Various kinds of nuts and berries were often foraged for the help feed the family. 67. I didnt read the other post, but planning for leftovers is a huge $ saver. Pinch of salt. I cook some chicken. Great ideas! Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. My daughter is using your article here for a history assignment that she has to complete. The meat just costs far too much and pasta is filling. can be a challenge. I was just talking to my cousin about this today. (Half beans to the amount of meat, can always add more beans). Make EVERY meal count. Roll out and cut into similarly-sized shapes. During the Depression, cheap, nutritious and filling food was prioritized often at the expense of taste. I always thought it had to be a large chain to price match but it doesnt! Its easy to freeze. It stretches the meat, plus oatmeal is good for you! We eat what we want most of the time because we shop strategically. I can get 10 lbs of potatoes for $2-3 at Aldi. 1 cup water. So even if times are tough, these foods are usually not expensive and good for us. Its filling, cheap and kids love it. 70. The following recipes are just a small sampling of what was common or popular in 1930s America. 10 Easy Budget Meals Anyone Will Love Every Day. With all the comparisons between the current Recession and the Great Depression of the 1930s, it makes sense that we research Great Depression recipes.. Jobs are shaky and income uncertain for many people right now, so making the most of our household grocery . Spices and Salt. Get the Recipe! Life is so good! Then I dont go back to the store and get caught in oh this is a good deal. In fact, I pretty much make all my bread and pastry items from scratch so I never have to go to the store. Invite the family over. Potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cumin to flavorthem. We also get together & clip coupons, make candles & teach each other different skills, like sewing & tanning hides. To make this 5-Ingredient No Peek Chicken dish, all you need to do is . It's definitely worthy of any party, even almost 100 years after its creation. What do you think? eccentricculinary.substack.com. We hope to get laying chickens this spring, hubby is building a coop fit for queens lol! I learned how to cook from scratch with what I had. But, I know that I was taught a lot of frugal things and how to work HARD, and be an ANT, not a GRASSHOPPER! Grandma created a great meal with these beet tops. Great Depression Meals-How To Eat For Less Money. Great Depression Casserole Recipe; 7. A side salad and some saltines. 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. 17. I love it! Saving for us has more to do with how we shop than how we cook. Eat a lot of casseroles because it doesnt require as much meat. We are trying to use our leftovers before they have to be thrown out. In the stores, the cosmetic counters normally have samples of things. does making more of X become a key ingredient for meal days or weeks later). Soup can always make a little meat go a long way. My friend made it yesterday, Im making it for dinner tonight! I make my own spaghetti sauce with canned tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and seasonings. Hormel). Melt the butter, add the flour and quickly start whisking it. I make lots of Frybread & salads to go with meals. Those same trimmings go into my deer and goat burger to make a great hamburger for Chili, meatloaf, and spaghetti. Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. 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. https://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/slow-cooker-cuban-black-beans. This meal costs less than $3 for four servings. (Privacy Policy) *. Grow everything you possibly can each and every season. Most of our meals were meatless. Then I freeze several containers for later meals. We call it Eraser Gravy. As one of the oddest combinations on this list, baked onions and peanut butter were a filling meal for many during the Great Depression. Linda. Dr. Battaglino says one of the best foods for mental health is fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and tuna. 4 or 5 smoked ham hocks. Image and recipe from Taste of Home. You can make this without the chorizo to save money. Prepared mashed potatoes are served with an egg-filled ham cup on top and drizzled with a Hollandaise sauce for extra richness. Stretches the noodles and the eggs. 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. Yummy soups are always good because they are so filling, homemade tomato with saltines. What a great list! Have you ever seen that fog that rolls down and out when you open the door? My grandmother made Top Ramen once a week for dinner with sliced boiled eggs. 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. From budget-friendly meat dishes to vegetable soups and stews, these dishes are comfort food that your family will enjoy. Cooked all together. So if you live in an area that that is possible & have a few like-minded families, sit down & work out the details. My grandmother was able to get the Beet greens that grocers would twist off for their customers before they weighed the beets for purchase. "My large Italian family gathered in the kitchen and tried many ways to prepare Sunday dinner on a tight budget. My mom made it a lot, so I know it's going to be delicious. Use the legs to fry, etc and thighs have a lot of meat to use in noodles, yellow rice, dumplings, shred for BBQ sandwiches. When you cook meats you often find fat at the bottom of the ban. We also CAN our own garden that we grow! 