Story Stories of the Great depression and advice from survivors

[Old Gray Mare]

I am not claiming this thread for myself. Anyone who has a Great Depression story or advise from one of it's survivors please feel free the add a chapter. - OGM

Conversation With NaNa​

The smells of turkey wafted through the air and the muted Thanks Giving Day game played on the TV. There was the sounds of adults talking, children playing and the ring of the good china being set on the table. I was wasted space in the kitchen with all the hands already there and busy making sure nothing burned and putting the final touches on the meal.

I wandered into the living room. The outcome of the game was a forgone conclusion by the end of the half. The men had deserted the living room for the back porch away from the ears of the women and kids to do their own catching up. NaNa quietly sat alone in the room. She appeared to be watching the game but wasn't.

I sat down near her. She turned her attention to me. We started talking. I mentioned my worries about the problems I saw on the horizon and mentioned stories about Great Depression.

"You don't need to tell me about the Depression. I lived it." She replied with a smile.

"NaNa people went hungry and I'm trying to prep so that my children will not go hungry."

Nana nodded as if hunger and financial depressions were just a part of life not something in distant, almost forgotten history.

"Some of the cousins think I'm crazy for putting food by and getting ready for hard times.".

"Don't worry about what they say. You live your life the way you think you should. They heard the same family stories you did the difference is you listened. We got through it. You and your family will deal with whatever happens and get through it.". There was no modicum of doubt in her statement. She radiated a quiet faith that all too few are blessed with. It was then I noticed how frail NaNa looked. Her eyes were still clear and her words were from the heart.

"Dinner!" we turned at the call and went in to join the rest of the family for the feast.

The End

 

[CnMO]

Good Evening OGM,

With all the clean up and putting away done from today, What a blessing to come here and find a short story from you tonight..


Hope you are doing fine, and if you have time to post later on, I can't wait to read some of your olde time Christmas stories.

Thank you so much,
C

 

[ydderf]

Thank you O.G.M.

 

[BenIan]

The last conversation I had with my grandfather, before he passed last year, he told me about how during the depression (he would have been pre-teens at the time), his dad (my great grandfather) used to trap possums so that the family would have food. He said they would eat the possums with sweet potatoes that they grew in the yard.

 

[Cardinal]

http://theprepperproject.com/how-mu...feed-yourself-a-tropical-suburban-case-study/

This comes close to a book I read about how to plant your yard to yield 4000 calories per person. Can't find it now. But this is a good place to start.

 

[moldy]

Both my parents grew up during the Depression. Grandpa had bought a bunch of equipment right before the crash, and lost almost all the farm. They lost the equipment, and probably 2/3 of the land they owned. Dad was born in 1925. He remembers lard sandwiches in his lunch, and LOTS of beans to eat. They had a milk cow, but all the cream was skimmed off and sold in town. The kids went barefoot most of the year, and when the soles of their shoes wore out, they would put cardboard inside the shoes to make them last just a little longer. (arg - barefoot in western Oklahoma with all the sandburs and rattlesnakes!) He started working for the railroad handing up mail bags when he was 16. Graduated HS and straight into the Army. He was a telegraph operator with the US railroad while in the Army, but was also designated as a sharpshooter (probably from skills he learned while hunting squirrels).

Mom was born in 1929, but was a foster child, then went to an orphanage at age 12. What she will talk about (I"m sure there was more she won't) is sleeping in the showroom of a car dealership. They would hang blankets for privacy, and have to clear out in the morning. When she worked at a local market, they would add oatmeal and ketchup to the ground beef to make it go further. I'm sure a psychologist would say mom has some 'food security issues'. All of us are normal size, but mom has always stocked a pantry (well-stocked)!

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Continued from OP. Merry Christmas everyone. - OGM

The Christmas tree was surrounded with freshly unwrapped presents. "I want an official Red Ryder 200 shot range rifle!" A Christmas Story was on the TV. Ralph was pleading his case in front of Santa. "You'll shoot your eye out!" the department store Santa replied. Relatives were scattered here and there busy catching up on family gossip. I sat down next to NaNa with my plate of finger food. Dinner was still a ways off. The cousins were busy tending the pots and doing all those last minute things that need doing to prepare the family Christmas feast. My turn to work would come later with clean up.

"NaNa I have a confession to make. I posted what you said about the Great Depression and my trying to put some food by for my family in case of.... Well, in case.", Some people really like it." I was nervous, unsure how she would react to this. I shouldn't have worried.

"Dear you have to follow your heart. You won't go wrong." She smiled at me.

