WW2 Rationing Recipes - American

[Marianne]

Funny...they forgot to mention the apples in the recipe. So, what's a good guess? 4 to 6? Sliced?

This looks so good, we might have it tonight.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I made a little butter churn by cutting a hole in a canning lid that was just big enough to slide the top of a beater to my portable mixer through before attaching it to the mixer.

What an absolutely wonderful idea! I will definitely be trying that one.

The butter extender recipe is a success in my opinion! I had it on toast this morning (I know, I know - it's not keto) and it tastes great. The only thing I changed is that I didn't add the salt because I prefer my butter unsalted.

My question will be if it's sufficient for frying. I love an egg fried in butter and I haven't tried that yet. If not, I always have "real" butter around anyway.

I tried at first to whip it with a whisk...fail. Then I switched to the mixer. I'll do it correctly from now on. I did find a tiny little lump of gelatin about the size of a grain of rice in it this morning - but it didn't bother me, lol.

Texture isn't like soft margarine at all...it set up pretty solid. I put it on hot toast, waited a few secs and then it spread just fine.

I'm sure I'll do it again. Thanks @Marianne for the recipes and the ideas. Now I have to find another one to try!

 

[Mini Horses]

I love butter. But don't think I'd try to use anything to change it. Fortunately, I have goats & a separator so, cream is plentiful here. Hope to freeze some of the butter this year. You have to let the cream set out to begin a ferment before you get a good taste of butter with goat cream, IMO. And, it is white -- get used to it.

Personally I feel fortunate to have the ability to supply myself with most all the dairy I want because of my lovely goats! Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, caramel sauce...yum! Thank you girls!! I tell you, chickens, a goat & a garden -- with just an acre or two you can be happily self sufficient! Couple fruit trees, berry bushes -- buy coffee and not much else. Free fertilizer, too.

During the wartime, those simple assets saved many families. Still true today. The rest is just icing on the cake. My grands lived this way and didn't even know there were problems, it was life as usual.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

My grandparents raised 13 kids through the Great Depression on a farm with a huge garden. In fact, their barn burnt down in 1929, and had to be rebuilt. My dad was one of the middle children. He was 4 years old when the barn burnt. They made most of their own clothes, and several of my aunts went on to be marvelous seamstresses. I never once heard ANY of my aunts or uncles ever say there were times when they didn't have enough food. In fact, my grandfather was a farmer, and hauled milk to the cheese factories, and they were one of the first in the area to have electricity. Neighbors would come to their house to listen to the radio. My grandmother canned and quilted well into her 80's, and I remember shelves and shelves (and shelves) of canned food in her cellar, along with giant crocks of carrots and saurkraut, and many other preserved crops like apples, potatoes, and onions to last through the long winters. My Dad and Uncle were both in the Navy during WWII.

I'm LOVING these recipes, and THANK YOU @Marianne for the GREAT pictures! We'll be trying out some of these recipes.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I have spent the last 2 years typing my Dad's Autobiography. He will be 94 this summer. So, he was born in the middle of the great depression. He grew up on a farm in Dover Foxcroft Maine. While he mentions many other historical events of that time, I don't recall much mention of the great depression. So, my guess is: it made little impact on folks in rural Maine. One mention he did make: Because of the tax burden at that time, the family had difficulty maintaining 2 farmsteads that were parcels from the Homestead Act.

Everything Mini said. I am doing what I am doing for the very reason that I don't want to get caught in a bind when the economy goes south. I can't speak to this issue without bringing my faith into it. So, if you don't want to hear what I have to say, stop reading right now. I believe that what we are seeing in current events is directly tied to the prophecies pertaining to the end times. I am of the persuasion that Jesus will return and call His Church (his people) home before the great tribulation unfolds. However, I can't be certain of that b/c scripture is not completely black and white about the topic. No matter how this all plays out, I am secure in my faith that Jesus has me covered. But, time marches on, and end time prophecies continue to unfold. So, I plan to be able to meet my dietary needs as much as possible from my own land. If persecution of Christians makes it impossible for us to buy and sell, I will be able to put food on the table. If we are called home before that persecution begins (AND, IT WILL HAPPEN), I will leave behind a well stocked home, garden, orchard, flock of chickens to help anyone who is left. Got Jesus?

 

[sumi]

I find it strange that eggs were so scarce and heavily rationed. Chickens are way easier to keep and feed than cows, but milk and butter was available in decent quantities.

 

[Mini Horses]

Remember these rations were for the masses and MOST were the city folk. Country Bumkins often had plenty to eat! Besides they often had no way to get to town for the rations. I was surprised at the dozen of dried eggs and that there was no grains or dried beans. Any thoughts?

Of course, during wartime, if you were near the troops you may have had supplies taken. They'd eat a chicken, then no eggs. My grandparents lived so far in the holler they'd never have found them, had the actual fighting been in the USA.

 

[Britesea]

but it doesn't fit their agenda, so they ignore those studies.

 

[Marianne]

I'm still trying to figure out this picture thing here on SS, but here's a shot of what the butter spread looked like.

 

[Marianne]

My husband's grandmother used to make 'coffee cakes'. He said there would be pans of them in her kitchen when they visited. He had no clue as to how they were made, but mentioned it every once in a while. I finally asked his sister about it and she mailed me the recipe.

Imagine my surprise to see that it was a basic white bread recipe. The dough was split into 5 or 6 pieces, rolled out and put into pie plates. On each she poured some melted butter and topped it with cinnamon sugar. Bake 'til done. (She was good about telling me to cook something until it looked right.)