"I'm sorry, Pastor, but we need to be careful," Johan Keller said. He didn't sound particularly apologetic, but then he never did. "We have wasted a lot of time, energy and money on harebrained schemes. Like the giant vegetable garden. We've more vegetables than we can eat and we can't sell them because putting them in the freezer ruined them. We could have increased the number of chickens instead. Eggs always sell. So does meat, so we could raise more goats."
Greta Schultz looked at Johan's rather ample belly and sneered. Johan Keller liked meat, bread and butter. He didn't like cabbage, squash, pumpkin, snap peas . . . the list went on. "We made mistakes last year," Greta pointed out. "We were figuring out what worked and what didn't. It takes an extra layer of waxed paper around the little box. That we didn't want to use because of the extra expense, but we learned. We should have very little freezer burn this year. Granted, the waxed paper costs, but if we use it properly, we can expect to sell all of the garden that we don't want for ourselves. We should grow more fruits and vegetables this year, not less."
The upshot of the meeting was that everyone in the village was put on a strict budget. Everyone, even those few who hadn't given in to the urge to buy on credit.
****
"Shh," Peter said. "It's time for Consumer Reports, again."
"Well, Herr Gottliebe, what's the latest on the credit scandal?"
"The big news today is that Anna Katharina Schuster appears to have left her, ah, friend in Halle and taken off for parts unknown. Meanwhile, Heinrich Schuster denies all knowledge of his sister's whereabouts. He has turned over all of the company's paperwork for audit and hired the firm of Hardegg, Selfisch and Krapp to represent him in the suit that Hermann Weisel filed this morning."
"Is there some legal action that victims of HFC and SFC are able to take?" the reporter asked.
"There may be," Gottliebe said. "In the case of HFC, where there was extortion involved and often the goods weren’t delivered, there are a number of options. However, in the case of SFC, it's going to be more difficult. Certainly, the customers can't just stop paying. Whoever ends up owning SFC will own the debts owed to them and effectively that means that they will own the products sold. Still, I certainly urge anyone with one of these punitive contracts to seek legal advice. There is another option that may be available to customers of SFC, and this is going to sound weird. Get another loan. A consolidation loan, then pay the entire value of the products you bought."
****
"What are you planting, Mama?" Marie asked.
"I'm not sure what all of it is," Greta admitted. "These big beans are pretty, though. We ordered several packets of seeds from The Plant Ladies, out of the Burke Wish Book. And seed potatoes from the Grange, since they store well. Those green beans that are supposed to be so good for you and that you can eat really soon after planting, and those little orange carrots. A different cabbage, just to see how it did. Anyway, they included this 'bonus summer surprise' packet, it's called. It's a bunch of different looking seeds, anyway. I figure it can't hurt to plant them. We might get something useful and we've got to weed the garden anyway."
"I'll say." Marie looked around. The fields dedicated to vegetables were much more extensive than usual.
"We've got to produce a lot this year," Greta said. "We've just got to. I know the frozen vegetables will be a success this time."
"I hope so, Mama. Right now, I've got to go see Johan. I've got more radio guts ready for cases."
****
"Here you go, Johan." Marie placed the four crystal sets on the work bench. "These are rea . . . what are you building?"
"A really fancy radio case," Johan said. "Inlaid with different woods, all that stuff. Value added, like they talk about on the radio. It ought to sell for more than the usual radios do. Every pfennig helps."
****
"Well, sigh, it's that time of year again, isn't it, ladies? You all know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
Greta had no idea what the woman was talking about, but Fanny Farmer was her favorite cooking show, so she kept listening.
"Yes, that's right. The zucchini and summer squash are coming in, aren't they? Now, don't groan. I know, I know. It won't be long before your co-workers and neighbors are bringing in piles and piles of it!"
What the devil was the woman talking about, Greta wondered. Nothing really grew in 'piles and piles' in her experience. Well, cucumbers could be pretty prolific, yes. But you could always pickle cucumbers.
"Well, don't despair. There's all sorts of things you can do with those baseball bat-sized zucchini. Pickle them, fry them, grate them up and make zucchini bread. Cover it with cheese sauce, slice it up for the freezer. One thing about it, you can never run out of zucchini. Remember Cora's zucchini quesadillas?"
Greta went out to look at that plot of surprise plant seeds. Just in case.
****
"Maybe we were better off in the old days," Karl grumped.
Greta gave him a very old-fashioned look. Then she pointed to the dish he was eating from, the Torberts Joseph was wearing, Marie's work table with its soldering iron and even to his shoes. "I don't think so, dear. Now, just eat your supper and hush."
Karl stared down at the green and white mess in his plate. "But what is it?"
"Zucchini au gratin is what Fanny Farmer calls it."
****
"We're not going to make it," Peter said. Then, at the look from Greta, he added, "Yes, I know there is much less freezer burn this year and you will be able to sell frozen fruits and vegetables all though the winter. That's all well and good. But the debt isn't due in March of next year. It's due in October of this year. And that's when the penalty rate will kick in."
"What about the consolidation loan that Herr Gottliebe talked about?"
"I sent a letter to a money lender in Dresden." Peter shook his head. "He wants twenty percent."
"What about Grantville?"
"Wouldn't work. By the time our letters got there and their answers got back and we sent someone there to sign the papers or whatever you do, it would be October."
"Then just go," Pastor Althus said. "Take the forms and receipts. Go try to get one of the consolidation loans if you can. If you can't, we aren’t much worse off. And if you can, you will be right there, so you can pay off the receivers for SFC."
"I can't go. I have to be here for the harvest." Then Peter looked at him. "I think you just volunteered, Pastor Althus."
****
"They're both better with English than I am," Pastor Althus explained. "And they'll be company. As well, if we're stopped, I can always explain that I'm escorting them to the University at Jena. Johan is a bit old for it, but I'm told that all sorts of younger and not-so-younger people are attending Jena these days."
Traveling through what might become a battle zone at any moment was nervous-making for Greta and Karl, but Marie's face had lit up at the thought of actually seeing Grantville. Peter's son Johan was practically jiggling on his stool in excitement.
"Oh, please, Papa," Johan said. "I can take the camera and have the pictures developed. Probably learn a lot more about it, too." He paused a moment. "And I'll bet that Marie can get some really good ideas for new products, too."
As an apparent afterthought, he added, "I bet the prices are cheaper there. We could pick up more seeds and stuff. Books. We're going anyway, so we might as well bring stuff back with us. If we can afford it, of course."
The upshot of it was that Marie and Johan would go with Pastor Althus, walking to Grantville, then possibly buying a small wagon to bring back as much as they could with them. The pastor was authorized to ask for a bit more money than was needed, in order to buy more seeds.