Depression era recipies

[HighStickHarry]

And other character building activities. I would like to increase my disposable income and since my boss is not handing out raises I thought I would try this route. Anything your parents did or in aggies boy case what he did to save money on meals or similar tactics to washing sandwhich bags?

 

[Cordellhall83]

When I used to ask my Grandpa what Grandma was making for lunch, he would tell me "'Poor Do'...just add a little more water and it'll have to do". He was born in 1899 so he certainly lived during the Great Depression (He would be the oldest living person on Earth if he was alive today...a lady in Italy was born in June1899 and now holds the record). He told me that they basically added more water to soup in order to stretch. They would do it to things like salad dressings as well...old habits are hard to break. This could be an interesting thread.

 

[Rdcldad]

sos(tuna gravy on toast) makes a great meal

for breakfast steel cut oats in bulk from crest
.67 a # (quaker steel cut oats 1.84) bananas and pick your own pecans

25# bags of rice at sams
25# bags of beans

look into case price buying at sams you can cut down their big beef roasts ribeyes sirloins to your portions cryovac and freeze. if you do buy in bulk talk to their meat guys. most stores have experienced meat cutters who can let you know times of year it's best to buy. (ribeye goes crazy bout now) (brisket goes high before st paddies day)
(pork gets cheap in summer)

cheap proteins eggs and more eggs
.97# pork butt (green chili stew) (pulled pork sand)

look into #10 cans for canned items

after 8 walmart in stillwater cuts their rotssiere chicken price up front in half. (talk to the deli ladies they'll be happy to let you know what days they have most left over)

do you live close to or visit a state that doesn't cornhole you on groceries alcohol or clothing like oklahoma? texas no sales tax on groceries

can you split bulk purchases with family or friends?

hope this helps with food related savings items

 

[100TonsofOrangeFury]

When I used to ask my Grandpa what Grandma was making for lunch, he would tell me "'Poor Do'...just add a little more water and it'll have to do". He was born in 1899 so he certainly lived during the Great Depression (He would be the oldest living person on Earth if he was alive today...a lady in Italy was born in June1899 and now holds the record). He told me that they basically added more water to soup in order to stretch. They would do it to things like salad dressings as well...old habits are hard to break. This could be an interesting thread.

My mom alluded to water sandwiches more than once. It took me a long time to figure out that that was another glass of water.

 

[JonnyVito]

I hear shoes makes a great soup.

 

[HighStickHarry]

I was hoping this would get more traction. Maybe I should've posted it on the politics board.

I'm thinking about growing a really big garden and selling produce to my friends. I'm not sure what this involves as far as the business side of it hopefully nothing. I know a lot of people in my area so I think it might be a decent take.

 

[hollywood]

harry,

You may want to look at what it takes to set up a "road-side" stand. In many jurisdictions, you can actually do so on a residential street depending upon the density and geography of that particular area.

A few other possibilities:

Sell directly at a farmers market in your area; or

Sell to someone who sells at a farmer's market. A lot of people setting up and selling products at fm's don't always have enough produce or are looking to pick up more profit and they often source from other local and backyard growers. Think, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (hot or sweet) and anything unusual that is not commonly sold in Grocery stores are often the hottest products. Don't think regular cucumbers for example, but perhaps Persian or the various Asian varieties which are much tastier and far more unusual than you would see on a store shelf. "Odd" but good varieties of carrots, radishes, etc. are all good choices. But honestly, hot peppers are always good sellers and it doesn't take a lot of effort to grow varieties like "Ghost Pepper," "Reaper," "Scorpion," "Komodo Dragons," etc. Most of these pepper plants produce all summer long and are loaded with peppers.

Find local restaurants who source fresh produce locally. These would most likely be the "non-chain" types with actual chefs who build their menus off what is fresh and seasonally best. There's some people out their who have turned this "hobby" into a full blown successful business by supplying restaurants and growing their customer base.

Thought of another potential outlet... a lot of communities have Food Coops and their members could be offered a "subscription" where you provide a basket of fresh fruits and vegies weekly, or you could sell directly to the coop or set up space inside their location.

 

[HighStickHarry]

All awesome ideas thanks wood. What do I have to do as far as cleanliness? Are their garden inspections or anything that is similar to The board of health for people that grow produce? What if I make an apple pie in my kitchen with my apples and sell at a farmers market or on the side of the road? I see the Amish selling on the highway all the time. What about claiming income?

