VIDEO Here’s what people ate to survive during WWII
- Thread starter et2
- Start date
Knoxville's Joker
Has No Life - Lives on TB
and folks would lose. For lack of a better word. Their crap were they to to try that in today's times...
Ragnarok
On and On, South of Heaven
I remember some of those recipes from when I was a kid and they are delicious.
If WWII was fought today we'd all be speaking German and/or Japanese.
No way this current generation could take on the sacrifices our fathers and grandparents did. We've become a nation of girly-men.
If you haven't actually raised chickens, you don't know the cost. If you are thinking of letting them "feed themselves", You need a buttload of land, a good dog, and fencing unless you want to feed the local predators.Interesting thread !
Besides most people being able to have a small garden for veggies, even apt dwellers could raise stuff in pots.
I guess meat would be tuff. That being the case, probably simplest solution would be chickens. Which would provide meat & eggs.
Trying to tell us something important. I think we better listen.
greenhart
Veteran Member
Lard and butter was scarce as was sugar so no goodies. We ate a lot of beans, cabbage and potatoes but very little meat. My dad had a small victory garden behind our house that he and my brother and I worked. We didn't have an auto but our neighbor that did never drove it much as gas was scarce and tires was nonexistent. I would sit with my dad and listen to Gabriel Heater tell the news every evening.
ivantherussian03
Veteran Member
A nation of entitlement.
Interesting thread !
Besides most people being able to have a small garden for veggies, even apt dwellers could raise stuff in pots.
I guess meat would be tuff. That being the case, probably simplest solution would be chickens. Which would provide meat & eggs.
How are you feeding the chickens?
Meemur
Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
True if it's a large flock. A neighbor raises 3 hens in her backyard all summer and then sends them to freezer camp in the fall. She doesn't give them much extra feed once the insects are full-sized. She has them mostly for bug control and eggs.
Mprepared
Veteran Member
There is a lady on YouTube that has videos of Depression cooking and she said almost everything had onions and potatoes fried. I can live without a lot of things but I literally get shaky without fats. My mother told me about rationing but they did not seem to have it rough. They had a garden, cow and chickens. My dad talked like they had it kind of rough and did a lot of hunting. He loved gravy on everything, squirrels, rabbits, and he loved to fish.
33dInd
Veteran Member
In a real pinch and barring decimation of the local squirrel population I hear dawg is fineInteresting thread
I guess meat would be tuff. That being the case, probably simplest solution would be chickens. Which would provide meat & eggs.
Jaybird
Veteran Member
Dux
Veteran Member
Coyote good for dog food? We raise duck but they favor grain. Geese are far more interested in grass, though.
MinnesotaSmith
Membership Revoked
Eat corned beef instead. Much better-tasting, better for you nutritionally, stores and prepares similarly. No need to buy or eat SPAM at all in a time when corned beef exists, as it does now.
Cag3db1rd
Paranoid Pagan
It's gonna be hard on those of us who have food restrictions. The good news is chickens will eat the wheat berries that we stored back b4 we had to take it out of our diet.
Speaking of livestock. Chickens are not your best option for survival livestock. They require too much input for the little you get out. And how will you replenish your flock without that noisy rooster? Look into smaller livestock that you can feed grass and raise in cages, like guinea pigs, rabbits, and quail.
Don't plan the quail for meat, though. They dress out at about 4 oz each, and raising them to butcher weight is often difficult. They are a good option for eggs, though. Plan at least 3 hens per person.
Speaking of livestock. Chickens are not your best option for survival livestock. They require too much input for the little you get out. And how will you replenish your flock without that noisy rooster? Look into smaller livestock that you can feed grass and raise in cages, like guinea pigs, rabbits, and quail.
Don't plan the quail for meat, though. They dress out at about 4 oz each, and raising them to butcher weight is often difficult. They are a good option for eggs, though. Plan at least 3 hens per person.
I spent much of my early years living with my grandparents during the mid to late 50's and early 60's
they raised 6 kids during the depression and WWll--they we lucky in that they had a little land and farmed
This is what I remember
We had something to eat but it might not be what you wanted or the best of anything
NOTHING was wasted--nothing
If you wanted something to drink you had three choices--milk from the cow, tea sweetened with saccharin or water drawn from the well--we did have coffee for breakfast most days
We were lucky because we had a cow and many chickens and a few hogs
You had meat once maybe twice a week unless you killed a squirrel or a rabbit or caught some fish
We foraged quite a bit for berries and nuts and other things.
