A Tutorial on Ironing, Sleeves, Creased Pants, and Ruffles

The Old Farmers Wife instructs us on ironing.

Now we are home enjoying our semi quarantine

and I am tidying up some of my neglected mending and ironing.

So it seemed a good time for this.

First you want dampened cloth or you can spray or steam as you go.

For a laundry basket full of predampened clothes go back to one of the early posts

Called "Tueday was....". (It followed Monday is Wash Day)

SLEEVES

These are tricky if you don't know the tricks.
Start with the shoulder over the end of the board and iron it.
Then lay the sleeve out flat and iron it. Now the trick!

Flatten it with the outer side centered over the inner seam 

and lay one edge over the side of the board.

Then you can iron the middle out with the iron off the edge 

of the board and not pressing the other edge, ergo no inadvertent creases.

TROUSER CREASE

If you don't want creased pants iron them as you would sleeves.
Start your pants with the tops put over the end of board and iron around
the waist and pockets. Then lay them out lengthwise along the top of board.
 with the inseam and outside seams lined up over top of each other

from the crotch down to the hem. Iron flat to the edges.
Them fold back the top leg and iron the bottom leg.
Flip them over and repeat on reverse side.

Perfectly centered creases.

RUFFLES

These may just require a little practice to get the feel of.
You stretch out the edge of ruffle following the curve as it goes.
Iron along the edge with the tip of the iron working into ruffle.
You may only be able to do a few inches at a time depending on how wide the ruffle is.

You will get the feel for this after doing a few inches.

So there it is.
Wishing us all luck clearing up these odds and ends
lingering around the house until we have time! 

Old Fashioned Spaghetti Sauce

On the farm Thursday was spaghetti day. 

Today the Old Farmers Daughter is cooking Spaghetti, 

so it seemed a good place to start the "recipe book". 

The Old Farmer's Wife's technique, slightly updated from home canned 

to store bought tomatoes, also a couple cans 

as opposed to 3-4 quarts home canned tomatoes and puree.

2 cans diced tomatoes, recommend 

good brand without to many

stem end pieces or skin in it

2 cans tomato paste

12 fennel seeds, ok...more or less!

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/3 cup sugar

A couple halved garlic cloves

This is a good start....will smell great simmering as low as you can set it, stir everytime you pass thru the kitchen, hopefully at least every 15 mins! The Old Farmers Wife was working around the house so passed through the kitchen often.   Don't worry....

see note 1*

A couple hours before supper it's time to do the meatballs and sausage.

Take 1 pound of hamburger

Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs
         1/4 cup parmesan cheese
          Few shakes of mixed Italian
    seasoning
          Some minced or diced onion
          Salt/pepper to taste
          1 egg
Mix well, form balls to preferred size, fry or bake, then add to sauce.

And the Sausage, cut mild or hot to 3-4" lengths
Saute until done. Prick in several places to release the grease. Some modern sausage is so fat free you might want to add a bit of oil to pan, it will cook better.
Add to sauce

  NOW the magic

Add diced onion (1/2 to a whole depending on onion and batch size)

to the sausage drippings and saute. 

When tender add a couple scoops of the sauce, drain excess grease if any.

Stir up the sausage flavor into that bit of sauce and add to the pot!

Adjust seasonings, maybe a shake of Italian seasonings. 

Maybe a shake of red pepper flakes, careful, very spicy! 

The Old Farmer used to shake a bit on his plate. 

A tsp. of salt...While it continues to simmer cook your pasta. 

Then enjoy.

*1 - if sauce is to thin you can let simmer longer or you can cheat 

and thicken with cornstarch.

The Old Farmer's Wife

The Old Farmer's wife was a good mother.
She cooked and cleaned and canned the produce of the garden.

The Old Farmer's children learned cooking
by helping prepare vegetables and observing.
They were sent to the basement to bring up potatoes
or the back room to get canned goods.

 

They learned cleaning with weekly chores.
Each was responsible for their bedroom and a living room
or dining room or bathroom as assigned.
These became daily chores when school was out for the summer.
Beds were made and sinks scoured daily.

They learned canning by picking the produce and washing the jars.
And watching the loading of the canner
and hearing the lids pop when the jars came out.

 

When the old farmer's back was out she got the heating pad
and made him comfortable.
When the children had the mumps and measles and chicken pox
they were babied and loved back to health.

And she had lots of favorite sayings. Mostly was "it takes two to tango".
We could not get away with saying it was the other persons fault!

The Old Farmer's wife was a good mother.