Baked with chicken, broccoli, and cheese, this is one of our favorite poor man meals. But through the years, accurate amounts were noted. Serving fresh bread and pickles with meals used to be very common. Beet greens. I love eating at home. 20. Shoppers may want to study the price matching policy or even print it out before shopping. We lived off of home grown fruits and vegs with some meats from farming family. Wash the rice and sprinkle it on top. 10. I can hardly wait to work in my garden. For snacks, because we have grown children that are grazers we eat a ton of popcorn. Leftover Potato Pancakes. Chile over baked potatoes is a favorite and the meat isnt missed. Roll out and cut into similarly-sized shapes. 25. 60. Twice a year we go to an Amish bulk supply store and buy the basics. We use turkey burger from Aldis instead of hamburger not much of a taste difference in our minds. This filling dinner, described as a recipe that "came out of the hard times of the Great Depression," works as an easy way to use up leftovers. You can add meat, or not. and made a delicious casserole from them. 45. Therefore most of our meats, fruits,and veggies are canned in jars. 4 or 5 smoked ham hocks. They are todays meals. Cornbread/Johnny Cakes. 10. We have started trying to go meatless a few days a week. Get clearance on pumpkins or neighbors pumpkins and make bread from them then freeze it. Reuse, Reuse, Reuse. We rarely ever had kids come spend the night with us because they all knew that we were very poor. In 1937, when the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression, Kraft Foods launched the iconic Mac and Cheese. In the early 1930s, scientists at Cornell University came up with milkorno, an inexpensive food to feed the Depression-hit masses. Therefore most of our meats, fruits,and veggies are canned in jars. . Shell tell the Walmart checker, thats priced $1.99 for a gallon of milk, etc. 83. He was mostly paid for food, eggs, a turkey, whatever they had to give him. I hope these ideas help you save money even if you are eating Great Depression Meals just like me. I serve them like my mom did, with fried potatoes and cornbread. She called it Slavic dinner I am not sure if that is its proper name she got the recipe from a family friend (this also freezes for later meals if needed), Hi Pauline, I love your comment about the Slavic dinner! There was only one "R" out of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" during the Depression, when anything you had in your possession could be pressed into duty for a completely different purpose at any time. Have you ever seen that fog that rolls down and out when you open the door? A small potato or other starch and a generous veggie portion. Twitter. We are our own meat processors. Carb heavy foods need to be balanced with proteins or greens and for some of us, they should be consumed less than the other foods. The meat just costs far too much and pasta is filling. If you brown the butter, it changes the taste of the white sauce. Great ideas. (Privacy Policy) *. I sat down and made a menu up for a whole month (every Wednesday is fish, every Friday is pizza! Share this post. Ive even made some of them into shelf stable mixes! We like to add frozen peas (cooked) when ready to serve. Learn to prepare what you grow. Guess you can see how you could make a few salad fixings go all week. Worn fabric was woven into a rug or turned into cleaning rags, tires became garden . Its normally $3.57 per loaf. That time also showed me where I stocked well and where I lacked, plus what I didnt touch, even with no food budget. In Korean recipes, the meat is barbecued or fried or even parboiled and put in the mix with a daikon radish and an onion. I have bought a half gallon of OJ there for 50 cents and a FLAT of strawberries with nothing wrong with them for 2$ (0.25 a quart). 2. Oh my goodness, the prices just keep escalating at the grocery stores. I think I could get 5 meals at least for our family of four (although eating is more like 2 1/2 people). Buy meat first thing in the morning Thats when they put out the stuff that needs to be sold before it expires. My sweeties standby recipe he calls goulash just elbow macaroni, seasoned hamburger, onion, and tomatoes. I bake most of my bread and found some great no-knead recipes at https://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/. The Great Depression caused many hardships, but the cuisine that came from it proves how resilient people can truly be. We have one butchered professionally for all the different cuts and I butcher one or 2 for sausage and make bacon myself. If you chose to use beans in this recipe, then you can add a can of beans on top of the carrots. The the great depression food facts is a question that I am able to answer. And today was spent gathering groceries and supplies for my waterline expansion. One week it was a dollar off. Dandelions were often used in meals as well. I know a chest freezer is harder to organize and dig through, but if youre really trying to save money, the stand-up freezer is a major money waster. Bag of beans, rice, onions, tomatoes, sausage. 