Peanut butter sandwiches. Everything I cook is served over either rice or potatoes to stretch it. During the Great Depression, people got creative with crafting meals out of inexpensive and available ingredients. I dont think those meals are great depression meals anymore. Ive learned how to cook. 66. 13.8K. I spent just about $300 for the month of February, which comes to $10.71 per day. Get clearance on pumpkins or neighbors pumpkins and make bread from them then freeze it. We have a 50 by 50-foot garden and plant what we can and then can it, the beginning costs may be high but you reuse most of it for years. I was just reading one for oatmeal patties. Doesnt have to be fancy and expensive. Feeding 5 here. I never pay full price, I dont care if I stand there for 10 minutes with the line piling up, I am determined to find a coupon that works. Top ramen omelet. 46. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Canned fish is pretty cheap. These soups and stews are perfect for when you're craving a comforting bowl of deliciousness. 93 year old cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Even squirrels and rabbits were consumed .The people of the Depression Era were struggling to buy food, so foraging was a good way to help put food into their family's mouths. I just retired, so there is only two of us, but minus my pay is a big deal. Hi Shelly, oh how wonderful your daughter is using this article!! We have a few families, each with a small amount of land & one person with a lot of property. We dont eat a lot of meat we eat 3 eggs a day, we have our own chickens. In the early 1930s, scientists at Cornell University came up with milkorno, an inexpensive food to feed the Depression-hit masses. Hamburger gravy on toast or potatoes: Kami suggested . Make EVERY meal count. Sunday's special cookies and a cup of coffee for the adults were among the most popular weekend breakfasts. Cornbread/Johnny Cakes. 2. Its interesting because we were raised this way, its the norm to cook from scratch. I buy most meats marked down. dry beans and cook 2 lbs at a time in the slow cooker. What do you think? It's a food that stretches for sure. Hi Linda, I totally agree. Walmart sells a package of 5 for $4 and they are really good! Eat a lot of casseroles because it doesnt require as much meat. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Again, I make my WalMart run and freeze the milk. From hearty stews to creamy soups, there's something . Old-World Puff Pancake. I know, and prices just keep going up. 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. So if you live in an area that that is possible & have a few like-minded families, sit down & work out the details. A typical Depression-era breakfast consisted of a piece of seasonal fruit, milk and cereal, and eggs or toast with butter. 19. Wacky Cake is something that came from this time era as well. I grew up not poor, but not middle class, either. Hoosier Cream Pie. And you dont have to have a paper flyer or ad to prove the sale price! Could you please give any information you have on this photo that you used? I know this sounds crazy, but we all need to rethink what we think a meal is. Coarsely chopped cauliflower and sweet onions add a chunkiness to this sauce that feels nearly reminiscent of a bolognese. In Korean recipes, the meat is barbecued or fried or even parboiled and put in the mix with a daikon radish and an onion. Check out some of the seventh day Adventist meals. Or frozen tubes of ground turkey/beef. Even so, we eat a lot of beans and rice, goulash, and stuff that dont require a lot of meat. We cook things from scratch about 90% of the time, rather than using packaged stuff. If I buy the name brand its a dollar more than the store brand and even less at WalMart. The only thing you need are apples, sugar, cinnamon, and some butter. Keep stirring until the mixture is cooked and smooth. Bean soups were a staple of Depression Era recipes, as beans are a cheaper protein than meat, and you can toss whatever leftovers you have on hand into the pot. My mom had to be inventive to feed all five of us. Great Depression Meals #1. My grandmother made Top Ramen once a week for dinner with sliced boiled eggs. We buy food at a scratch and dent store. Thank you for stopping by! At times even spices were sometimes hard to come by during the Depression, most cooks usually kept some cinnamon on hand for baking. 16. 17. Well minus the bacon and all the extra cheese in my recipe. , This is great if youre not buying from Zaycon Foods. This makes a roux. During the Great Depression, people used everything they had to make a cheap and filling meal, such as the Hoover Stew. We do a lot of these including using beans. Cook your own. Shell tell the Walmart checker, thats priced $1.99 for a gallon of milk, etc. I love eating at home. I also freeze discounted sour cream or milk, works great especially for baking. shape, BOIL. and made a delicious casserole from them. Eggs and milk (hormone free) are less. I make noodles as a side dish often. Serve hot over bread, biscuits, or toast. 50% off yogurt makes nice frozen treats that we would not have otherwise. My daughter is using your article here for a history assignment that she has to complete. When I find a good one I buy a case or two of that item. I always thought it had to be a large chain to price match but it doesnt! View Recipe. Talk about thrifty. What a great list! 75. Start by melting 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a pot and adding 2 tablespoons of flour for a roux. May 5, 2022. Great ideas. Enjoyed your article. THREE meals out of ONE chicken! red wine vinegar. 