I have seen poke sallet and possum on the dinner table.
Fresh fruit out of season and any candy was a treat
We ate a lot of bread--biscuits, hoe cake and cornbread-and there was almost always gravey --my favorite was red eye
We canned and dried most everything that we could
I could go on and on
but what it boils down to is if you don't have the space, equipment and skills to provide for yourself you will probably be hosed
and I believe that is why many of us are on forums such as this --to learn more and share what we know
they raised 6 kids during the depression and WWll--they we lucky in that they had a little land and farmed
This is what I remember
We had something to eat but it might not be what you wanted or the best of anything
NOTHING was wasted--nothing
If you wanted something to drink you had three choices--milk from the cow, tea sweetened with saccharin or water drawn from the well--we did have coffee for breakfast most days
We were lucky because we had a cow and many chickens and a few hogs
You had meat once maybe twice a week unless you killed a squirrel or a rabbit or caught some fish
We foraged quite a bit for berries and nuts and other things.
I have seen poke sallet and possum on the dinner table.
Fresh fruit out of season and any candy was a treat
We ate a lot of bread--biscuits, hoe cake and cornbread-and there was almost always gravey --my favorite was red eye
We canned and dried most everything that we could
I could go on and on
but what it boils down to is if you don't have the space, equipment and skills to provide for yourself you will probably be hosed
and I believe that is why many of us are on forums such as this --to learn more and share what we know
ioujc
MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
My parents grew up in the depression and then as young adults went through WWII. What I grew up eating most of you would gag on!
Breakfast menu:
Brains and eggs>>>could be squirrel or pig brains>>served with grits on the side
or
Goldenrod toast>>>toast with creamed white gravy with chopped up hard boiled eggs in the gravy>>>then one of the egg yolks was crumbled on the top>>>>thus the golden rod!
Lunch Menu:
PB&J sandwich with a glass of raw whole milk>>>
Did you know that PB and milk together make a complete protein? >>>>as does corn and some form of milk (think cheese) as in vegetarian tacos with cheese.
Dinner menu:
Boiled beef tongue sliced and served as sandwiches with mayo or Miracle Whip.
OR
Kidney pie
OR
Chopped beef hearts in gravy
Side dishes:
Potato salad>>>or some form of potatoes>>>>or mashed turnips (GAG!!)
Green beans or some other veggie raised in the garden
To this day I ADORE beef tongue>>>I think it is DELICIOUS!! As well as beef hearts or kidney.
AND>>>>believe me you ate EVERYTHING on your plate>>>or you sat there until you did!!
I had a friend who grew up in South Louisiana on the bayous. They lived on fish, crayfish, turtle meat and whatever could be foraged as far as greens and lots of taters!
Breakfast menu:
Brains and eggs>>>could be squirrel or pig brains>>served with grits on the side
or
Goldenrod toast>>>toast with creamed white gravy with chopped up hard boiled eggs in the gravy>>>then one of the egg yolks was crumbled on the top>>>>thus the golden rod!
Lunch Menu:
PB&J sandwich with a glass of raw whole milk>>>
Did you know that PB and milk together make a complete protein? >>>>as does corn and some form of milk (think cheese) as in vegetarian tacos with cheese.
Dinner menu:
Boiled beef tongue sliced and served as sandwiches with mayo or Miracle Whip.
OR
Kidney pie
OR
Chopped beef hearts in gravy
Side dishes:
Potato salad>>>or some form of potatoes>>>>or mashed turnips (GAG!!)
Green beans or some other veggie raised in the garden
To this day I ADORE beef tongue>>>I think it is DELICIOUS!! As well as beef hearts or kidney.
AND>>>>believe me you ate EVERYTHING on your plate>>>or you sat there until you did!!
I had a friend who grew up in South Louisiana on the bayous. They lived on fish, crayfish, turtle meat and whatever could be foraged as far as greens and lots of taters!