15. Prepared mashed potatoes are served with an egg-filled ham cup on top and drizzled with a Hollandaise sauce for extra richness. Love it! I am working on a post to get 4 meals from a roasted chicken: dinner with potatoes, then make broth for soup, sandwiches or wraps for school lunches, and I usually have some leftover to do tacos, enchiladas, or chicken pasta. I picked up 4 loaves and froze them. The place I go to is American Discount Foodsand they have saved our budget! Cow's milk was a 'wonder food'. Beans were used in many Depression-era recipes, and this one also includes ham, carrots, onion, and garlicso you'll get protein, fiber, and veggies from this meal. Im the owner and editor of Food Storage Moms. Cheap Ground Beef Ideas. Dr. Battaglino says one of the best foods for mental health is fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and tuna. Just what it sounds like. 19. You can use it to replace butter or oil in many recipes. My grandmother was able to get the Beet greens that grocers would twist off for their customers before they weighed the beets for purchase. I cook some chicken. 38. 33. The Dime Meal. Thanks in advance! Mini pies (masa/corn flour mixed with water or broth, pushed into muffin tins, filled with whatever leftovers and some cheese work well). So, I still eat a lot like I did growing up, but less now because I cant raise anything, and cant afford much. Although I do not think gardening your own saves any money I now feel its at least a better option, healthier food, teaching my kids where food comes from, some to put up in storage, etc. I would rather eat at home and not drive in and sit at a table and wait for a meal. 1 cup water. Two freezers and over 500 quarts (I stopped counting) we eat a lot of veggies so stir fry is big on the list. We liked it too. We also shop Aldis, just be careful and know your prices at other stores. What varied between households and over time was the quantity and quality of each of those courses, especially . I used to have one of their old recipe books had a lot of recipes for a fake meat product, I think they use a lot of TVP now, it made for aninteresting read. I was really skimpy on the meat, but Ive always liked that ratio better. While we do sometimes buy bread, I make our buns and sweet bread. I try to save money by throwing in some meatless meals during the week, like potato soup or minestrone. If I make a huge pot of stock I freeze it in ice cube trays then pack them in plastic bags. My sweeties standby recipe he calls goulash just elbow macaroni, seasoned hamburger, onion, and tomatoes. 68. Shutterstock. What they had to endure for the next 30 years or more I can only imagine. Drinking. My mom had to be inventive to feed all five of us. However!!! I buy organic veggies but dont peel them when I am low on cash we dont do organic but still dont peel them. Keeping enough food on the table for a family of seven (including three teenagers!) I buy 1/2 cow and a 1/2 pig from a local farmer the freezer was worth the investment yes its expensive up front but does the math its cheaper the long run and its local fresh and so much cheaper than the store in the long run. My family & I not only raise chickens, rabbits & a garden here at home, but we have helped set up what we call a Poor mans Co-op. During the depression, my elders on both sides made oxtail soup because it was the cheapest part of the cow. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for any and all ideas. People during the Great Depression ate mostly bread, potatoes, and vegetables. 7. I add rice and refried beans to taco meat to stretch it further! What a great list! I make noodles as a side dish often. Excellent article. Then I freeze several containers for later meals. And honestly, I use turkey bacon because its cheaper! 1/2 cup of sugar. We fill up on salads and 2-3 vegetable sides.Did you know you can make your own cheese using dry powdered milk? Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. The idea is how to fill everyone up and save money on the most expensive part meat which we all need more veggies and less meat anyway. It's a food that stretches for sure. Lard sandwiches - nope though roasted marrow on toast is good. You can have a cup of soup, or soup for a group quickly. As each item rings up shell tell the checker the adjusted price, the checker keys it in, no big deal, takes hardly any extra time in line. Hormel). The other day I reused an 810 manilla envelope. https://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/slow-cooker-cuban-black-beans. 