"NaNa could you tell me how did you make through the Great Depression? How did the family do it? I've heard bits and pieces but I'd like to hear it from you. You are a treasure. The great depression isn't words in a dusty history book or something found in Wikipedia. You lived it. You were there." I watched her hoping to glean some data that might help me prepare my family having to face something similar.

She was quiet for a minute. She seemed unsure. "Yes I was there. I was very young at the time.". She didn't look at me but off into a distinct place I could only experience second hand. "We didn't know we weren't well off. We did things we got to go to the circus. I remember the circus and go to concerts. At school they would just tell you, you were going. I don't know who provided the tickets or how.". She stopped. The silence was uncomfortable.

"What did you eat? How did your Mom keep everyone fed?" I asked. Over NaNa's shoulder I could see Uncle busy carving the meat and arranging it on the platter.


She looked at me, coming back to the present. "Mom would get a flyer from the market each week and whatever was on sale she would base her meals around. She used to walk to the market and do her shopping. It depended a lot on what was in season. It wasn't like it is today with food coming from around the world. You had to eat what was in season."

"We ate a lot of beans, lentils and whole grains. Mom had two hard working men to feed so sometimes she would buy half a lamb at the butchers. We ate everything: the kidneys, the brains, the liver, the lungs... The legs she would roast. The chops went fast. The bones and bits left over would go into stew. She made a lot of stews. Beef we didn't have. No we did, but it was only on special occasions and it was salted and dried.". She said.

"Daddy had a big garden. So we ate a lot of vegetables. Whatever was in season. My Mother pickled the vegetables and stored them in the root cellar. The pickles she made she stored in crocks with a lid. She stored things she canned in the cellar to, along with fresh vegetables. It was our refrigerator. When mom cooked the bits of meat and bones from the lamb she would store that in the cellar to. It had a layer of fat on top and I would go down (into the cellar) and take bits of meat from the broth and eat it. I knew she was not happy about that when she went to make a meal out of it. She never said anything. She didn't know who took the meat!". NaNa laughed at the bit of long ago mischief. I did to but I bet NaNa's Mother knew who the culprit was.

"NaNa you lived in the city. I thought only country people had root cellars?" I said.

"Root cellar, food cellar, we had one. The cellar had a dirt floor. The root cellar was a room with a door on one side of the cellar, The coal bin was on the other side and the furnace was in between. We heated with coal." She added.

"You use spiced in the family recipes. Where did your Mom get them?". I asked. In the kitchen, food was now being ladled into bowls and readied for the table.

"She would get them at the ethnic markets. It was a special trip and she did not go often. To get there she had to ride on the trolley.". She started to look off into that place full of memories only she could see.

"How did the family make ends meet. I know money was tight.". I asked hopefully.

"My parents took in boarders. Sometimes a single. Sometimes a couple. The house had three bedrooms and each family had a room. Your cousin's family had one room. Our family had the second one and the boarders got the third bedroom. ". She said.

"What kind of work did your father do?". I asked hoping this was not the end of the conversation.

"He worked in an automobile factory. He said he used to carry axles. I can't imagine him carrying an a car axle by himself. I think it was on a hoist and he guided it into place.". She replied.

"But auto workers are well paid." I said confused.

"Not back then they weren't!" She said with a finality that told me that subject was closed.

"With so many children in your family how did your Mom get you clothing. Did she sew?" I asked.

"No She didn't sew". One of my sister was giving a coat and she wore it all the time. I would get hand me downs from my older sisters and from the extended family. You should talk to your Aunt. She's older than I am and probably remembers a lot more than I do." NaNa answered.

One of the cousins got everyone's attention yelling "Dinner!".

I reached over and hugged NaNa. "Thank you for this Christmas present: The story of how you and the family made it through the Great Depression. I appreciate it.". I gave her another gentle hug and smiled. Christmas dinner was waiting.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

She hear the phone pick up on the other end of the line; "Hello?".

"Hi Aunty it's me. Remember over the holidays I asked if you would mind talking about how the family made it through the Great Depression? Do you have the time now?". I asked.

"Sure Honey. I'll tell you what I can remember. That was a long time ago. I was four years old when the Depression started." Aunty sighed.

"My father had a big garden. There were empty lots on either side of the house and the back yard. The lots were built on later but until then he used them. He had a rake, a shovel and hoe and those were the tools he used. We used to help pick what was ripe and wash it at the spigot outside. Oh the tomatoes.... We shared food with the neighbors and relatives that didn't have a garden. People helped each other. Mother canned and stored food in the cellar. She made things like pickles and ketchup." Aunty paused for a moment and then continued. "We ate a lot of chick peas, rice and vegetables. We had fish on Fridays, mackerel. Meat came later."

