Check out this list of Frugal Cooking Tips From the Great Depression for some old-fashioned money saving advice!
Frugal Cooking Tips From the Great Depression
I don’t know about you, but I’m fascinated with cooking habits from the past and I love hearing how things used to be, especially from my grandpa who lived through the depression.
He grew up one of nine children on an 80 acre farm in Arkansas and recalls a life full of hard work, plentiful food and close-knit community.
When I asked him if he thought food was better back then he replied, “Oh lord yea, it was straight out of the ground and fresh.”
So I asked him several questions about his diet and eating habits through the depression and came up with a few tips for eating well during hard times. If you like this article then you will also want to check out 8 Lessons Learned From the Great Depression.
Grow Your Own
Growing your own food was basically the only way anyone could afford to eat during the Depression. My grandpa’s family had 80 acres so they were able to growenough food to feedelevenpeople for a year.I think everyone should grow at least something since it connects you to the food that you eat and the people who came before us. If you are new to gardening then you may want to check out 5 Tips for the Beginner Gardener.
Eat From the Wild
My grandpa recalls eating a lot of greens, herbs, fruit and meat from the wild. I’m sure a significant part of his diet came from foraging and I think it’s a great skill to have today. He said that they ate a lot of rabbit and squirreland when I asked him about deer he said people didn’t hunt it much then.I’m sure theyhad more to choose from in the way of wild food during the depression, but you can still find edible wild food if you know where to look and hunting is still a great way to get fresh meat.
My grandpa didn’t mention bartering during the Depression, but I imagine it went on a lot back then. If one family kept chickens and one had a dairy cow then it would only make sense to trade. I think bartering is a skill that should be revived today.
Use What is Available to You
When talking about the depression, the main theme was to make the most of what you had. My grandpa said they didn’t eat beef because they didn’t have enough pasture to keep cows, but they ate a lot of pork and chicken becausethey raised them themselves. While I’m glad that we have optionsin our diet today, I sometimes wish that things were more limited because it would help me to simplify, be creative and appreciate food more.
Let Nothing Go To Waste
When times are hard you make the most with what you have which means NOTHING is wasted. Wastefulness was probably somewhat of a dirty word during the Depression because resources were so scare. Everything was used and reused and all scraps were fed to the animals or composed for the garden. Considering the average American wastes a quarter of their food per year we could learn a lot from the resourcefulness previous generations. If you want to learn how to reduce your food waste, then you may want to read 20 Creative Ways to Use Kitchen Scraps or 10 Steps to Reduce Waste in the Kitchen.
Preserve Everything
When you can’t go to the store you learn to make use of anything you can get. During the depression women used to can anything and everything including fruit, vegetables, meat and lard. I think it would serve us well to think in this manner today and try to make the most of what comes our way by preserving it. Plus, if you can get food for a good deal or even free it’s a great money saver!
Eat Lots of Corn and Potatoes
My grandpa said they ate fried potatoes three times a day all year-long because they were filling and cheap. They also grew their own corn and ground 100 lbs of it per week to make cornmeal. These cheap, filling staples are what sustained them and kept them going through hard times. These two food items have a bad rap today, but I’m of the opinion that if it comes out of the ground thenit’s probably full of nutrients and is way better for us than anything processed.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips and I would love to hear any that you might have about Depression Era cooking. What did your family eat? I’d love to know!
Want more old-fashioned money saving tips? Here are some of my favorites:
8 Lessons Learned from the Great Depression Frugal Lessons Learned From the Amish Lifestyle 10 Forgotten Money-Saving Skills that You Need to Learn 30 Old-Fashioned Frugal Tips from Grandma
Not only was access to food limited by rationing, many people had to turn to soup kitchens, which are places where people can go and get a free meal, or food stamps, which are booklets of stamps that could be used to buy food, cleaning supplies, and other necessities, to get enough food to feed their families.
Not only was access to food limited by rationing, many people had to turn to soup kitchens, which are places where people can go and get a free meal, or food stamps, which are booklets of stamps that could be used to buy food, cleaning supplies, and other necessities, to get enough food to feed their families.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, homemakers stretched their food budgets with soups, rice and pasta–but beans were the commodity no household went without: cheap, high protein, and no refrigeration required until cooked.
Most were forced to be very thrifty to manage to eat, pay the rent or property taxes, run their car and heat their house, while there were others in our town who suffered poverty, deprivation, and sometimes malnutrition. For most Americans, the Great Depression years were a very trying time.
Perhaps one hobo acquired a few carrots from a charitable person, while another stole an onion off a box car, while another had a few potatoes from a farm he worked on briefly… From this concoction, a “hobo stew,” also known as “Mulligan/Mulligatawney stew” was born and became the traditional food of the hobo.
Farmers could grow their own food in large gardens and raise livestock to provide meat. Chickens supplied both meat and eggs, while dairy cows produced milk and cream. Many women had sewing skills and began producing much of their family's clothing.
Sandwiches or pita pockets (deli meat, tuna, cheese, lettuce, hummus, condiments, etc.) Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (add banana for extra nutrition) Salad bowl (prepared bags are a quick option) Add a packet of tuna, prepared chicken, or hard-boiled eggs for extra protein.
During the Great Depression preceding the passage of the Social Security Act, "soup kitchens" provided the only meals some unemployed Americans had. This particular soup kitchen was sponsored by the Chicago gangster Al Capone.
Yet even during the Depression, many new foods were invented or introduced including: Spam. Kraft macaroni and cheese. Toll House chocolate chip cookies.
Not everyone, however, lost money during the worst economic downturn in American history. Business titans such as William Boeing and Walter Chrysler actually grew their fortunes during the Great Depression.
The very rich may have had much of their wealth in stocks, and many not so wealthy had debt in purchase of stocks on margin. However there were those who owned their home outright and had some cash in a sock, who rode out the depression very well because everything they purchased was markedly cheaper.
A triangle with hands — the homeowner has a gun. A horizontal zigzag — a barking dog. A square missing its top line — safe to camp in that spot. A top hat and a triangle — wealth.
The term emerged in the American West around 1890, though its origins are hazy. Some say it was an abbreviation of “homeward bound” or “homeless boy”; author Bill Bryson wrote in his 1998 book “Made in America” that it may have come from “Ho, beau!”, a railroad greeting.
The history of soup kitchens in America can be traced back to the year 1929 with the effects of a growing depression. When soup kitchens first appeared, they were run by churches or private charities and served mostly soup and bread. Soup was economical because water could be added to serve more people.
A small meal during the 1930s, like the diners of the day often served, would have usually cost between 15 and 40 cents, depending on what you ordered and where the restaurant was located. But, during these lean years, some eateries offered much lower prices for their meals: only 1 penny per item.
The definition of a soup kitchen is a place where people who cannot afford, or do not have the means to feed themselves, can get a free or cheap meal. Soup kitchens became a refuge for needy families during the Great Depression in the United States.
Farmers couldn't afford to harvest their crops and were forced to leave them rotting in the fields while people elsewhere starved. In 1930, severe droughts in the Southern Plains brought high winds and dust from Texas to Nebraska, killing people, livestock and crops.
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Introduction: My name is Msgr. Benton Quitzon, I am a comfortable, charming, thankful, happy, adventurous, handsome, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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