1 Corned Beef Luncheon Salad. Mix until smooth. Here is another saver. I thought all those simple meals and sandwiches with just onions or tomatoes was something my family did just because. e chipped beef, chopped leftover bacon from breakfast, canned chicken, leftover roast or just the sauce over rice. Survival Casserole from Back Door Survival. I did more casseroles and found a cream of chicken substitute I had all the ingredients for. They do meatless recipes. 1 1/2 cups flour. dry beans and cook 2 lbs at a time in the slow cooker. Great ideas! Old-World Puff Pancake. If I buy the name brand its a dollar more than the store brand and even less at WalMart. And honestly, I use turkey bacon because its cheaper! Pour the tomato sauce over to give the rice enough moisture to cook. 6. 16. During the depression, my elders on both sides made oxtail soup because it was the cheapest part of the cow. 51. Most of our meals were meatless. Bring water to a boil. Little greens, a slice of cucumber, few chopped onions, a small grape tomato, and a few carrot curls. 79. These days, I do not make a purchase where I do not stand at the register with my smartphone and come up with a coupon for an item or % discount. Baked bean sandwich. We actually ate a lot of beans when I was a kid because they were cheap. If youre really splurging, fried potatoes and onions. 16. She shops at Walmart and they price match any advertised price. Mom was awesome is all I can say. In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal, salt, and remaining cup of water together. There is only 2 of us but we do buy flour bulk due to baking. Canned fish is pretty cheap. Our local fruit and vegetable store has bagged produce for $1. She finds amazing deals at some of these different stores. This year, I canned (in mason jars) 61-pint size jars of deer meat, about 40 jars of pork (wild hogs) and a few jars of chicken broth. Also trying to get him over his meat-eating mentality. We now have a shed that is set up strictly for meat processing which has. This meal was a popular menu item at soup kitchens in the US and was named after President Hoover, the 31st American President who sat in office during the early years of the Depression. During the Great Depression, people got creative with crafting meals out of inexpensive and available ingredients. We are eating a ton of chicken and pork, cant afford beef muchI got a 3-4 lb pork loin on sale and got like 10 meals out of it (its just 2 of us) cut into chops and a small roast found an organic whole chicken cheaper than the regular, several meals and bone broth from that eating a lot more eggs finding creative ways to stretch out pasta, rice, and potatoes. A package of noodles that would probably equal about 15 to 20 ramen packages is $1.99 at a nearby store. A nice piece of cornbread on the side. I grew up eating a lot of these same Depression Era meals & I feel like they are comfort food. Can top with cheese. 1 1/2 cups flour. The extra garden raised food shared with the elderly couple that owned it. 11. What do you think? Canned meat wasn't available for many people living in rural areas. 1.7 Great Depression Foods - Dandelion Salad. and come up with a coupon for an item or % discount. I know you are most likely saying this takes a lot of time. meals and bone broth from that eating a lot more eggs finding creative ways to stretch out pasta, rice, and potatoes. A recipe for Baking Powder Biscuits, as noted in Rita Van Amber's Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930s, Vol. Its all about cooking at home and eating fewer carbs or like you said balance them with proteins. Victor Moruzzi. Our great grandparents had the solution. Yes, thats money escaping. . apple cider vinegar. 77. Grandma created a great meal with these beet tops. When I find a good one I buy a case or two of that item. From being enjoyed as a glass on its own, to making soups, biscuits, and pancakes, buttermilk has remained a staple in American cuisine for its merit and versatility. 47. We had a large family of 10 people, so each meal had to be extremely cheap, and go a long way. Thank you for your kind remarks. (every Wednesday is fish, every Friday is pizza! Mix to form a batter. I can also mash pinto beans for refried beans with Mexican food. 1930s Einkorn Chocolate Cake. I got 10 apples in one bag the other day and only had to cut off a tiny bit of bruising. The Great Depression lasted a decade, but its effects changed a generation. Then, slowly whisk in 1 cups of milk until the mixture begins to thicken and boil.