Depression Era Cooking

[Sandy1970]

2-3 cans of Stewed Tomatoes (undrained)
Wheat or White bread
Brown or white sugar
Bring tomatoes to a boil. Add bread and sugar to taste.
*My father in law made this with pork chops, fried chicken or any pork meat.
Sandy1970

[seleach]

Seems to me my grandma made that even long after the depression was over.

Soda Cracker Chocolate Candy

35-40 soda crackers
1 C butter or oleo
1 C brown sugar, packed
1-1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 C nuts, coarsely chopped
Line a 15x10 baking pan with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray (easier than using butter). Place crackers in rows on foil. In saucepan, melt butter, add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil 3 min. Pour over crackers and spread until completely covered. Bake at 350* for 5 min. (crackers will float).
Remove from oven. Turn oven off. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over crackers. Return to oven until chocolate is melted, about 3-5 min.
Remove from oven, using a greased spatula, press walnuts into chocolate. Cut into 1 in squares while warm. Cool competley, remove candy from foil.

Ritz Cracker Peanut Butter Candy

2 C sugar
1/2 C evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 T peanut butter
21 Ritz ceackers
Crush crackers to powder. Heat sugar and milk over low heat 3 min. Remove from heat and add vanilla, peanut butter. Mix well. Pour into 9 in pan. Cool, cut into squares.

[barbszy]

Sharon, that chocolate candy works on matzo as well as soda crackers.

[seleach]

I have never used matzo for anything. But that is good to know for people who do use it.

[Vrsherren]

Just the last fewdays before payday we had what we thought was great, but it's what Mom helped cook as a young girl. They always saved their bacon or sausage drippings for this

Biscuits
3 cups flour
1/3 cup shortening or butter
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp baking powders
1 - 1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
In a lg. bowl place flour salt and baking powder
Cut the shortening or butter into the the dry mix until it resembles crumbs. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. dough will be sticky. Turn out onto a floured surface sprinkle a little flour over top pat down to 1/2" high and cut in rounds (or desired shape). Bake on lightly greased baking sheet in a preheated oven of 350' for 10 minutes or lightly golden tops

Gravy:
2 Tbsp. bacon or sausage drippings
3 Tbsp. Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
3 boiled eggs diced
1/2 cup leftover corn, green peas, etc.
1/2 cup shredded cheddr cheese.
3 cups milk (may use powdered if mixed up)
Melt the drippings in a skillet with the flour and stir till it starts to bubble. Gradually add the milk and stir until thickened. If too thick add a little more milk. Stir in eggs, veggie, and cheese. Serve over biscuits

[Artylouie]

I was born in 1940 and when we were growing up money was short. We had a cow and we separated the milk from the cream with a separator (what else) and after a while, when we had enough cream, we made butter in a wooden churn. We had a vegetable garden and chooks, and we never went hungry. One thing I remember eating was the feet of the chook - Mum skinned them and put them in soup, along with any unformed eggs which were found inside the chook when it was killed. We could also roam the paddocks and collect mushrooms and blackberries. We never went hungry. I can't remember whether Mum made her own bread, but my grandmother did. We had a fuel stove and so did my grandparents. Artyloue

[Pag36]

i was born in '36 but did not live on a farm so do not have the memories you do but do know we did not waste any veggie that came in the house. I was going to ask what a chook was but after you said you ate the feet and unformed eggs common sense took over and knew you meant a chicken. You have me beat never ate the feet but have eaten the eggs. Nor have I eaten pigs feet/knuckles either.
I never went hungry either and loved to go out in g-dads big wonderful garden and get a tomato and rinse it off at faucet out there and sit and eat it yummy and let the seeds fall where ever for more plants to come at a later date.

[Vrsherren]

Growing up on a farm is hard work, but as a child you don't have time to think about it much, you just do it.
We had 1 holsteen (sp), those big black and white cows. We got a over 2 gallons each milking (morning and evenings). We filtered it and pour it in a jar, and by the next day you could barely make out the cream as it is white. Mom sold some of it for 60 cents a gallon, boy do I wish I could get milk that cheap now! We'd skim off the cream, save it in a jar till we had enough to make butter and then churn it. we even had to shake it in the jar till it made butter. Mom would put some aside for sour cream.
I used to make sour cream chocolate cake from scratch on Thursday and take it to the Councilor's office (I worked there for a grade) for everyone to enjoy. Friday was their usual Meeting day in the afternoon. Did I mention I earned and A+.
We never realized we weren't wealthy because we had so much. We had a really large garden we weeded, watered and picked daily. We also did a lot of canning for winter! Unlike a lot of my friends, I was always too busy to get into trouble. When I see these kids hanging at the corner usually thinking of ways to get into trouble, I wish they had something like we had to keep their minds, and bodys occupied.

Vivian

[seleach]

I was born in 1941. My mom worked so I was with my grandma most of the time. She had a wood stove in the kitchen. I can still see her cooking on that stove, heating water for laundry, baking Christmas cookies. My first dh always talked about taking lard sandwichs to school for lunch.
Grandma made head cheese for grandpa and schultz (sp) and pickled pigs feet. I wouldn't eat it. She made sauerkraut, catsup, lots of pickles, slim jims were made out of the cucumbers that got big and turned yellow. She canned fruits and veggies. It was always busy in grandma's kitchen.

[Pag36]

I enjoy reading all the comments on this thread. Brings back a lot of memories. I would not have eaten that either Sharon