"Things were different back then. There was no such thing as an allowance. I didn't know the language. Someone taught me to beg for pennies: "Gim me penny! Gim me penny! I remember that." She laughed maybe a little embarrassed. "A penny was real money back then. A bus ride cost five cents. My father told me: Enough pennies make a dollar. If you only have four pennies, they will not let you ride the bus. ". She said.

"What about clothing?" I asked.

"Oh we wore hand me downs from other relatives and the church helped. I remember having holes in the soles of my shoes. We did a lot of walking and made do with what we had. We took the trolley to church. The church was far away and we didn't go every Sunday. When we did we dressed in our best. People made an effort to dress well and look.... look presentable.". Aunty answered.

"Father worked for the Ford Motor Company in 1936, manufacturing cars. The factory unionized. I remember the strike and the picket line. He took me with him and we walked on the picket line. We lived in Detroit . I remember the race riots. That was a bad time. When I was older I got work at the factory. I started work two years before the war. I worked as a clerk. Things got better. That's what I remember."

"Thank you Aunty".

"Love you Honey. 'Bye.".

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Stories of the Great Depression from the National Archives as told by the survivors and their families. I am trying to figure out how a man managed to cut four to six cords of wood a day using a buck saw and ax and hauled it out of the woods with horses. They made a dollar day. The pictures are very telling especially of the farmers. They are all so tall and thin. It is hard to find many in the video who look like there is an ounce of fat on them. The other thing is how rural homes were not painted, roads were dirt and sometimes rutted, no tractors, did not have in door plumbing or electricity. Some had walls of bare wood and others had wall paper made of newspaper. Horses and mules were still in wide spread use.

The story of the black grandfather who, on the farm, always managed to eat because they raised their own food, had cows. pigs and chickens. There wasn't money for clothes or shoes but there was food and he did not go hungry as others did. His grandson said his grandfather said, "If you did it right.". I wish he was still here to tell us how to "Do it right.". - OGM

Some how this seemed an appropriate place for the video.

Fair use.
Stories from the Great Depression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpfY8kh5lUw

 

[Old Gray Mare]

I talked with NaNa recently. She told me they cooked with gas but homes were heated with coal. The coal was delivered to storage area in the basement via a shoot. The coal furnace had to be stoked to heat the home. Ashes from the furnace were stored in a metal "ash can".

At sometime during this period there was a change from wooden ice boxes on the back porch to refrigerators. Some refrigerates were also run on gas but were dirty and left the kitchen walls and ceiling covered with a film of soot.

In the Boston area what we now call trash cans were partially buried in the ground to take advantage of the refrigeration quality of below ground temperatures. Edible food and garden waste was put in these containers. The contents of the containers were picked up by area farmers and fed to their pigs. If you are in Boston or it's suburbs and see a round metal lid in the back yard lawn it may be one of these forgotten containers.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas during the Great Depression

The holiday feast was all but over. Giggles could occasionally be heard from the children's table in the other room. The bowls of ice cream were almost empty and the video games were waiting. A few last pieces of pie lay in their serving plates safe from the immediate attentions of the over stuffed family surrounding the table. Coffee helped to settle the delicious meal. Conversation turned to missing family and past Christmases.

I asked NaNa; "What was Christmas like during the Great Depression?".

"Oh Dear, that was so long ago and I was so young. I remember going with my Dad and standing in line to get our ration. Things were rationed back then. You had a ration book and everyone in the family was allotted so much and you had to wait in line at the store to get it. Things like sugar, flour and butter were all rationed.". She glanced at the table littered with remains of pies, Christmas bread, ice cream, brownies, cookies and other treats. "Clothing was rationed to. I remember ration stamps being traded within the family so the men in the family would have shoes for work. You couldn't just go to the store and buy a pair of shoes. To get a pair of shoes you had to have a special ration stamp and the money to pay for the shoes.".

She paused for a second and then went on. "Things were different. It wasn't like it is now. People were different back then, even in the city. I remember we (my sisters and I) got tickets to go to a concert from school. We were poor. I don't remember who donated the tickets. My parents couldn't afford them. But it was important back then that everyone have a chance to experience culture, even the poor.". Her eyes got a far away look. Then she smiled and said; "I remember one Christmas someone gave my older sister a new coat. She really liked it. The coat was passed down to me and then to my younger sister. After that I don't remember who in the family it went to. One of the younger cousins I guess.".

From the other side of the table one of the in laws spoke; "I remember one of my aunts saying for one Christmas all each of them got was a new pair of mittens Great Grandma had knitted for them.". She said.

