
food clothing, requirements for the
next II months to draft out a pro-
gram of action
Food, of course, tops the list of
needs But it must be more than Gust
enough to eat" The family's food
supply should represent an adequate
diet that will promote Astounding
health and vitality.
Studies made by the bureau show
that vast numbers of American fami-
lies do not have the cash to buy ade-
quate diets. However, most farm fam
lilies and many village families are
fortunate in having the land to raise
part of their own food supply-the
part that costs so much to buy-the
part that helps so much in making
diets adequate.
Most farm families have the space
for a vegetable garden, a patch of
berry bushes, perhaps even an or
chard. If they've planned their, needs
ahead, there will be variety of fresh
fruits and vegetables all during the
summer and fall. By making a food
budget and preserving the surplus
there will be canned, stored or frozen
fruits and vegetables to last until the
garden bears again.
Farm families can usually find the
time to care for a flock of chickens
that will give them poultry and eggs
through most of the year. Many of
them can keep cows to supply them
with fresh milk and cream, and they
can make butter and cheese at home.
They can fatten pigs, and raise a calf
and lamb for home produced meat
supply.
Besides these foods, they will need
some sugar, flour and cereals. Part
of the "sweetening" can be produced
at home if the family has few hives
of bees, or grove of sugar naples.
Farm families who raise wheat and
corn can have it ground for their own
use.
To produce all Of these foods calls
for planning ahead, hard work, and
some risk. But the advantage of hav-
ing more adequate diets far overbal-
ances these costs.
- It's easier to estimate the food
needs for the coming year, if there is
a record from last year to use as a
guide. Planning is more than a mat
ter of budgeting for the future; it is
also a matter of keeping records from
day to day to see how the program
works out, what mistakes were made,
how to improve the family plans.
The Home Demonstration Agent
will be glad to help make diet plans
for any family. This is done by list
ing the amounts of all the different
foods needed by each person in the
family during the year. From there it
is easy to calculate how much the
entire family needs and how this will
work out in terms of rows of vege-
tables, gallons of milk, dozens of
eggs, and so on.
For example, family with three
children would need about $50 gallons
of milk for drinking, cooking, making
butter and cheese. The family would
probably have two cows so they could
have milk all the year round. Skim
milk, buttermilk and whey left from
churning will help feed the pigs and
chickens.
II. d. A. Schedule
Homemakers Club, 200 p. m.
Friday, January II - Kempton
Tuesday, January 81: Hoyes Home
makers, 1870 p. m.
Wednesday, January %: Accident
Homemakers club meeting, 1880 p. M,
at the home of Miss Rose Miller.
Thursday, January %: Kitzmiller
Il, 7,O IL.