I heard all about this stuff first hand, especially from my mom, because Dad's family were almost out of the loop far as off-farm economy during the war. They were that isolated in the boonies and between the farm and abundant game, fended mostly for themselves.
People do what they have to do to get by. They adjust. Frankly, for a lot of folks, what they had to eat and making do cooking with a lot less or unfamiliar ingredients was NOT the biggest concern in their lives. Families had sons, husbands, brothers, dads, fiance's off to war and facing death or severe injury. Both women and men left behind in the States put in long work-weeks outside the home producing goods to support the military and domestic needs because all the healthy younger men were overseas. They worried about invasion of our shores (we may laugh now, but it was no laughing matter then). They were facing an international existential crisis, and losing this war meant losing everything important to the free world and free people.
Anyway...this food thing didn't happen in a bubble. There were worse things to deal with in everybody's day. I'm sure there was a good amount of bitching and resistance , but mostly, people knew they had to simply get on with it.
People do what they have to do to get by. They adjust. Frankly, for a lot of folks, what they had to eat and making do cooking with a lot less or unfamiliar ingredients was NOT the biggest concern in their lives. Families had sons, husbands, brothers, dads, fiance's off to war and facing death or severe injury. Both women and men left behind in the States put in long work-weeks outside the home producing goods to support the military and domestic needs because all the healthy younger men were overseas. They worried about invasion of our shores (we may laugh now, but it was no laughing matter then). They were facing an international existential crisis, and losing this war meant losing everything important to the free world and free people.
Anyway...this food thing didn't happen in a bubble. There were worse things to deal with in everybody's day. I'm sure there was a good amount of bitching and resistance , but mostly, people knew they had to simply get on with it.
Last edited:
teadrinker
Senior Member
My parents also grew up during the depression. My father was born in 1915, my mother 1919.
Breakfast usually was oatmeal with toast.
Lunch was a sandwich.
Supper was a lot of different soups, and soups and more soups.
My mother would go to the A&P and ask the butcher if she could buy a few bones that still had a little meat on them, then she would look through the discounted vegetables to see if they would be good to put in the soup. We also ate a lot of chicken and once in awhile we would have pork steaks. we lived above my grandparents and that is where I learned most of my cooking. Always homemade breads, and polish dishes like pierogi, sauerkraut with polish sausage etc.
Breakfast usually was oatmeal with toast.
Lunch was a sandwich.
Supper was a lot of different soups, and soups and more soups.
My mother would go to the A&P and ask the butcher if she could buy a few bones that still had a little meat on them, then she would look through the discounted vegetables to see if they would be good to put in the soup. We also ate a lot of chicken and once in awhile we would have pork steaks. we lived above my grandparents and that is where I learned most of my cooking. Always homemade breads, and polish dishes like pierogi, sauerkraut with polish sausage etc.
psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I’ll never forget my grandma making “hot water toast”.... she did it even when she had plenty of money for whatever she wanted.
It is literally, a slice of white toast, with boiling hot water poured over with some salt and pepper on top....us grandkids never DID figure out that one
It is literally, a slice of white toast, with boiling hot water poured over with some salt and pepper on top....us grandkids never DID figure out that one
Rice...lot's of rice.
Most cajun dishes are served on rice.
What is now considered specialty cuisine was once a way to feed many with little.
Rebel_Yell
Senior Member
Softshell turtle is a delicacy. I can't say the same for snappers.
Last summer my grandson and I caught a very large snapper in our pond. Well you know the deal you kill it you eat it. We looked at lots of you tube videos, talked to lots of locals who had "turtle" history, and then proceeded to butcher. Hard work! I resorted to power tools at one point due to my lack of strength! We butchered that bad boy that weighed 15 pounds dress out and cooked him. It was a delicious dish that I would make again...if someone else would do the butchering. That shell was hard to get off!
psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
What does it taste like?
Worked with some messicans, one day they did "Tacos de Lingua" with beef tongue.
Good stuff, it was.
