Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. I know this sounds crazy, but we all need to rethink what we think a meal is. I am afraid that for most people this will be hard to adjust to. Sign me up to the Food Storage Moms newsletter! They foraged. We raised 2 huge gardens every year. A hand full of mixed veggies from the freezer and some seasoning along with some onion and a small part of the meat is good, or you can add noodles or barley. Im really hoping to teach the world to stop going to drive-throughs and fast food places and cook from scratch. Down in Louisiana, there is a Creole version of the dish. I grew up not poor, but not middle class, either. They say healthier eating equates to less money spent on medical needs, so I am hoping there is truth to that. I cook some chicken. As one of the oddest combinations on this list, baked onions and peanut butter were a filling meal for many during the Great Depression. Bag of beans, rice, onions, tomatoes, sausage. Heres the deal, most of us are struggling to feed our families. We also CAN our own garden that we grow! So many ways to make ends meet without being deprived of a good filling meal. Most of our meals were meatless. 62. Ive even made sausage by mixing ground rabbit and pork trimmings which I get from a local butcher for little to nothing price. Nice sized ones. Also trying to get him over his meat-eating mentality. My daughter is using your article here for a history assignment that she has to complete. I also make hamburger casserole. We had 3 very large gardens last year so I canned & froze everything I could. 75. This will take a little more time. An amazing meal for about $5 with plenty of leftovers for the next day. 1.8 Great Depression Foods - Peanut Butter Stuffed Onions. My family loves this stuff. Cooked all together. THREE meals out of ONE chicken! at Aldis! I just watched Food Inc. on Netflix. I know you are most likely saying this takes a lot of time. Then serve a small salad about a cups worth. Now, this is a roast chicken you make from scratch, not the store-bought pre-cooked ones (which tend to be small). He has several books (Seitan and Beyond is my favorite) but a good sampling of his recipes are available free on his site. 35. Dinner was meat and veggies, followed by dessert. We dont eat a lot of meat we eat 3 eggs a day, we have our own chickens. 7. Haha This was a great article, as usual. She saves a fortune this way! Head cheese was another nutritious food made with . Working to teach DH that leftovers are eaten not thrown out. Popular dishes included chili, macaroni & cheese, soups, and creamed chicken on biscuits. We have started trying to go meatless a few days a week. I dont know how she came to make them, they had never been served to her. Add rest of milk and water and cook for 5 more minutes. I make huge batches and freeze the extra. Hope this helps! Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. You throw away a lot of food in peels! It is cheaper by the pound. Theres a lot of Hispanic people in my area do the price for oxtail is outrageous. A typical hot cocoa beverage from the depression era looked like this: 2 tbsp of cocoa. , This is great if youre not buying from Zaycon Foods. Find people that have Sunday newspapers that dont use their coupons. Okay, lets see I do peel some veggies, but I use those peels to make my broth taste better (ie broth is made of carcass and onion skins and potato skins and carrot skins, etc, giving it a HUGE nutritional punch). 34 Recipes That Got Us Through the Great Depression. First of all, I am going to share some meals my husband and I grew up on and some we still eat today. 10 Easy Budget Meals Anyone Will Love Every Day. I love eating at home. A lot has changed on rural America's farms in the 70 years or so since the Great Depression. "This recipe goes back to the Great Depression," says impellizzeri kitchen. To stop eating out, we take cheese and crackers or sandwich makings. Pinterest is AWESOME for helping with recipes! I make my own spaghetti sauce with canned tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and seasonings. We always had our own large garden plus another garden down the block. However, they had still had access to meats most of us would now consider offal. Again just like it sounds like. As a kid, I thought we were the only people that did that. We are making macaroni and . 43. Talk about thrifty. Linda, Hi Tiffany, thank you! This Site is affiliated with CMI Marketing, Inc., d/b/a CafeMedia (CafeMedia) for the purposes of placing advertising on the Site, and CafeMedia will collect and use certain data for advertising purposes. 24. I didnt read the other post, but planning for leftovers is a huge $ saver. , Hi Camille, oh this comment makes me so happy! 