Evening star., 1943-04-29

WeU-ltS S E0Od news Tor CndnSe!
That little book we've been limiting
about, designed expressly to help
Washington women in their task Of
canning and cooking under wartime
restrictions, is just off the press, and
ready to do its share in making
housekeeping less of a problem. I'm
pretty proud of it myself, and do
hope it will be of real service to
all readers of The Stars Woman's
Page.
With Victory gardens beginning
to sprout, now that warm weather
has come at last, many woman
has been concerned about the best
and simplest methods of canning
and preserving, suited primarily to
her particular needs. In this 64-
page booklet you will find concise
and detailed instructions for put
ting up" all sorts of foods-not just
fruits and garden produce, but meats
and soups as well. Carefully COM
piled tables of substitutions should
help, too. if you're worried about
a shortage of sugar BY following
the detailed Instructions it should
be easy for the "greenest" amateur
to do her part in preserving foods
with the greatest success.
Other sections of the book are
devoted to recipes and menus geared
to present restricted conditions, and
there are many little household
hints and suggestions that will aid
you in making shortcuts and sub
stitutions without the family de-
tecting them! And there's even
chapter devoted to lunch boxes!
We do hope you'll like the book
let and it goes to you with all our
best wishes. You may obtain it
for the price of Is cents, either by
writing to Betsy Caswells Cam
ming and Cooking Department, The
Evening Star" giving your name
and address, or it may also be
purchased at the business counter
In The Star Building.
Now for a quick survey of our
local food markets. Prices, as all
of us know. are something fierce-es-
pecially for fruits and vegetables.
There are supposed to be ceilings
on most items of course, but some
how there always seems to be a
legal way Of getting around them
and the weary buyer must tramp
blocks. from shop to shop. if she
hopes to find anything within rea-
son. The chain stores, in most in
stances, have been holding prices to
reasonable levels, but the speciality
stores and fancy markets are really
doing some high flying!
Meats. of course, are high and
even where they have been held
down may be boosted considerably
under the new rulings. It's really
getting so that the housewife can't
win, no matter how hard she tries
and no matter which way she turns
she's nicked for plenty-both in cash
and in coupons. I am still i'm
pressed by the "chin-up' attitude
most Washington women display in
the face of these difficulties and my
admiration for them knows no
bounds.
The housewife does get one break
this week end, though-prices on
shad. both roe and buck, and on
rockflsh have dropped to the lowest
levels seen in some time. The
fish are most plentiful, and with a
good big shad, complete with roe. YOU
can make a gala meal out of Sun
day dinner. We gave YOU some
recipes for both shad and rock
week or so ago-but if you need
more, telephone National 5000, EX-
tension 395, and we'll be glad to
furnish them. Other fish is fairly
plentiful, too-and there is Won
derful fresh salmon-at price
from the West Coast. Raw shrimp
are good, and many people are
learning to like cooking their own,
now that the canned and ready
cooked variety are so expensive and
hard to get.
Beef, lamb and veal are tight this
week, but there is more pork to be
had than has been the case re-
Gently. Roasts, spareribs, fresh
hams and chops are some of the
items to be featured The less said
about chickens at this time, the
better
Produce is plentiful and good-but
not cheap. Asparagus is the current
favorite, and you may buy it by
the pound or by the bunch; the
South Carolina shipments are least
expensive, while the California is
somewhat higher. Good spinach.
kale, landcresS, mustard green's and
turnip green's are recommended. and
some markets have few nice dande-
lion greens available. Potatoes are
still scarce, and probably will be for
some time. Use rice, navy beans,
limas, dried peas and corn as substi-
tutes for them. There are more
onions around. so that tight situ-
alton is improved Broccoli is good.
but caulifower has, not been of very