Nana nodded. "Christmas wasn't like it is now. I remember one of the big department stores downtown... Oh what was it's name? It's gone now... They donated toys. I remember getting a doll.". Her eyes lite up at the memory. That doll must have been something very special to her. "People, churches, stores, companies did things like that at Christmas. An insurance company headquartered downtown sent a turkey to my cousin every Thanks Giving and a ham every Christmas after she retired. She died years ago. I don't know if they still do that. Could I have a little more Coffee? The weather is supposed to turn this evening and I'd like to be home before it dose.".

 

[moldy]

Thank you, OGM.

 

[BinWa]

Thank you for this. I love to read about & hear stories of the Great Depression. So much to learn from.
All of my grandparents are gone as is my mother and I miss the stories they would tell me.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

You'er welcome.

One thing (I do not remember the source) was the reason for rationing gasoline was not from a lack of it in the states due to the war effort but due to a shortage of rubber needed for tires for the war effort. At the beginning of WWII rubber trees outside the US were still the major source for rubber. The manufacture of synthetic rubber in larger quantities grew over the course of the war. The less fuel available, the less people use vehicles, the less rubber was used and needed. It points out the vulnerability of dependence on imported goods during war or hard times.

A reoccurring thread I have heard from survivors was how hard it was to buy new shoes and maintain them.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

A few more meal recipes passed down to children of Great Depression Survivors:

Coffee Bread

Hot Black coffee
Sugar*
Bread (Would not be surprised if (few) day old or stale was used)
Pour hot coffee over bread, sprinkle sugar on top and serve.

Crackers

Hot water
Saltine Crackers (they very cheap and readily available)
Sugar*

Pour hot water over crackers in a bowl. Put a plate over the bowl. When the crackers swell up from absorbing the water and get mushy add a sprinkling of sugar and serve.

*If sugar was not available; honey, syrup (cane, maple or whatever) or molasses could substitute depending on what was available.

Bone Soup

Bones
Water

Butchers would give away beef bones for free. The bones were boiled in water until all the bits of meat and fat came off. The bones were cleaned of any remaining meat and then tossed. The meat was added back to the broth. The broth was stored in a crock and the thick layer of fat was allowed to solidify on top of the broth to help preserve it. Not much was let go to waste, especially food. The crock was stored in a cold or cool place depending on what was available.*

*In northern rural areas ice was cut from ponds in winter. In urban areas horse drawn ice wagons delivered ice year round. A great uncle of mine was killed, run over by a horse drawn ice wagon. Eventually cold cellars, ice boxes and spring houses were replaced by refrigerators. At one time in some areas people could rent space or a locker in a commercial ice house or freezer to keep food cold or frozen, depending.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

The family story continues....

The daffodils shoots poking up through the half frozen earth promised spring was finally here. The Easter Sunday sermon had been longer and more pointed than most. The priest seemed determined to pound the faith into the fair weather Christians in the flock while he had them. After church, the family straggled into Aunti's drive way a car or two at a time until it was obvious the family’s next Easter ritual was about to take place.

Meza was spread on two tables. There were cured meats, cheeses, crackers, salads, chips with assorted dips, veggie platters and other assorted nibbles designed to ward off hunger until the lamb, the main course of the traditional feast, was done and ready to be served.

People gathered in little groups here and there catching up on family gossip. There were calls for the obligatory family group pictures. Relatives too distant to come had been called and the phone passed, hellos and Happy Easter! shouted so no distant loved ones would be forgotten. No one said anything about one missing relative. Nana’s much beloved noodle dish was not warming in the oven. Maybe next Thanksgiving one of the cousins would try to replicate the recipe? Maybe not.

“Honey? Do you have a minute?”.

“Yes Aunti.” I smiled and moved a little so Aunti could sit down beside me on the couch.

“Honey, I have something for you. You might like this.” Aunti unsnapped her old black patent leather purse and pulled out an old stained index card. “Here.” She hesitantly handed me the card like she was passing me something very precious. She was.

“With my sister 's gone now and I thought you would want this. It's the family pickle recipe. It's a cold pickle recipe. You mix the spices, vinegar and water and pour it cold over the vegetables and keep them in a cold dark place. Now we use the fridge but during the Depression Grandmother stored it in the food cellar.” Smiled a half sad smile.

The index card recipe, dog eared from use, listed only a few ingredients and scant instructions.

“Thank you Aunti”. I turned the card over thinking there must be more to this recipe but found nothing more.

“Aunti is there more hints that would make the pickle better?” I nudged hoping for what was not in the recipe that makes the difference between a good dish and a memorable one. I was not disappointed.

