I've been knee deep in tomatoes, okra, corn and peppers this week, full of blessings from an overabundance in the garden, mine and that of generous friends. For supper tonight, I'll pick a "mess" of beans, as we call it here in the south. Nothing like walking out the back door to gather my own food.
Gathering food for a cafeteria during war time in the '40's was not nearly as simple. There were food shortages in the marketplace, but since Pilot Mountain School was in a rural area, local produce was available. The families brought bushel baskets of turnips, beans, apples, blackberries, anything the cafeteria could use. In exchange, their children ate lunch.
In yet another step to this barter system, the county superintendent announced that the school system would provide glass jars for the farm families to preserve local produce for the schools, once again in exchange for their children's lunches.
The children had nutritious meals. The school had the supply. The system worked.
Would it work today?
Catch of the day,
Gretchen
Couldn't happen today. Too much regulation on food and education. And, politicians have NO common sense.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry,
ReplyDeleteImagine the time and effort in administrating a program like this, inspecting the food especially. Even the local food bank here won't take "home canned" vegetables because there is no quality control over it. Back then, processing food at home was a necessity and the families knew how to do it correctly. What about now? The need for regulations trumps convenience, I'm thinking, at least in this case. But in an ideal world...