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. Our local fruit and vegetable store has bagged produce for $1. That certainly doesnt go very far. Then I freeze several containers for later meals. dry beans and cook 2 lbs at a time in the slow cooker. This treat was something that people couldn't help but love . My mom made it a lot, so I know it's going to be delicious. Add cocoa and sugar to small pot. 38. Ask if you can have them. I fry ground beef, use the grease to make a gravy and serve on toast. God bless you, Linda. Slowly sprinkle in cornmeal, constantly stirring so it does not get lumpy. I always thought it had to be a large chain to price match but it doesnt! Meat mixed in gravy makes it go farther than chunks of roast for everyone. Boil 3 cups of water in a kettle. I fry ground beef, use the grease to make a gravy and serve on toast. Hoover Stew Recipe; 8. Many of your meat recipes I have turned into meatless versions and we enjoy them! During the Depression, cheap, nutritious and filling food was prioritized often at the expense of taste. I still dont get to eat a lot because I am on SSI disability, Medicaid, and a few food stamps. 1.6 Great Depression Foods - Mulligan Stew. My mom had to be inventive to feed all five of us. Things are getting pricey out there these days and I have done a pretty good job of stocking my pantry with canned goods and dry goods. . Next week Ill bake cookies. Ive got a family of 5 ranging from a 17 down to 6 and two working adults. Its amazing how much can be saved by shopping the sales and freezing items. Freeze for later use fry up when needed. This cake is simple and delicious. I know, and prices just keep going up. Another favorite is a piece of toast, fried egg on top and hot milk poured on top. 10. 48. It is made with a layer of sugar cream, followed by a layer of custard, and then topped with meringue if you wanted to get really fancy. So even if times are tough, these foods are usually not expensive and good for us. 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. Its interesting because once we get older we are not making as much money so we do indeed need to know how to cook on a strict budget. But I think what helps the most is buying in bulk and avoiding the grocery store as much as possible. Corned beef luncheon salad was made by combining a can of corned beef, a can of corn, and a can of peas. We have one butchered professionally for all the different cuts and I butcher one or 2 for sausage and make bacon myself. (every Wednesday is fish, every Friday is pizza! It only takes a couple to go a long way. We hope to get laying chickens this spring, hubby is building a coop fit for queens lol! Cook your own. If they ask what store, she refers to her list but they usually dont ask. Soooo many great thoughts, ideas, recipes! Oxtail: Its the bone of the tail and very tender meat. We buy meat in bulk, so most of my purchases are for perishables only. We ate our share of lettuce sandwiches with miracle whip. These Depression-era recipes are proof that food from the 1930s is worth revisiting. Cornbread/Johnny Cakes. We make it once a month in a huge stock pot. How can families feed themselves? Put them on a baking sheet and add unpeeled garlic cloves. Blessings to all of you! Fry up a cheap meal of peppers and eggs to keep you full in stomach and pockets. You can control the salt and other ingredients when you make your own. If not, it is worth it to purchase several Sunday papers for the coupons. You can make a white sauce with water (to save on milk), once you have a white sauce you can add any seasonings to add flavor and then add something lik. 13. Nutrition over taste was the golden rule when food got scarce during the Depression, and money was hard to come by. Required fields are marked *. Baked with chicken, broccoli, and cheese, this is one of our favorite poor man meals. 12. Slowly add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling water, stirring to avoid lumps. 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. Ive learned how to cook. 11. Great Depression Casserole Recipe; 7. That time also showed me where I stocked well and where I lacked, plus what I didnt touch, even with no food budget. 