Editor’s note: On Dec. 3, the Kaua‘i Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary. Museum leaders have chosen 50 stories from exhibits, collections and the archives of the museum to share with the public. One story will run daily through Dec. 3.
Editor’s note: On Dec. 3, the Kaua‘i Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary. Museum leaders have chosen 50 stories from exhibits, collections and the archives of the museum to share with the public. One story will run daily through Dec. 3.
LIHU‘E — These were some fun asides found when researching the World War II period from The Garden Island newspaper.
Rationing was a fact of life for Americans during World War II. For Hawai‘i residents, rationing of rice was probably the harshest imposition. During the previous war, Hawai‘i still had a thriving rice industry which had gone down the tubes when California entered the rice business. At the height of the war period there was at least one military person to resident living on Kaua‘i.
The Garden Island newspaper did its part in the war effort in educating the public in how to create substitutes for rationed items and encourage people to try nutritious foods that were available.
Mrs. Broadbent’s Coconut Butter
When you have no milk or butter to start with…
8-9 full-grown coconuts (with water inside, not too old)
Water
Food coloring
Grate the meat of the coconut fine and pour boiling water over. Add coloring at this time if desired. Strain, press juice out of the grated nut as much as possible.
Set cream in ice box for 24 hours, then skim off cream and set in ice box again for 24 hours to ripen.
Churn same as cow’s cream adding salt and working it through the butter.
Okai-Japanese Soft Rice
Stretch Rice Ration by taking a little less rice than the family usually eats for one meal.
Cut up a large sweet potato in to small squares. Cook the rice and sweet potato in about three times (3:1) the amount of water used to cook the rice (normally 1:1 for medium grain, “stickly” white rice). Add salt and serve. This soft rice requires a little longer cooking than ordinary rice. Some families use tea with the rice to make the mixture more palatable.
Poi for Baby
Poi is healthier for your children than rice. Poi will take the place of rice, Irish potatoes, macaroni and starchy vegetable. It is rich in minerals, and vitamins A, B, and C. These directions were provided by Mrs. Doris Achor, board of health nurse.
1.) Put poi thru a wire strainer or sieve and then place it in a poi bag of cheese cloth and tie it with a string. Place bag of poi in boiling water and boil for five minutes. Then squeeze the poi through the bag. This poi may be kept in the icebox for two days. Should it become a little sour, it may be sweetened by reheating.
2.) Poi may be fed by adding it to the baby’s formula or by mixing it with milk and feeding with a spoon. Begin with a small amount such as one teaspoon and increase as the child grows.
3.) Take your baby to the nearest baby clinic or to your family doctor and ask when to start feeding the poi to a very small baby. (Healthy children over one year of age may be fed poi.) If you have been feeding your child rice, try feeding them poi instead.