“Yes dear.” Aunti smiled back knowing her gift was appreciated. “The vegetables should be fresh and firm. Don’t use broccoli. It gets mushy. Use only green tomatoes. Not even a little tiny bit of pink. Pierce the peppers and the green tomatoes so the brine can get inside them. Don’t be afraid to add more garlic cloves. You don’t eat them, but they’re needed for flavor. Everyone seems to love the pickled cabbage and cauliflower, but I’ve also used this recipe to pickle celery, string beans, peppers, carrots, cucumbers and green tomatoes. You can use dried dill, but fresh from the garden is much better.”.

“….. Make sure the brine covers the vegetables or whatever is floating on the surface will get a gray mold and spoil. Don't worry if a few of the coriander seeds float to the top. They always do. I use a clean gallon pickle jar and cut the cabbage into wedges so that they would fit thru the mouth of the jar but then can be used to hold the other veggies below the surface of the brine.” She paused for a second and said, “Someone in the family told me; If you use red radishes, the red color will come out and color the other vegetables in the pickle.” She sighed and sank back in to the couch. Her mission was accomplished. She’d found a family member who would keep the recipe and family history alive for another generation.

“Honey, that simple recipe helped the family thru the Depression. It kept the vegetables thru the winter till spring. The cabbage and cauliflower usually didn’t make it that long because people would eat them up first.”.

While we’d been talking the meza had been replaces with warm bowls of cooked vegetables and …. the lovingly cooked lamb. “Dinner!” one of the cousins called.

We got up to join the feast.

Tourshee Pickle

3 quart water
1 quart vinegar
½ cup salt (not iodized)
Bunch of dill – cut root off and drop in whole
Garlic Cloves (6-8)
2 table spoons Coriander seed
Veggies: Cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, Italian peppers, sting beans, baby cucumbers.
Do green tomatoes in separate jar (pierce with fork)

 

[20Gauge]

The last conversation I had with my grandfather, before he passed last year, he told me about how during the depression (he would have been pre-teens at the time), his dad (my great grandfather) used to trap possums so that the family would have food. He said they would eat the possums with sweet potatoes that they grew in the yard.

If we had to do that the wife would kill me. Yet if we are hungry anything goes. We do have a lot of possums.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

A piece of wax paper under the metal jar lid can help prevent corrosion from the pickle brine.

 

[Catshooter]

That's a great addition to the story Old Gray Mare. I've copied the recipe, thanks.


Cat

 

[Old Gray Mare]

A treat for special occasions

NaNa and Pop are gone now. They left precious memories and one last family tradition to master. “Beef we didn't have. No, we did, but it was only on special occasions and it was salted and dried.". NaNa had told me when I’d asked her how her family made it thru the Great Depression all those years ago.

I hadn’t put two and two together. It took me a while. I’m slow like that. One of the relatives had given us some basturma for Easter morning breakfast and the light bulb went on. Basturma: salted, dried beef! The recipe in the old family cookbook! It was usually saved for Easter and Christmas. Special occasions.

We’d almost forgotten how good it tasted, sliced almost impossibly thin and scrambled up with a mess of eggs. Hmmmmm! Thanksgiving is almost here and the weather is getting cooler. This was the time of year Pop had always made basturma, salted meat sealed in a layer of spicy goodness. It had to be cool enough to keep the meat from spoiling but not allow it to freeze. There were memories of other bits and pieces he’d said about the process and what little I’d seen of it. Those memories and a family recipe short on instructions was all I had to go on. Hope it would be enough.

The first time I’d tried, mice had gotten to the meat and nibbled around the edges. Knowing Pop, he probably would have cut off the nibbled parts and continued on with the recipe. I’m more squeamish and tossed the meat and started over. Hopefully there would be enough time to outsmart the little buggers and finish the recipe.

The first part of the recipe was straight forward. Find a real butcher shop and get a London broil roast. Some people use an eye roast, but Pop used London broil so, so did I. It had to be custom cut 2 ¾ inches thick. Cut thinner and it would squish too thin when pressed. Cut thicker and it might not cure properly. Look for meat that has little lines of fat running thru it, not big hunks. Trim off big hunks of fat and silver skin on the edges of the roast. Pierce the meat all over with a fork.

Next step: find Kosher salt and cover the bottom of a glass or ceramic dish big enough to accommodate the roast, with it about ½ inch deep. Lay the roast on top of the salt and cover it with salt. Stash the roast in the fridge for three days to a week. Each day drain off any brine that formed and add more salt if needed. After the time was up the meat is rinsed and patted dry with paper towels or a clean cloth.

