Dried fruit packaging in the 1940s

[BML]

Can anyone tell me what sort of packaging dried fruit came in during the 1940s?

[Miss Costello]

Hang on two mins and I'll post a photo. Although the majority was sold loose in waxed paper. But I'll take a photo of mine here........

[Miss Costello]

Here you go, but this is a rarity as it was mainly sold loose. brown paper bags or more likely wax paper (baking parchment is a good sub)





Kate

[BML]

Many thanks for the photographs. However, I did not make myself clear so I will now. I'm in the process of putting together a "few" words about my life for my children in the hope that they may find it intresting in years to come and as I was writing a piece about carrying the shopping bags for my mother in the 1940s I could not recall how dried fruit was packed for the shop before it was served to customers. I wonder if there are any books that cover such a subject.

[Miss Costello]

During the war years, packaging was obviously at a minimum, as I said-more than likely dried fruit was purchase by the ounce served from a large hessian or paper sack and wrapped in waxed paper. Most women used reusable bags made from crochet or cotton scraps or a basket.

There is a useful resource from the Robert Opie library about packaging but it mainly covers brands and not the purchase of loose items. In the local history project we carried out for schools, there was a shop that was very similar to todays 'scoop and weigh' shops where you could buy most things loose. Tea, soap cut from a block, starch or biscuits. These seemed to be the norm. if you need any more specific help drop me a message and I'll try and help.

Kate

[BML]

Many thanks. One thing is certain. I'm sure that carrying a shopping bag in each hand stretched my arms and extra inch or two.

[Miss Costello]

Lol, I hear you! I always say I have gorilla arms!

Good luck with your project, I keep trying to get my mum to do it but she always says 'who wants to read about that sort of thing?'



Kate

[Bittersweet]

I was a child in the 1960s and we used to shop as a family on Saturday mornings but we didn't find carrying the shopping home so difficult as the amount we were able to buy was sooooo much smaller. I'm guesssing that it would be a still smaller amount in the 1940s. Also, Mum would often buy "as we needed" fresh food on an almost daily basis from local shops and the milk was delivered. So, very little weight to carry but maybe further to carry it.
Also advantageous not having to have such big areas of kitchen storage space. The larder (yes I loved the larder) was usually full of homemade jams and marmalade.

Slightly off tack, I'm sorry, but relevent to the "packaging" theme.

[Miss Costello]

my house is a little like a museum and I've retained the larder, which at the moment is crammed full of home made Jam, Chutney and pickle, I do tend to do a big shop of things I can't carry home on my bike, but I like to use the local shops on a daily basis for essentials.
K

[Bittersweet]

Has your house been on TV on a documentary type programme? If so, I've seen it and loved it. It reminded me of when I was little, some of the houses we were in hadn't changed much since the 1940s so it was like looking at home.
I'd love to have a larder again.....I'm jealous now.

[Miss Costello]

it hasn't but it is shortly! the larder is really useful. glad I kept it when I moved in now.
k

[Bittersweet]

Oooh, what programme, when and where?

Sorry to highjack your thread BML

[The sempster]

Oooh, what programme, when and where?

Yes please Our house was unfortunately massively alter in the 50ies, they moved the staircase to put the bathroom in, and all the nice things from the 1940s were hidden or taken away. I'd love to see the house