 

[hollywood]

Raw fruits and vegies generally are not going to come with any requirements (approvals) to be sold locally. However, when you get into "cooked" foods, that's an entirely different scenario.

To sell any sort of cooked or preserved item (outside of merely frozen) you will almost certainly have to cook them in an approved food handling facility that is inspected by the Health Dept. That's when you have to do some serious expense/profit analysis.

I've heard of some people renting local restaurant kitchens at "off-hours" to do things like baking & canning, or perhaps even rent their church/social organization's kitchen (many of which are inspected and approved for such purposes). But I would imagine that becomes a tad expensive and you often have to work in the middle of the night and MUST have everything spotlessly clean and out of the way before they resume operations in the morning.

I had a friend who tried to start a catering business one time and gave up that idea quickly when she realized that the problem wasn't doing the cooking, but rather finding a place to do her cooking.

 

[SamuraiFred]

You and kcjba are neck in neck in regard to cockamamie entrepreneurial ideas. Keep it up! Both of you!

 

[Rdcldad]

harry,

You may want to look at what it takes to set up a "road-side" stand. In many jurisdictions, you can actually do so on a residential street depending upon the density and geography of that particular area.

A few other possibilities:

Sell directly at a farmers market in your area; or

Sell to someone who sells at a farmer's market. A lot of people setting up and selling products at fm's don't always have enough produce or are looking to pick up more profit and they often source from other local and backyard growers. Think, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (hot or sweet) and anything unusual that is not commonly sold in Grocery stores are often the hottest products. Don't think regular cucumbers for example, but perhaps Persian or the various Asian varieties which are much tastier and far more unusual than you would see on a store shelf. "Odd" but good varieties of carrots, radishes, etc. are all good choices. But honestly, hot peppers are always good sellers and it doesn't take a lot of effort to grow varieties like "Ghost Pepper," "Reaper," "Scorpion," "Komodo Dragons," etc. Most of these pepper plants produce all summer long and are loaded with peppers.

Find local restaurants who source fresh produce locally. These would most likely be the "non-chain" types with actual chefs who build their menus off what is fresh and seasonally best. There's some people out their who have turned this "hobby" into a full blown successful business by supplying restaurants and growing their customer base.

Thought of another potential outlet... a lot of communities have Food Coops and their members could be offered a "subscription" where you provide a basket of fresh fruits and vegies weekly, or you could sell directly to the coop or set up space inside their location.

solid

 

[Orange Jennyslipper]

Eggs.

Eggs are an awesome source of protein and there are hundreds of uses for them but they've become expensive the past three or four years. I have a couple dozen hens and two roosters and share eggs with my daughter and her family across the road from us.

I eat them every morning, come hell or high water. I don't mind eating them any time of day. My grandsons (8 and 6) would eat scrambled eggs five times a day and never whine.

I boil a couple dozen every weekend, peel them and have them in the fridge for snacks all week. I can eat three of them with all sorts of mustards and condiments and feel like I've had lunch.

My dad was pretty old when I was born so I heard all the first-hand depression stories from him and his siblings. They bought flour, sugar and coffee beans at the store. Period. They raised everything else or didn't eat it.

In the 60's and 70's, I never, ever saw my uncle eat anything for supper but a piece of toast and a bowl of white flour gray. He was skinny as a rail, farmed and worked outside into his 80's.

I collect plastic grocery bags from neighbors, often in exchange for eggs. Using classical conditioning, I train my chickens to pass their pre-laying farts into those bags. I carry them to the house and ignite them, one by one, under the skillet to fry the eggs.

Speaking of bags, my aunt on the rich and uppity side of the family never let a bag leave the house. I saw her take the bag out of an empty cereal box, fold it more carefully than a flag at a veteran's funeral and place it a drawer for saving bags. She literally used them over and over, washing them out and turning them inside-out to dry. She liked them because they're so tough.

She unfolded the box and put it in a drawer for the grandkids to cut up and make things out of when they visited.

She wouldn't buy zip-lock type bags because they're hard to wash and reuse. She had a drawer FULL of rubber bands, some of which appeared to be depression-era. She had a drawer for every single thing. There were drawers built into the walls of a hallway from floor to about four feet high with cabinet doors above them. Virtually nothing left her house as trash. She was, as I said, rich and uppity.

 

[tcpoke]

Eggs.

Eggs are an awesome source of protein and there are hundreds of uses for them but they've become expensive the past three or four years. I have a couple dozen hens and two roosters and share eggs with my daughter and her family across the road from us.

I eat them every morning, come hell or high water. I don't mind eating them any time of day. My grandsons (8 and 6) would eat scrambled eggs five times a day and never whine.

I boil a couple dozen every weekend, peel them and have them in the fridge for snacks all week. I can eat three of them with all sorts of mustards and condiments and feel like I've had lunch.

My dad was pretty old when I was born so I heard all the first-hand depression stories from him and his siblings. They bought flour, sugar and coffee beans at the store. Period. They raised everything else or didn't eat it.

In the 60's and 70's, I never, ever saw my uncle eat anything for supper but a piece of toast and a bowl of white flour gray. He was skinny as a rail, farmed and worked outside into his 80's.

I collect plastic grocery bags from neighbors, often in exchange for eggs. Using classical conditioning, I train my chickens to pass their pre-laying farts into those bags. I carry them to the house and ignite them, one by one, under the skillet to fry the eggs.

Speaking of bags, my aunt on the rich and uppity side of the family never let a bag leave the house. I saw her take the bag out of an empty cereal box, fold it more carefully than a flag at a veteran's funeral and place it a drawer for saving bags. She literally used them over and over, washing them out and turning them inside-out to dry. She liked them because they're so tough.

She unfolded the box and put it in a drawer for the grandkids to cut up and make things out of when they visited.

She wouldn't buy zip-lock type bags because they're hard to wash and reuse. She had a drawer FULL of rubber bands, some of which appeared to be depression-era. She had a drawer for every single thing. There were drawers built into the walls of a hallway from floor to about four feet high with cabinet doors above them. Virtually nothing left her house as trash. She was, as I said, rich and uppity.

My mom does much of the same with plastic bags (grocery store, target, etc). She folds them into tidy little squares and then stores them all over her house in 12 pack soda boxes that she keeps. She doesn't go to the extreme of washing and reusing them, but she uses them for everything.

 

[JonnyVito]

Cow tongue soup with a little onion for flavoring.

 

[Rdcldad]

with the rut and deer moving does anyone look for roadkill to save on ammo?

 

[Orange Jennyslipper]

with the rut and deer moving does anyone look for roadkill to save on ammo?

Glad I'm not that hungry, yet. But you ain't country if the thought hasn't crossed your mind.

If I'm in the one-ton and one of those giant rodents commits suicide on my radiator, I'm throwing him on the back and driving straight to my son-in-law, the amateur butcher.

 

[osuengineer]

As for me and mine, food takes up a significant, but not majority portion of my income. Take a look at the money in and money out and it's most likely housing (including insurance, electricity, nat-gas) that is your largest expense-- at least that's how it is for me. You can always cut back on food expenses, but there's only so much hard-tack and gruel you will reasonably eat.

Look at adding a quilt or blanket to the sofa or wearing a sweater, to turn the temperature down and save a few bucks there.

As far as depression recipes- buy dry beans. Dry beans are cheap, make a ton, and as far as I'm concerned are great meal after meal.

If you're into it- hunting is a solid "investment" especially if you already have the hardware. Butchering meat yourself may not be for you, but in $/lb, paying a meat processor is cheap.

 

[anon_xl72qcu5isp39]

You've come to the right place, Harry. I'm an umpteenth generation Okie from modest, country folk and the depression never really ended for a couple branches of the family tree. Obviously I've picked up a few pointers. But first, if I may ask a couple of questions.

1. Are you above stealing a couple chickens? (This is important, as it can really alter the menu.)

2. Are you sentimentally attached to our old friend, the squirrel? They have personality, agility and tasty meat. Do NOT try and catch two at once with your bare hands. More on that one later -- typing with three fingers is hard and I'm pressed for time.

3. In all seriousness, I've always wondered what the total cost and feasibility would be of having greenhouse-grown veggies through the winter and early spring. Real vegetables instead of the store-bought, styrofoam, flavorless shit we get in Oklahoma would be awesome. The winter produce is so bad here that it's depressing.

 

[JonnyVito]

I hear the person above only eats crow.