Now came the outsmarting the mice part. The meat is traditionally wrapped in cheese cloth and pressed between two clean boards with a weight on top. This time I put the boards and meat into a high sided Rubbermaid tub. Having no idea what Pop used for weights I used gallon milk jugs filled with water. It worked! The weights pressed more liquid out of the meat. Moisture is the enemy. Moisture is what will cause the meat to spoil. After a few days liquid stopped coming out of it. A small hole was made in the meat big enough to force a piece of butcher’s twine thru. It was then hung up by the twine to dry. Pop would hang his outside under the back-porch eave during the day and in his unheated garage at night. I hung mine in the garage and hoped the mice wouldn’t find it.

When the meat was dry I took it down and unwrapped it. The meat was now hard and gray. The surface was covered with a grayish white film. It was salt, not mold. Another rinse this time soaking for an hour or so before drying again. Now was the test. The end was cut off and a thin slice taken off the inside is tasted. If too salty more soaking may be needed. Some might like that way, not me and it was part of the tradition. The middle should be reddish in color. Sometimes the meat had an iridescence shine where it was cut. This is a normal chemical reaction from the salting process.

The final steps include mixing the chaimen, the special mixture of spices to coat the meat. The coating was about ¼ inch thick when wet. It took a special trip to an Indian (dot not feather) grocery store to find all the spices. After coating the meat was hung again to dry. After coating the meat with the spices, I doubt anything would come near it other than one of the family. Some people vacuum pack the meat in plastic to force the spices deeper into the meat and let it cure in the fridge. The chaimen stays damp and it tasted ok but, that’s not the way Pop did it or his father before him. So, the meat is hung up again to dry and when the coating was dry but before so dry it starts to fall off the basturma is finally done. It needs to be stored in the fridge. It’s ready in plenty of time for Thanksgiving. Maybe we’ll save some for Christmas morning breakfast? It’s a special occasion to!

Thank you NaNa and Pop. We remember and will pass on the stories.

Basturma (salted dried beef covered with a coating of spice)

Beef Roast cut 2 ¾ inches thick
Kosher Salt

Chaimen (make up extra dry to have on hand)

3 tablespoons Fenugreek
3 tablespoons Paprika
1 ½ teaspoon Black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon Cumin
3/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon Allspice
3 tablespoons ground garlic
Enough water to make a paste. Add a little at a time until it is the consistency of waffle batter.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

I chatted recently with Aunti recently. She told me her mom would put a thin coating or layer of olive oil on cooked foods like dishes made with veggies and lentils and it kept in the food cellar for a week. The layer or coating of olive oil couldn't be too thick or the fruity taste of the olive oil would effect the taste of the dish. She didn't mention noodles, pasta or grains other than couscous and bulgur. I know they used rice as well.

She also told me she has gotten to old to travel and will not be attending the family Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

These recipes come from the 1930's Canada so please remember, according to the video, the old Imperial quart is larger than an American quart measure.

Fair use.

1938 Depression Era Orange Ade Recipe || Glen & Friends Cooking

Glen & Friends Cooking
Published on Mar 17, 2019

This 1938 Depression Era Orange Ade Recipe is an amazing make at home Orange crush soda pop recipe.
Recipe as written in the Book:

Grate the rind of 4 oranges, put in 2 oz citric acid and rind in a crock with 3 lbs white sugar and pour 2 qts boiling water over it. When cool, add juice of 4 oranges and juice of 3 lemons. Let stand 24 hours. Put crock in cellar or in a cool place, and cover, bottle if preferred. When serving put in less than quarter of glass then fill with water.

Ingredients:
3 pounds sugar
2 ounces citric acid
4 oranges
2 Imperial quarts water
Juice of 3 lemons

Method:
Into a heatproof 4 quart or larger container; mix together sugar, citric acid, the zest of 4 oranges, and 2 quarts boiling water.
Mix thoroughly to dissolve all of the sugar.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Juice the oranges and lemons.
Mix the juice and the sugar water, and allow to stand for at least 24 hours before use.
Keep in a cool place.

To drink:
Mix 1 part orange ade with 3 parts water or club soda.


Link to source.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ9BAX6ld0c

run time 8:10

 

[Old Gray Mare]

1938 Butterscotch Cookies Recipe|| Glen & Friends Cooking

Glen & Friends Cooking
Published on Apr 7, 2019
This 1938 Butterscotch Cookies Recipe is a really close cousin to a simple brown sugar cookie. It would also be called an icebox cookie. All of the flavour comes from the brown sugar and vanilla.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 Tbsp cream of tartar
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour

Method:
Mix in order given.
Roll into a log around 2" in diameter and wrap tightly in cling film.
Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Cut rounds approximately 1/2" thick and bake for 10-11 minutes.
Unused dough can be frozen and baked at a later date.

link to source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEe8qzsxvmQ

run time 5:00

 

[Old Gray Mare]

A little Canadian/Ontario/Toronto culinary history. I'm wondering if this is the Canadian version of Shoo Fly pie?