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. If they ask what store, she refers to her list but they usually dont ask. 2 tbsp of sugar. at Aldis! When the bag is full, veggies soup! Navy Bean Soup. I would like to see someone (who has the time) to create recipes that are seasonal so that I am not constantly going to the store to find ingredients to make X, right now we should be eating squash, potatoes, dried beans, etc. It became hugely popular during the Great Depression, largely due to the fact that it was one of the few recipes of the era that featured hot dogs. Then I freeze several containers for later meals. This could be served with a small roll or a half of slice of bread. Melt the butter, add the flour and quickly start whisking it. Im really hoping to teach the world to stop going to drive-throughs and fast food places and cook from scratch. Our local fruit and vegetable store has bagged produce for $1. I dehydrated my whole garlic crop in slices (other than the ones for replanting) and can use as is or grind up. Hi JMarsh, you had a rough life growing up as I did. Pinch of salt. 1.8.1 Related reading: 10 Best Survival Foods At Your Grocery Store. Mashups were a common way to use up whatever you had on hand during the Depression, and the Garbage Plate is another example. During the Great Depression, corn meal was one kitchen staple that was typically easily accessible and cost-effective. Hey! My sweeties standby recipe he calls goulash just elbow macaroni, seasoned hamburger, onion, and tomatoes. Prices are half and more off. Serve with a side of cornbread. We buy meat in bulk, so most of my purchases are for perishables only. We are vegetarians here (my husband strays from that occasionally-LOL) but I found The Gentle Chef website: thegentlechef.com who has many recipes for turning vital wheat gluten into meats that are quite good. I work in Wyoming once in a while where there arent many and I can find them for $3 /lb. This meal costs less than $3 for four servings. Add rest of milk and water and cook for 5 more minutes. The meat just costs far too much and pasta is filling. The Great Depression lasted a decade, but its effects changed a generation. The turkey we roast the day before also to make stuffing using dried out buns and heals. The water you boiled it in is now a quick broth use for soup). Hope this helps! 14. I dont need recipes. Little greens, a slice of cucumber, few chopped onions, a small grape tomato, and a few carrot curls. Sunday's special cookies and a cup of coffee for the adults were among the most popular weekend breakfasts. Aldi is great for low prices on produce. This collection of 20 depression-era recipes is a tasty idea that you can still use today. I guess we are fortunate. Ah, soup: the ultimate comfort food. Hot or cold baked beans on bread or toast. Hot dogs and baked beans - staple at scout camp. We dont eat a lot of meat we eat 3 eggs a day, we have our own chickens. Here are some recipes that were actually used during the Great Depression. I cant remember as a child ever going out to a restaurant. Dr. Battaglino says one of the best foods for mental health is fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and tuna. He was mostly paid for food, eggs, a turkey, whatever they had to give him. I bought the picture to put in my post so I do not have any information about it. I decided that as I get my Social Security check once a month, Id shop only once a month (excluding fresh veggies and fruit). I grew up not poor, but not middle class, either. We each work together on the large plot of land raising veggies to can & sale (Christmas money), We all raise various animals & share the meat/milk. Those who dont have the cash up front to fund the operation, or have the land to do so, can put in work hours to cover your share of the $. 57. We now have a shed that is set up strictly for meat processing which has. 1 can of soup with leftovers served 4-5. 7. I make lots of Frybread & salads to go with meals. 23. I have bought a half gallon of OJ there for 50 cents and a FLAT of strawberries with nothing wrong with them for 2$ (0.25 a quart). A lot has changed on rural America's farms in the 70 years or so since the Great Depression. We eat baked potatoes at least twice a week and have several go-to cheap filling meals. I also found a different bread recipe that used fewer ingredients so we could have bread. One thing I recommend, if it is affordable, is to buy a small freezer. BEST COMMENT EVER!! We ate lots of beans and Mexican rice. Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. We rarely ever had kids come spend the night with us because they all knew that we were very poor. It is appreciated. Still pricey but so much better. Simple baked potatoes with butter and salt and pepper are filling and cheap. Cold air sinks, so every time you open that door, your freezer has to work that much harder to reestablish the temperature. No more stressing about what can I make, and, the same menu can be used month after month because its so varied by the time the meal comes around again you havent had it for four weeks! I didnt realize others did the same thing and they came from the depression. Its filling, cheap and kids love it. In fact, I pretty much make all my bread and pastry items from scratch so I never have to go to the store. Potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cumin to flavorthem. Granddaughter learned to make them herself before she was 2. Good memories. Head cheese was another nutritious food made with . 3. https://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/slow-cooker-cuban-black-beans. This is the question I posted on Facebook to my readers:I need some help here if you are willing to share some ideas. Linda. Lots of eggs either fried or scrambled and Dad made CORN pancakes which I HATED- he would make the pancake batter drain a can of corn and add it. Then we eat all we can and can or freeze the rest. Great comment! It made sandwiches for my husbands lunch all week, then I made broth and turned that into noodle soup. I participate in a food co-op for fruits and veggies, buy canned items in case lot sales, pack lunches for my husband to take to work, eat lots of leftovers, and most importantly, never go grocery shopping while hungry. I am sharing responses on this post from real people just like you and me on how they are trying to cut food costs. 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