When my mother opened the door on the morning of June 6th 1944 there was a pile of tin cans on the step, and the path, dozens and dozens of them.
Granny Spears
The Winter of 1962-1963
By the start of October 1963 I had enough food at Knowle that I could feed a battalion for six months! There was a huge wood supply in a shed Ern built in the garden and we had two more water barrels, just to be on the safe side. No point in going through something like that unless you learn from it.
Getting The Most From The Cottage Garden
As I’ve said before the garden at Knowle cottage was big, but not huge. It took some creative planting to make sure we produced enough to feed the family.
Doing The Laundry Without A Washing Machine…Or Electricity
We were lucky though. We had the coppers, many folks had to stoop over a regular tin bath and they often never had a mangle, now that really would have been hard work.
In Ground Composting
When we were growing our own food space was very important. We had a good sized garden, but not massive, and compost heaps take up a lot of room.
Bread Making With Homemade Yeast
Bread formed a large part of our diet in the old days, and it was always available, more so in winter when food was scarcer and bellies needed to be filled.
Making Fermented Milk…You Might Call it Yoghurt
It was always made in a heavy metal pan with a close fitting lid, a portion of the last batch would be the starter for the next. I would heat the pan by standing it at the back of the range, not letting it get too hot, so I could still pick it up without a cloth on my hands.
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