Ruby used lists every day – for items she needed to buy, have delivered, and of course a list of recipes to keep her family fed. The main meat item on Ruby’s menu was lamb within the small flock of sheep on their dairy farm. 

 

Occasionally a pig would be dispatched and shared amongst family and neighbours, often in exchange for any items that Ruby didn’t have. With no refrigeration, Beef was a luxury! 

 

A list was used for provisions from the general store - Ruby would drop in the list, go shopping elsewhere, returning to collect everything all nicely packed in brown paper (which was used later to light the old coal range!). Fresh vegetables were delivered to the farmhouse by the local market gardener, Willy Washing, in his red Fargo truck. Fresh fruit was picked from their orchard - if not eaten fresh, Ruby would stew, bottle or preserve for later.

 

Dairy products were made into butter, cheese and cream, for baking and desserts. Ruby was just one of those great New Zealand women that shaped our country and kept her family sheltered, fed and clean every day. 

 

She needed that list!

 

Craig Luxton