Fair use.

1939 Canadian Butter Tart Recipe || Glen & Friends Cooking

Glen & Friends Cooking
Published on Mar 10, 2019
This 1939 Canadian Butter Tart Recipe marks the start of our journey to explore the history of the Canadian Butter Tart, and Butter Tart Recipe variations through time... The rest of the series will explore the origins of the the Butter Tart recipe, through the recipes that are similar to Butter Tarts and could have contributed to their creation.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 round Tbsp butter
½ cup walnuts (chopped)
½ cup seeded raisins
1/3 cup rich cream

Method:
Pre heat oven to 350ºF
Line 12 regular muffin cups with pastry.
Mix together all ingredients, and fill shelf ⅔ of the way.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Link to source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6UTjHBngos&list=PLgOb3zseg1hSx2VXbfzxGHi9p7FPhhJDZ

run time 9:25

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Looking at the recipes above, I was wondering where Canada got all the brown sugar from? Canada would have had sugar beets but the brown sugar would have had to come from the tropics. My guess is it was safer to send it to Canada then brave the German subs patrolling the north Atlantic?

 

[john70]

i know Canadian' are dumb but one or two might know how to make brown sugar

 

[Old Gray Mare]

i know Canadian' are dumb but one or two might know how to make brown sugar

Sure anyone can add molasses to more refined white sugar but with white sugar being more in demand and brown being cheaper why would they? Foods like sugar were also rationed at the time. Things were a little different 80 or so years ago. You used what you had at least that was the way it was according to my family. The cookbook seems the be pushing the use of brown sugar over white.

Imagine being on a cargo ship somewhere in the Pacific and finding out a world war had just been declared. That automatically limited the available friendly ports. Then there's how much fuel is on board and how far it would take the ship. That cut that number even further. Even if the ship can get to a friendly port safely there was no guarantee there would be fuel available when they docked or the port would remain under friendly control for the duration of the war. I had this discussion with a retired US Navel Officer a while back.

Maybe I'm reading more into it than there is. I tend to look at old cookbooks like windows into history.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

SensiblePrepper gives survival tips from how people survived the Great Depression. A bit of history, useful skills, how our grand parents and great grand parents got by, tools etc., warnings and family stories interwove.

Survival Lessons from The Great Depression

SensiblePrepper
Published on Apr 14, 2019

Link to source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SH3PUBkWYQ

Run time 12:12

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Thought I bump this one. Tis the season.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

How to accidentally get rich during the Great Depression.

Years ago I listened to a frail old timer who told me the following story only he told it much better and with more detail.

At a much younger age he'd come into some money and wanted to invest it.

The owner of a cold storage locker where he lived had fallen on hard times. Back then there were no government safety nets like now and to say banks were tight with their money back then is an understatement of biblical proportions.

A cold storage locker back in the '30s rented smaller cold lockers to individuals and families as well as businesses. Much of the country was still unelectrified and got by using ice boxes, cold cellars or rented lockers. He decided to buy the owner out. With the Depression and then the War, the need to refrigerate available food exploded. I'm guessing due to little or no foods coming from overseas, rationing and the cost of transporting food domestically rising due to shortage of rubber tires.

Things were getting interesting in Europe but still quiet on the US home front. A local farmer talked the investor into buying his farm. The land wasn't the best and the farmer told the young investor; "Not to worry about the weird rocks on the farm he called asbestos.". He bought the farm for next to nothing. After the US entered WWII the demand for asbestos needed for the war effort sky rocketed. The next to worthless farmland was suddenly looking like a good investment.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

The gentleman in the prior post was lucky in other ways as well. As an infant he caught a disease that's since been relegated to history in most first world countries. His parents didn't expect him to live. They didn't want to name him after a family member if he died. What to do? They named him after the mailman. He lived to a ripe old age.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Fair use.

Self-Sufficiency Tips from the Great Depression | What My Grandparents Raised
•May 27, 2020
Melissa K. Norris - Modern Homesteading
Being raised by a father who lived through the Great Depression shapes how you see things. These are tips we use on our homestead and were passed down from my Grandmother and dad, with Great Depression meals and foods they consumed the most and crops to raise.
Link to source:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZYnnbPuYg

Run time: 20:22

 

[NHGUNNER]

I honestly don't know if I responded to this thread earlier, but my grandfather was born in 1926 and I remember him telling me that "they had chickens so they were ok". Weird, but that's all he said about it.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

I honestly don't know if I responded to this thread earlier, but my grandfather was born in 1926 and I remember him telling me that "they had chickens so they were ok". Weird, but that's all he said about it.