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. 5. You can add meat, or not. 7. 34 Recipes That Got Us Through the Great Depression. Save the chicken bones and boil them up to make soup stock. 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. Related: How I Feed My Family of 6 on $200 a Month . My sweeties standby recipe he calls goulash just elbow macaroni, seasoned hamburger, onion, and tomatoes. Several on here we still like today. Could you please give any information you have on this photo that you used? I cant remember as a child ever going out to a restaurant. Our great grandparents had the solution. 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. 1930s Einkorn Chocolate Cake. We also add beans or lentils to taco meat, eat lentil soup (lately with brown rice thrown in to make a complete protein), and rely on popcorn and bananas for snacks also lots of carrots! Grace Mannon Updated: Feb. 21, 2023. Prices are half and more off. Im the owner and editor of Food Storage Moms. 52. Keep stirring until the mixture is cooked and smooth. 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. 18. So before she goes grocery shopping, she spends about 20 minutes online and writes down advertised sale prices on items she needs. Did this ever bring back memories! Next, put bone-in chicken thighs skin-side up on top of the veggies. Fish patties (salmon or tuna, bread crumbs, lemon juice, mustard, onion, egg. We had a large family of 10 people, so each meal had to be extremely cheap, and go a long way. My parents were born prior to the First World War and came as immigrants for a better life. These dishes show just how inventive our ancestors could be! Aldi is great for low prices on produce. 27. I think the best way to save is to make more to spend less. Lentil patties (lentils cooked until tender, mash up with seasoning and onion, shape and fry or bake. I guess we are fortunate. Linda, Your email address will not be published. salt 1 cup sugar 2 eggs beaten until thick and light 1 Tbsp. Linda. lemon juice 5 Tbsps. If you have the time and want to really make your family feel special you could make a little jello and top it off with a small teaspoon of cool whip. Mashups were a common way to use up whatever you had on hand during the Depression, and the Garbage Plate is another example. Then we would pour Karo syrup over them in order to h. ave something sweet. I also make sure to add beans to taco meat to stretch it. Hoover Stew Recipe; 8. 75. Hi Shelly, oh how wonderful your daughter is using this article!! 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. People made comments that they are eating many of those meals today. They do meatless recipes. Then, slowly whisk in 1 cups of milk until the mixture begins to thicken and boil. I am sharing responses on this post from real people just like you and me on how they are trying to cut food costs. Isnt it awesome that we can make recipes our grandparents used to make? Chile over baked potatoes is a favorite and the meat isnt missed. I think I could get 5 meals at least for our family of four (although eating is more like 2 1/2 people). We use to skin the animal outside, quarter it up and bring it inside to finish the process, grind, cut up or whatever we need to be done. They didnt sell it in the stores and you had to ask for it. Back in the Great Depression, you would often find this pie made with a crushed cracker crust. We always served this with warm corn bread. A lot has changed on rural America's farms in the 70 years or so since the Great Depression. Then I dont go back to the store and get caught in oh this is a good deal. For us, that means buying beef by the 1/4 or 1/2, ordering from Zaycon Foods, using Bountiful Baskets-Co-op,grinding our own grains, and making yogurt when I remember to, and then remembering to freeze or eat leftovers so we arent throwing food away. People made comments that they are eating many of those meals today. I dont think those meals are great depression meals anymore. . Thank you for your kind remarks. Save this grease for cooking later. This included all my paper goods, so it doesnt represent food only. Soooo many great thoughts, ideas, recipes! Here in the south, we have to deal with hurricanes which will result in a loss of electricity which means loss of all refrigerated and freezer foods. We used to beg my mom to make rice with milk, cinnamon & sugar. Sorry, it took me so long to post but Ive been getting in at near midnight all week long. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. I take advantage of the Meijerbuy 10 get the 11th one free offers PASTA!!! Some are wild others we raise ourselves or purchase from local farms or auctions. Eggs and milk (hormone free) are less at Aldis! Such a reminder of my childhood, and my present conditions as well. Pasta is always our cheap go-to meal. Baked Onions and Peanut Butter. I also found a different bread recipe that used fewer ingredients so we could have bread. Anytime were making something with ground meat in it, I substitute half the meat with TVP (online ). Milk and eggs are perishable, and unless you lived on a farm, they probably weren't a huge staple in your depression-era kitchen. Here is a list of 10 depression-era meals we will be eating again if things don't change. Its interesting because we were raised this way, its the norm to cook from scratch. 2 tbsp of sugar. If not, it is worth it to purchase several Sunday papers for the coupons. Save all your vegetable scraps to make a good stock base for any soup or stew. Potato Casserole. 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