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Mama and dad both went through the depression and WW2. Dad was a 4F because he was a farmer; they had plenty of vegetables but he could only grow a 4ft x4ft x 16ft. section of tobacco (for personal use). Dad got popped in 1943 for having an acre of tobacco under till 
The .gov bought everything he produced though. The .gov inspectors always came out to look at the crops; dad's produce always got high marks. Dad did keep back a bit of corn though; for family use and his moonshining business on the side. Dad's corn squeezin's were VERY popular and profitable. You always kept chickens so you could buy sour mash too (not sure if chicken feed was rationed).
My oldest sister was born in 1942; baby food for her was mashed and ground up veggies and whatever meat dad could hunt. They ate lots and lots of deer; dad kept possums penned up to clean them out then they hit the dinner table in due course. Hogs too-they ate whatever they could.
One thing that was a hard to find item was soap and washing powders (laundry detergent). At that time phosphates were used in detergents (and incidentally explosives too, hence the tight rationing on it. ) Mama made lye soap but it didn't do such a good job on the clothes. Her older brother was a mechanic at a dealer in Atlanta (doing war work fixing jeeps and such, Boomerhine Pontiac if you're a local). He used to take the GoJo hand cleaner from work (as everyone else did) and brought it to mama to wash clothes with. GoJo apparently makes a pretty good laundry detergent; mama remarked how my sister's diapers were always snow white.
There was also a thriving black market in Atlanta during the war. Mom and dad didn't play in it; although lots of folks were more than willing to trade items for dad's 'shine.
Today the nation as a whole would riot if any form of rationing were applied. Look at the current "supply chain issues"; that's a form of rationing and the country is all up in arms about it. We keep the birds, quail and squirrels well fed here; should rationing ever take place we'll have a steady supply of fat healthy peanut fed squirrels and nice fat quail. To the missus it's just a nice thing to keep them fed.
The .gov bought everything he produced though. The .gov inspectors always came out to look at the crops; dad's produce always got high marks. Dad did keep back a bit of corn though; for family use and his moonshining business on the side. Dad's corn squeezin's were VERY popular and profitable. You always kept chickens so you could buy sour mash too (not sure if chicken feed was rationed). My oldest sister was born in 1942; baby food for her was mashed and ground up veggies and whatever meat dad could hunt. They ate lots and lots of deer; dad kept possums penned up to clean them out then they hit the dinner table in due course. Hogs too-they ate whatever they could.
One thing that was a hard to find item was soap and washing powders (laundry detergent). At that time phosphates were used in detergents (and incidentally explosives too, hence the tight rationing on it. ) Mama made lye soap but it didn't do such a good job on the clothes. Her older brother was a mechanic at a dealer in Atlanta (doing war work fixing jeeps and such, Boomerhine Pontiac if you're a local). He used to take the GoJo hand cleaner from work (as everyone else did) and brought it to mama to wash clothes with. GoJo apparently makes a pretty good laundry detergent; mama remarked how my sister's diapers were always snow white.
There was also a thriving black market in Atlanta during the war. Mom and dad didn't play in it; although lots of folks were more than willing to trade items for dad's 'shine.
Today the nation as a whole would riot if any form of rationing were applied. Look at the current "supply chain issues"; that's a form of rationing and the country is all up in arms about it. We keep the birds, quail and squirrels well fed here; should rationing ever take place we'll have a steady supply of fat healthy peanut fed squirrels and nice fat quail. To the missus it's just a nice thing to keep them fed.
Psychgirl well literature says it has 7 different tastes. I found it to be predominantly beef like. good texture. In fact some neighbors just thought it was some sort of beef dish. I did warn them before they taste tested! Very tender. Very lean. Just a lot of hard work to harvest!
psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you!
Interesting to know!
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
To me turtle does taste a lot like beef-dad used to love to get turtles and fix them up. I like the soup-they make a really good stew.
I remember when I was about 5-6 years old. A giant turtle starts across the highway where we lived. Dad ran out and it took both hands to drag that thing out of the road. The shell was nearly as big as the top of your coffee table!
#1 oldskool
"You finally really did it. You maniacs!
Boomershine !!! Where was your Dad's farm Alfa ?! (pm if you don't want to reply on thread)
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
My dad was born in 1906. So a lot of stories. Most of the stories dealt with moonshine, and a bottle in every stump.
There was a lot of small game hunting. There wasn't any big game.
