During the second World War, things were hard on the home front, too. Besides having to cope with rationing and shortages, the women who were at home were faced with the task of growing their own food.
Since my mother was a leader in 4-H Clubs as well as Home Extension Clubs, she had close contact with the county Extension office.
The county in which we lived had a project going called a Victory Garden. This required a respected leader of the community to go from place to place in her neighborhood and give advice on “How to Successfully Produce Food For the Family.”
Mother’s task was to share with the neighbors exactly how to water their garden to conserve water and still produce a crop of vegetables. We planted rows one and two close together, leaving a little wider space, then planting rows three and four close together. This system was carried out until the plot was planted. Between the rows planted close together, a ditch was dug, and water was allowed to flow down these ditches to the end of the row.
Our garden produced enough for my mother – with the help of my sister and me – to can vegetables for the entire year, saving the store-bought canned foods for the boys serving in the Armed Forces.
Delores Utecht
Wayne, Nebraska
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.