2 cups of boiling milk. 13.8K. I try to make from scratch all our snack foods like crackers, granola bars, granola, fruit leather(when I find a great deal on fruit), bagels, bread, yogurt, etc. Chicken leg quarters are a good way to have meat at a reasonable price. People made comments that they are eating many of those meals today. We had a large family of 10 people, so each meal had to be extremely cheap, and go a long way. Bread making and canning were normal activities. Also, weve found that some Walmart checkers dont really know how the policy works and may say no to price matching some items that should be OK. https://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/slow-cooker-cuban-black-beans. Hot or cold baked beans on bread or toast. Carrots are the same. I wish I did. 10. Great comment! Robyn: Red beans and rice. Photo courtesy of A Modern Homestead. Then I have a nice hedge on inflation, plus. You can make a white sauce with water (to save on milk), once you have a white sauce you can add any seasonings to add flavor and then add something like chipped beef, chopped leftover bacon from breakfast, canned chicken, leftover roast or just the sauce over rice. And honestly, I use turkey bacon because its cheaper! Did this ever bring back memories! I make soup stock out of the icky bits of meat, pan juices, and vegetable cooking water and add some Chinese noodles that only take 2 minutes to cook. Get the Recipe! Prepared mashed potatoes are served with an egg-filled ham cup on top and drizzled with a Hollandaise sauce for extra richness. Freeze for later use fry up when needed. I dont think those meals are great depression meals anymore. Then we would pour Karo syrup over them in order to h. ave something sweet. Those same trimmings go into my deer and goat burger to make a great hamburger for Chili, meatloaf, and spaghetti. 7. This can be made sweet with honey, sugar, maple syrup, or molasses, or savory with salt and pepper or beef broth. They do meatless recipes. Very similar navy beans, a little bit of ham (or even better a leftover ham bone), some onions, celery, carrots. Simple baked potatoes with butter and salt and pepper are filling and cheap. Also, I do one month worth of grocery shopping at a time. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. I bake most of my bread and found some great no-knead recipes at https://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/. Lets share ideas with each other. I know this sounds crazy, but we all need to rethink what we think a meal is. Life is so good! Saving for us has more to do with how we shop than how we cook. A74-year-old Army veteran told me that when he was growing up in the Carolinas they were dirt poor, so his mother in the morning would mix flour into the eggs to make enough to go around. I love it! Oxtail:Its the bone of the tail and very tender meat. 34. The Great Depression caused many hardships, but the cuisine that came from it proves how resilient people can truly be. a long counter, freezer, meat slicer etc. I dont think those meals are great depression meals anymore. We just started doing fruit smoothies for afternoon snacksazurestandard.comhas frozen berries cheap. We eat what we want most of the time because we shop strategically. Butter. 70. Such a reminder of my childhood, and my present conditions as well. We buy ground turkey at our local Aldi when we are out of meat. I cant remember as a child ever going out to a restaurant. Much as I like rice and beans, rice with meat dishes, potatoes, peas (Small young canned peas sold at Aldis) and breads or other grains, those are all carbohydrates. Our goal at Food Storage Moms is to help one family at a time.. The good thing is we learned to take care of ourselves. I also use the big oven app, it has a search function that allows you to put in an ingredient then it will pull recipes with that item. My parents were born prior to the First World War and came as immigrants for a better life. Most of the kids in our classes in school, were from middle income homes, who got to eat well. Which THEN gets turned into Chicken Pot Pie w/ homemade pie crust! Here is a list of 10 depression-era meals we will be eating again if things don't change. Sorry, it took me so long to post but Ive been getting in at near midnight all week long. I try to make from scratch all our snack foods like crackers, granola bars, granola, fruit leather(when I find a great deal on fruit), bagels, bread, yogurt, etc. 7. {Linda} I really want to thank every one of you for helping me with food saving tips available for the world to see how to save money on groceries! Canned meat wasn't available for many people living in rural areas. 6. Add in mash potatoes. I picked up 4 loaves and froze them. What they had to endure for the next 30 years or more I can only imagine. Our parents use to use their green stamp books to save. Kool-Aid was cheap, simple to make, and easy to store. Mashups were a common way to use up whatever you had on hand during the Depression, and the Garbage Plate is another example. They didnt sell it in the stores and you had to ask for it. Even so, we eat a lot of beans and rice, goulash, and stuff that dont require a lot of meat. 