During the Great Depression one of my Grandmothers had backyard chickens that disappeared one night. The theft was blamed on hobos. The family home was only a block or two away from the railroad tracks. I wonder about the neighbors....?

 

[Dux]

I feel that I lived the Great Depression, because my father didn't make much of a living and my mother continued with the frugal ways that she learned growing up. We didn't eat a lot, never ate out, went to the drive in occasionally. I remember us as a family of 7 with 1 fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner. We always had bread and peanut butter. Milk was an unpalatable concentrated milk that saved a few pennies. Clipping coupons, buying on sale. We had to clean our plates, OR ELSE!!!

My mother (born 1919) grew up with a father that had a stable job in a small town. They raised chickens and sold eggs to augment their income. All the boys and 1 of 2 girls went to college. Must have been important. My mother was the chosen one. She had hip problems from birth that weren't rectified until her 60's. Perhaps the thinking is she needed a degree to compensate for her limp. She definitely learned to cook, but didn't care to actually do it. But she could sure make pies when it suited her. She sewed pretty well, too. She had horrible bunions, and made sure we were all shod well.

I've lived frugally over long periods of time. Nothing to be afraid of. I've had roommates for years to help pay rent. I can live on rice and beans, not a problem. Worst comes to worst I'll become a little old lady on Social Security (useless eater), living in a wee mobile home. Since I'm now a real estate magnate, it's too far fetched to imagine I'd not have a place to live.

 

[moldy]

We lost Dad in 2017, and Mom is now 91. She still lives independently. Yesterday she told me she had pulled a ham steak from the freezer dates 2017 and fried it up for supper. "It was quite good "

We will need to remember and pass on these stories. I believe hard times are coming.

 

[mudlogger]

I knew a woman from that era...her father was a tailor. They would disassemble clothing to reuse the thread. Government men came out one day and made them kill all their cows and plow under their growing cotton crop. She and her sister still cussed the president...FDR

 

[John Deere Girl]

Fair use.

Self-Sufficiency Tips from the Great Depression | What My Grandparents Raised
•May 27, 2020
Melissa K. Norris - Modern Homesteading
Being raised by a father who lived through the Great Depression shapes how you see things. These are tips we use on our homestead and were passed down from my Grandmother and dad, with Great Depression meals and foods they consumed the most and crops to raise.
Link to source:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZYnnbPuYg

Run time: 20:22

She has a group on Facebook and it's a really good place to learn.

 

[John Deere Girl]

My grandparents raised chickens and sold the eggs to supplement my grandfather's income. They had two big gardens, and there was lots of canning going on in the summer. They were very frugal but very generous too.

 

[WanderLore]

My grandparents have passed on many years ago, but my grandma told me some stories.
She was 10 when the depression hit. Her mom ran a little store in "jew town" she called it. Orangeburg SC.
The store stayed open. Somehow they managed with 7 children. Her father had a prominent position of some kind but lost it. He would go out daily looking for work. One evening when he came in, there was only a small piece of cheese for him to eat. She was a little girl and hungry, so she asked for it. He gave it to her. He died the next morning and she never forgave herself.
She said they had a large garden and chickens. Sold the eggs.
My grandpa was in a dirt farm family in Elloree, SC. 13 children. They all lived in a 1 room shack. He said the kids all slept on the floor and you could see the chickens pecking the ground through the floor.
It was a hard life he said, but they always had food. Shoes were never worn except to church. Clothes were threadbare and handed down. They had a milk cow and sold the cream.
Music was a big part of that family. As a young teen, he and his cousin Arthur Godfrey, played guitar and sang on the radio. There was a stink in the family because Arthur promised if he made it big, he would come back and help the family. I didn't get the idea he did that.
My grandpa had a beautiful deep voice. Some of us inherited it. I have a full deep voice for a woman. When I used to perform, I was lauded as the "Black quality" in the group LOL.
I still have some of the tapes of him singing and my grandma joining in.
Vehicles back then were scarce. He said that in some areas that were very rural, that a church or family would get together and gather money from all the town people, then buy a car or truck and everyone signed up each month on a schedule to use it.
Grandma said the hobo's would come by and ask for food and everyone shared with them no matter how little. They had a HUGE home in town, but most people were on farms. But even the city folks had chickens, cows and pigs in their back yards, and big gardens. They saved seeds for the next year.
I miss them so much.