From my own experience dad's family was always poor, a lot of carry over from the Civil War and Reconstruction. So they share cropped and farmed a cash crop, with Barbering, and blacksmithing on the side. Even ran a grist mill off the back tire of a model T.
But they had a truck patch for their own veggies, a hog pen, for meat, supplemented with game. And a few free range chickens for eggs and meat when they stopped producing (old).
Any and everything only got left overs to eat. They didn't buy dog food, chicken feed, or feed for the hog. From what I saw however, they might have mixed in a little corn that they had grown, for the hog, and chickens.
From my grandparents to SB they didn't raise chickens in a pen. All were free range. Flew up in trees at night, and listened for the cackle to find out where the eggs were. The chickens were mostly on their own, roaming around the yard (watch where you step) and they knew exactly what a fly swatter was. They heard that thing slap, and here they came to eat dead flies.
Did they loose some chickens to hunters? Sure, but then it was war. They would lay in wait for it, mostly 'coons, to come back, and they paid for that chicken with their life.
Now it's poor 'coon let's name it Rocky. LOL
There was a lot of small game hunting. There wasn't any big game.
From my own experience dad's family was always poor, a lot of carry over from the Civil War and Reconstruction. So they share cropped and farmed a cash crop, with Barbering, and blacksmithing on the side. Even ran a grist mill off the back tire of a model T.
But they had a truck patch for their own veggies, a hog pen, for meat, supplemented with game. And a few free range chickens for eggs and meat when they stopped producing (old).
Any and everything only got left overs to eat. They didn't buy dog food, chicken feed, or feed for the hog. From what I saw however, they might have mixed in a little corn that they had grown, for the hog, and chickens.
From my grandparents to SB they didn't raise chickens in a pen. All were free range. Flew up in trees at night, and listened for the cackle to find out where the eggs were. The chickens were mostly on their own, roaming around the yard (watch where you step) and they knew exactly what a fly swatter was. They heard that thing slap, and here they came to eat dead flies.
Did they loose some chickens to hunters? Sure, but then it was war. They would lay in wait for it, mostly 'coons, to come back, and they paid for that chicken with their life.
Now it's poor 'coon let's name it Rocky. LOL
Growing up, we had pig hocks with sauerkraut a couple times a month. Was pretty tasty. We also had beef hocks. They only sell those special order now. They are one of the tastiest parts of the cow. I made them with roasted carrots for my family years ago and they loved them. Grandson always asked for "cow's ankles" when he visited.. They take quite a bit of stewing but have a lot of gelatin that makes great gravy. I always take the meat off the bone and make the gravy and serve them over noodles.
Poor food can be very tasty if you know how to prepare it. Vegetable fritters or spaetzle make for tasty fillers. Barley in beans stretches the dish and adds complimentary protein. Barley takes on the taste of whatever it is cooked in.
We cannot tolerate potatoes or tomatoes so we have special challenges. Much of what we make can be called bland by many but I keep spices and such to add for others that can tolerate them. Using canned meats with additions of fillers then made into patties and fried is a great way to stretch meat and is a more familiar form for kids so less encouragement might be needed.
Learning the basic methods of cooking techniques will take us a long way to making what we have available more palatable. Basic cream sauces, browning meats to make better tasting gravies, browning onions to make the dish more flavorsome. These things are easily learned and make a great difference in alleviating appetite fatigue.
They take quite a bit of stewing but have a lot of gelatin that makes great gravy. I always take the meat off the bone and make the gravy and serve them over noodles.Poor food can be very tasty if you know how to prepare it. Vegetable fritters or spaetzle make for tasty fillers. Barley in beans stretches the dish and adds complimentary protein. Barley takes on the taste of whatever it is cooked in.
We cannot tolerate potatoes or tomatoes so we have special challenges. Much of what we make can be called bland by many but I keep spices and such to add for others that can tolerate them. Using canned meats with additions of fillers then made into patties and fried is a great way to stretch meat and is a more familiar form for kids so less encouragement might be needed.
Learning the basic methods of cooking techniques will take us a long way to making what we have available more palatable. Basic cream sauces, browning meats to make better tasting gravies, browning onions to make the dish more flavorsome. These things are easily learned and make a great difference in alleviating appetite fatigue.
Last edited: