A Real Eye Opener: Depression/Recession Era Cooking (2024)

Okay, so I have shared with you that I am going to cook recipes for this time of recession. My original inspiration in this was the Great Depression Era and the cooking show I saw on YouTube by Clara Cannucciari of Clara's Kitchen. But, I am a girl who does my homework so, I have recently collected a few cookbooks from the Depression that I will try some recipes out of. This was my first cookbook Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930's by Janet Van Amber Paske.

The history on this cookbook was that the home economist, Janet Van Amber Paske decided to compile these recipes and write them down before they were forgotten. I have just read this lightly and it seems all of the recipes are from the upper Midwest.

First paragraph of the forward:

"This compilation is a documentary of the experiences and domestic history of the Great Depression of the 1930's. The time is right for it to be recorded (printed 1986), before it is forgotten. Children, already, don't quite believe it, which is not surprising. This country has changed so dramatically in the past 50 years it is hard to believe we were in such desperate straights so recently." ~Janet Van Amber Paske

So, my first recipe I picked out to try was Potato Casserole. My kids would love this. So I gave it a try......

The first thing I noticed is that 3 cups of potatoes is not a lot.

I started out with a 9" x 13" pan and the potatoes didn't come close to covering the bottom of the pan. So, I moved the potatoes into a 8" x 8" pan and it still didn't even come close to filling up the pan. Then it hit me, this was a Depression recipe. There wasn't a lot of food to go around. This is the first recipe I tried out of the cookbook but, this revelation was a real eye opener! I feed hungry teen and school-age boys every day and I could not imagine if this was all I had to serve up for supper!

So, a lot of things go through my mind about this recipe. Have our portions gotten much too big? Did people really eat a few tablespoons of potatoes and consider it a satisfying meal? How bad did the Depression really get?

There are a lot of quotes from people that lived through the Depression in this cookbook.

Just a sample:

"The Depression was a good education."

"Everything was very inexpensive, but no one had any cash flow with which to buy it."

"We had the cellar full of canned goods and vegetables, we didn't go to the store for every meal. Maybe once or twice a month."

"Good old days would kill off this generation in a weeks time."

Okay, I read those quotes with a smile when I first picked up this cookbook but, after I made this recipe the quotes had a whole new sense of meaning to me.

I am not sure all of the recipes are this thrifty, but I will keep you posted.

Needless to say, I altered this recipe to fit my family's portions and taste.

Here is the altered version:

Potato Casserole: Revised for 2012

Saute: 1/4 c. butter with 1 med. chopped onion

Add: 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour in a fry pan (making a roux)

Add gradually: 2 cups milk, stir until thicker (like your making a cream soup base for the casserole) salt and pepper to taste

In a greased casserole (8" x 8") dish alternate above with 6 cups of cubed cooked potatoes and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. (Could use mild cheese). Shred more cheese on top. Add: 4 slices of crumbled bacon on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes.

This would serve: 4 if a main dish or 6 if a side dish