2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Nelliegrace

Mum sprinkled dumped masses of chopped fresh parsley on most cooked vegetables and on soups, for Vitamin C. Parsley sauce was green. She served it as a vegetable in salads, and we ate it of course. Someone not brought up on WW2 rations said it was a garnish, not meant to be eaten, and brought me bunches of it from her garden to have with my sandwiches at work!

weenancyinAmerica

When I was at university, one of the professors had class go out together for dinner. Made all of us eat our parsley before we could leave the table! Age range of pupils was 18 to 45.

Nelliegrace

At Theological College some children joined us at the vegetarian table for lunch. The dinner was unappetising for once, a savoury bread and peanut butter pudding which nobody liked. The Dad told his children, “No pudding unless you finish your dinner.” Looks were exchanged, and we picked up our cutlery and ploughed on in gloomy silence. 

PipneyJane

There was a restaurant in Carlton in Melbourne, Cafe Paradiso, which garnished every dish with a sprinkling of parsley, whether or not it was suitable for the dish.  In protest, one of my friends demanded parsley to sprinkle on his ice-cream!  😀

To me, the only way to eat it is in Tabouli. 

I’m starting to think about next year’s goals and challenges, particularly what I want to spend my Coupons on.  (One goal is to use 25 balls of yarn from my stash. Got to get it down!)  I’ll put up the 2025 Fashion On The Ration Challenge within the next few days, but if I don’t speak to you beforehand, have a lovely Christmas,

- Pip

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all,
@PipneyJane I love tabouli, I was taught how to make it by a lovely Palestinian lady when I was living in Kuwait but she lamented the quality of the parsley available there .

I too have started to think about next year's challenges. I have decided to try to make 12 things with the yarn I have. I was overly ambitious this year, or rather under organised . I had thought to make some Christmas gifts for specific people but got overtaken by the mini baby boom and so only managed one pair of fingerless mittens but I have the yarn so as soon as the pink baby blanket is done I will start on things for next Christmas .

Clothes wise I really thought I would need underwear this year but I have managed to make most of them last, as I suppose women had to during rationing, though a couple of pairs hit the rag bag and a couple more are looking like they will join them fairly soon so I might need to replace them next year. Some socks have also hit the rag bag but I still have more than enough of them, some seem to be almost indestructible . I think I will need another pair of warmer trousers as I have struggled a bit in this colder weather so I will have a hunt for them soon. T shirts and jumpers are sufficient and my coats are still going strong

I have been reviewing my coupon spends and have realised I got a pair of walking boots that I don't think I declared, at least after searching I can't find a post where I declared it . I am still breaking them in as I have funny feet but they should do so 5 coupons spent. I think I was waiting to see if they would have to be sent back but I am keeping them . 33.5 - 5 = 28.5 remaining.

I am not expecting to spend any more coupons this year unless I find some trousers so in case I don't get back here before Christmas I hope you all have the best time over the holiday period and thank you Pip for running the thread, it really does make me think about what clothes I buy, and I will see you all in the new year.

Take care everyone
28.5/66 remaining

Wraithlady

I have totally lost count of my coupons and spending this year, so will have to assume I'm spent up completely. Will have to keep track again next year - when I won't be moving house so I'll at least have a fighting chance.

See you all after Christmas!

thriftwizard

Parsley does well on a warm-ish windowsill or in the greenhouse - we love the stuff so I've been learning how to grow it for as close to a year-long supply as I can get. It dehydrates well too. If I'm cooking with it, I'll often use it with a sprinkle of dehydrated nettle, too; that adds a "deep green" taste that kind of balances the parsley. Just wish I could get the hang of coriander!

My plans for next year include demolishing a fair bit of my fabric stash, which has kind of taken over the "sewing room" aka the spare bedroom! So - no buying fabric on a whim, only buy if I really don't have anything that can do the job, and only then if that job really does need doing. Example - I've been thinking of making some more "underthings", so found myself looking at jersey in the fabric shop down near Mum whilst buying some proper fabric scissors for DDiL. BUT I do have a bag of big offcuts from the last time I bought jersey... locate & use that up first!

And if I want yarn - I have a spinning wheel & no shortage of fleece & dyestuffs!

Laura_Elsewhere

For a few year snow I've been re-growing my celery bases in a pot of water in the flat and then planted out in my guerilla-garden at the end of the car-park - the new stems and leaves are a really convenient (free!) substitute for parsley, chopped up in most recipes. But without the huge Vit-C that real curly parsley has, I expect... 

I love parsley, stems and curly bits, and always mean to grow more, but keep never getting round to it. I have grown it from seed a few times but not reliably, and my terrible sin is buying plants in pots to plant out in the garden and they sit out there for weeks or months until they go to seed and die, sigh... 

Next year, clotheswise (gardenwise, I'd like to plant some parsley!) I hope to make a lot more. I am pleased to have finally found dresses that fit me that I like the feel and look of (mostly from 'Joanie'), but I need to reduce the quantity of fabric and yarn I have, because it's ridiculous. I fear most of it isn't even colours I like wearing, or it is too flimsy or too heavy, or there simply isn't enough of it to use for my size (and no, it isn't the sort of stuff for colour-blocking, nor the kinds of colours, nor is it similar enough in weight for patchwork, etc., etc.). I need to be ruthless. 

Nelliegrace

Daisy Dog had two fleece jumpers from Aldi. DH came home with 2 fleece lined coats for her by mistake. She is twelve and has started to feel the cold. She takes so long on the lawn finding the right blade of grass to wet. 

2025. I suggested that we have a plastic trug each to fill with clothes, shoes, books, and things for the charity shop every week. 
If we don’t, DD will have to it at some point. 
DH agrees, but his memory is not so good. I shall have to remind him. 

No new clothes, no new shoes, for 2025.
No more vintage linens. 
There is a lot of yarn to be used, and several items to be finished. 

I shall be reading the 1941 editions of The Times. The Government has reduced the supply of fabric available for clothing, and introduced Purchase Tax. Everything is needed for the War Effort. Even with coupons there is no guarantee that new items will be available. There are appeals for people to send good spare clothes to various charities, and to the WVS clothing exchange centres. 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/10653

MrsCD

I'm ashamed to admit that I have just totally overspent and given up counting coupons. 😲😞 I will try to do better next year.
In the meantime, I wish everyone a peaceful Christmas-time and a healthy 2025. 🌲