Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-20
Report to the Housewife

IL A~NPOAS
AS we forecast last week, the tui'-
key situation is going to be bit
complicated this ChristmaStime
There will be a number of the birds
available, but they will, for the most
part, be very large. For this reason
several of the markets will have only
just adequate supplies for they have
stocked up with only the smaller
birds that they could find, as they
have little or no sale for the bigger
variety. II you have not already
needed our warning of last Thurs
day, run, don't walk, to your nearest
poultry dealer and put in your order
now for that Tuesday piece de re-
siStance.
If after all you cannot locate or
make use of a turkey. you WILL
discover plenty of the heavier bak-
ing chickens, ranging from 4 to 6
pounds. Specially shops will have a
few capons, and, am told, geese
CAN be ordered, but no dealer seems
to want to commit himself too much
in this latter business. There are
some ducks available, and for the
luxury minded there will be a few
guinea hens.
If rib roast of beef is your ideal
Tor Christmas dinner, you'll find it
at most butchers. Further cuts of
beef, with the possible exception of
rounds, will also be on hand. Other
meats remain very much as they
were last week-with fresh pork
coming in in more plentiful supplies.
Fresh hams are included, so if you
select a ham for your Christmas
dinner you will do well to choose
one OF these. Sausage for breakfast,
both in bulk and link, will be on
hand, as will scrapple and various
other delicacies of the same type.
Fish doesn't seem too interesting
this holiday season, but it is worthy
of note that oysters will be quite
plentiful, and perhaps a little less
expensive, and there will be some
fine cooked jumbo shrimp on hand,
just in time for the Christmas cock
tail parties. If you are really seri-
GUS about your fish, you'll find most
ly the lineup that was listed for last
week, which high lights porgies,
spots, sea bass, Spanish mackerel,
some frozen salmon, fresh founder,
rockflsh and so on. Butter supplies
OF canned tuna and salmon have
also been coming into Washington
stores in the last week or so. Sar-
dimes continue on the scarce side.
Cranberries, contrary to the
gloomy representations of last week,
have suddenly appeared here-sev-
eral carloads having arrived more
or less Unexpectedly. Us it any Won
der that people who cope with
wholesale food supplies are a bit
maddened by it all?) So you may be
able to get pound or so for your
festive "sass"-if you have not al
ready stocked up on the canned va
riety that we mentioned last Thurs
day. AS for the sugar setup, we are
Informed by most dealers that the
sugar is there for you-if you have
the stamps. The answer to that one
being that it is there because so
many of you have used up your
current stamps, and can't purchase
any more sugar until the next num-
Der comes up.
The butter situation shows signs
OF getting much worse, but there
seems to be a fair amount of mar
garlne around. Shortcomings in gen.
eral continue on the shy side.
There are plenty of nuts. although
the chestnuts have suddenly disap-
peared. Only few speciality shops
have them in stock. This scarcity
as compared to the generous sup
plies of prewar years, is explained
by the fact that our California crop
is over early in the season-just
making the grade for Thanksgiv-
ing, and in the old days was sup
plemented by imports from Spain d.
Ioaay' THIS setup doesn't work out.
'Hence' no chestnuts-so choose
anothT kind of stuffng for that
turkey. incidentally, very few-if'
any-Brazil nuts are about.
If you must have cream of tomato
soup for Christmas dinner, new ship
ments have Just come in of the
better-known brands, so you'll be
all right on that score. Canned
pumpkin for pies continues nil.
In the produce line you'll find
almost everything you want, with
the exception of cucumbers, lettuce
and okra, which are mighty scarce.
Those strawberries that were ex-
pected from Florida for the holi-
day season have failed to material
ize thus far-but with the wonders
of modern transport may pop up
any moment-along with the first
Florida asparagus. CAT fancy prices,
may we sayD Citrus fruits, includ-
ing kumquats, are abundant. Stem
raisins, figs and some dried fruits
can be found in speciality stores,
although dates have been very
scarce. Otherwise, you'll find the
fruit and vegetable department just
about the same as it was last week.
Oh yes, some more limas are coming
in, and new shipments of that
fine Texas Golden Bantam corn
that has been meeting with such
popularity around town. There are
lots of fresh coconuts, by the by
but you'll have to CRATE them,
unless you can persuade one of
the old market men in town to