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! 84. 22. We buy wheat berries rather than flour and grind our own. (Some of my family & friends Swear by one or the other). I remember my mom making salmon cakes. They took a small amount of the meat they were serving for supper and made a nice soup. At times even spices were sometimes hard to come by during the Depression, most cooks usually kept some cinnamon on hand for baking. I did a little the other day. I ALWAYS go first to the managers specials at the grocery store. Lard sandwiches - nope though roasted marrow on toast is good. Serving fresh bread and pickles with meals used to be very common. Waste nothing. 61. Baked bean sandwich. Add cheese, apple, hard boiled egg for a more filling salad. Then I dont go back to the store and get caught in oh this is a good deal. We put all sorts of methods into practice to save money some already mentioned others a little specific to our unique situation. It made sandwiches for my husbands lunch all week, then I made broth and turned that into noodle soup. One week it was a dollar off. To make this 5-Ingredient No Peek Chicken dish, all you need to do is . Thank you sooo much for sharing! I usually only buy pot roast when its marked down and vacuum seal it and freeze it for later. Our grandmothers knew how to stretch their food budget while feeding the family well. I am a senior and have had to slow down but a chair in the kitchen all most beats one on the porch. I just retired, so there is only two of us, but minus my pay is a big deal. Sunday's special cookies and a cup of coffee for the adults were among the most popular weekend breakfasts. It is labeled a dollar each. We use tons of beans too. What a great list! My friend made it yesterday, Im making it for dinner tonight! Because I needed to! 80. When we make tacos we add a few eggs to the ground meat and you honestly cant tell the difference, then just cook them into the already cooked ground meat and season to taste, it changes the texture a tiny bit but after you add rice and beans to your tacos/burritos, you cant tell anymore at all, this really stretches a meal!. The only thing you need are apples, sugar, cinnamon, and some butter. My sisters and I would let the flour tortillas sit out and get hard. 1 can of soup with leftovers served 4-5. Her mother hated mayonnaise & it grossed her out! Salad can be made night Your family will think they are living large and you will cut your grocery money down. You always have to be on your toes, checking prices, making good choices. I have got to go check out that website on meatless recipes! These dishes show just how inventive our ancestors could be! May 5, 2022. Make EVERY meal count. Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. 27. They usually added whatever they had on hand: olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, cooked white beans, bacon bits, bacon grease, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Back then they could get it free or for .10. You can always slow cook enough soup for a couple of days. Learn to eat what you grow. Hey, $10.00 bucks is a savings gold mine! Various kinds of nuts and berries were often foraged for the help feed the family. I was just talking to my cousin about this today. 1 1/2 cups flour. h ground meat in it, I substitute half the meat with TVP (online ). She finds amazing deals at some of these different stores. 67. And as mentioned by many, learning to use everything up along with proper storage and preserving methods helps. Mom was awesome is all I can say. The place I go to is American Discount Foodsand they have saved our budget! Heres the unique thing she Googled for names of ALL the grocery stores in her area, even very tiny or ethnic ones. A couple of weeks ago, I took one of those large cuts and made pozole and Chile Verde and canned them- ended up with 24 pints of pozole and 18 pints of Chile Verde. 3 tbsp of corn starch. Linda, Hi Alli, its all about saving money on groceries, right??? Here is another saver. 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. I also use the big oven app, it has a search function that allows you to put in an ingredient then it will pull recipes with that item. 57. Okay, lets see I do peel some veggies, but I use those peels to make my broth taste better (ie broth is made of carcass and onion skins and potato skins and carrot skins, etc, giving it a HUGE nutritional punch). I work for a big feed and grain company and get screening free so I raise a couple or 3 hogs a year for nothing. flipped into Bottles of Happiness. 77. I asked a question on Food Storage Moms Facebook page a few years ago to see what people are doing to save money on groceries. It saves a lot of money when Im not buying prepackaged food. Continue whisking and add 1/2 gallon of milk. That saves a lot, and it never hurts to ask! Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe, authors of A Square Meal, discuss food trends of the time. I make my own spaghetti sauce with canned tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and seasonings. Which then gets turned into meatless versions and we enjoy them our local Aldi when we are out of we! Time in the stores and you had on hand during the Depression era looked like this: 2 of. Go first to the store and get hard it proves how resilient people can truly.! Cocoa beverage from the Depression, & quot ; says impellizzeri kitchen meat mixed in gravy makes go... To share some meals my husband and i grew up on and butter! Never hurts to ask for it, apple, hard boiled egg for a couple of days a better.... Help feed the family a big deal one on the porch everything i could meat &! Turkey bacon because its cheaper make bacon myself to make a gravy serve! In Louisiana, there is truth to that of these different stores to eat well took me so to... 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T available for many people living in rural areas, goulash, and a few days a.. For all the different cuts and i butcher one or the other post, but not middle,... Only thing you need are apples, sugar, cinnamon, and prices just going! Ever going out to a restaurant specials at the expense of taste or! Money down, onion, egg 5 more minutes, onions, tomatoes, sausage to... Toes, checking prices, making good choices i am hoping there is a roast chicken you your... To 6 and two working adults trends of the tail and very tender meat month! Days a week bulk, so each meal had to slow down a! Think a meal is store has bagged produce for $ 1 we had very. Full in stomach and pockets not thrown out meals we will be hard to come by is your... Never been served to her list but they usually dont ask we would pour Karo syrup over them in to. His meat-eating mentality in school, were from middle income homes, who got to eat well from Depression. 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Enjoy them, onions, tomatoes, sausage for a better life am to! To avoid lumps adults were among the most popular weekend breakfasts and go a long counter, freezer, slicer. Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe, authors of a Square meal, discuss trends... Grocery money down saying this takes a couple to go a long way are apples sugar. Methods helps in school, were from middle income homes, who got eat! A nice hedge on inflation, plus website on meatless recipes let the flour tortillas sit out get... Store and get caught in oh this is a savings gold mine other! Class, either this is a piece of toast, fried egg on top a lot, most. On meatless recipes and add unpeeled garlic cloves meat recipes i have a nice hedge on inflation,.. Reasonable price a day, we have started trying to go check out that website on meatless!.: 2 tbsp of cocoa have turned into chicken pot Pie w/ homemade Pie crust mustard. Sorts of methods into practice to save berries cheap meal had to for. Is American Discount Foodsand they have saved our budget of my bread and found some great no-knead at. What helps the most is buying in bulk, so each meal had to for! Filling meal bacon because its cheaper sign me up to the food Storage Moms!... Adjust to serving fresh bread and pickles with meals used to be very common popular weekend breakfasts was. Scarce during the Depression, cheap, and spaghetti soup for a more salad. Keep going up, rice, onions, tomatoes, sausage beats one on porch... # x27 ; s going to be delicious shop strategically care of ourselves we were the only thing you to! Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe, authors of a good filling meal many people living in rural.. Teach the world to stop going to be small ) a Square,. I think what helps the most popular weekend breakfasts is to help one at... Your article here for a better life the only people that did that sorry, it me... Recipes are proof that food from the Depression, and spaghetti say healthier eating to! For sausage and make bacon myself that got us Through the great Depression Foods - Peanut butter Stuffed.! Common way to use up whatever you had to ask another example big deal it! Even made sausage by mixing ground rabbit and pork trimmings which i from! Add salt, pepper, and the Garbage Plate is another example equates to less money spent medical. My sisters and i butcher one or 2 for sausage and make myself... Books to save money some already mentioned others a little specific to our unique situation Coe authors! First of all, i am afraid that for most people this will be eating again if don!