Christmas in July- 2024 Day 29

[sweetpumkinpye]

Christmas during the Great Depression​

The Great Depression started in America with the stock market crash on 29th October 1929 and quickly spread worldwide. It was the longest and most severe economic down turn ever experienced. It resulted in massive unemployment, with 25% of Americans out of work and factories and banks closing. It’s social and cultural effects were felt worldwide, it was a time of extreme poverty and little joy. There was no social security or unemployment benefits at that time so people had to rely on themselves for day to day survival. The Depression emphasised simplicity and thrift but also great inventiveness and tenacity. It’s length varied around the world but generally lasted until the end of the 1930’s.

Families during the depression had it hard, and they were grateful for food and shelter. The routine for the day of Christmas may have gone something like this. You would have gotten up and then checked to see what presents there were and opened them. Then everyone would have gotten dressed and gone to church.

Often families would get together to share a meal. Each family at a meal contributed what they had to Christmas dinner so it could be shared by everyone. There was no “special” food served, just everyday items.

Men would sit around and play cards, the women combined all the food everyone brought and cooked. The kids played, of course. The clean up was completed by the women. Then some more visiting with each other and everyone went home. Christmas was about family and what you did have, and being grateful for it, not griping about what you didn’t have.

They appreciated having family and sharing time together during the holidays.



Here are some of the items that may have been served for Christmas dinner during the Great Depression. How many of these are still valid today?

Dandelion Salad.

Dandelions are rich in vitamin K and C and minerals such as iron calcium and magnesium.

Source your dandelions. Wash to remove soil and pat dry.

Place in a bowl and cover with lemon juice and bread crumbs.



Dandelion and white beans.

Soak dried white beans over night.

Drain and place in pot with fresh water, boil until tender. When ready to serve add freshly picked washed dandelion leaves and serve.





Water Cornmeal

1 tab shortening

1 cup cornmeal

1tsp salt

1 cup boiling water

3 tabs shortening extra

In a skillet add shortening and melt.

Place cornmeal and salt in a bowl add the melted shortening and stir. Divide into 4 and shape into rounds. Melt shortening and cook cornmeal until golden.



Potato pancakes. (My mother still makes these now)

3 large potatoes

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 grated onion

2 tabs flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

Grate potatoes and drain liquid. Add the other ingredients and mix well.

Drop cup sized pancakes into hot oil and fry until cooked through and golden.







Hard tack biscuits

1 part of water to 6 parts flour.

Pour water into a bowl. Add flour and stir continually Stop adding flour when you can no longer stir. Knead the dough until smooth.

Roll out to ¼ inch thick and with wet hands lift and lay on an oiled pan. Poke with a tooth pick to create small holes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes flipping halfway through if needed.




Potato soup

Scrub and peel 6 potatoes. Cut into cubes.

Cover with water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain.

To the pot add 1 cup of milk, return to the heat for 5-10 minutes and serve.







On a positive note artist Haddon Sundblom creates the first “Coca-Cola Santa,” which first appears in a Saturday Evening Post ad in 1931.Sunblom’s work helped create our modern image of Santa and is still very popular today

 

[Lori K]

I'm a baby boomer, but my DM was born in 1937, and her parents and grandparents were fruit farmers and kept a small garden plot for vegetables. Because of their experience growing up, they survived the depression with minimal hardship. Gasoline was apparently their biggest issue. GM would always share stories of how they lived and DM would talk about her childhood, growing up attending a one-room school. We kids enjoyed hearing about life on the farm, but the stories were shared in a way that they stuck with us as we became adults. Living frugally came naturally to me, because of what I learned at GM's knee. I was plucking grapes for grape juice and filling bean jars while standing on a kitchen chair, and sampling the first jars of homemade jam on a PB&J sandwich. Growing up, we had many depression-era meals, and many of the family's favorite holiday recipes were passed down.

One recipe I make every Christmas (though it's not Christmas-specific) was handed down from my GGM to GM to DM to me, and now my DD makes it, too. It's for Raisin-Nut Bread (recipe below). Keep in mind that my great grandparents also kept chickens and a cow or two on their farm, and while my DM was growing up, her parents also kept chickens. (GM and GP lived across the street from GGM and GGP, until GGM passed and GGP had a series of mini-strokes and came to live with them.) GGPs primarily grew fruit trees -- 100 acres, if I remember correctly, primarily peaches. I remember when the farm was sold, watching the new owner rip out the peach trees and plant soybeans. In my era, GM and GP only had about 10 acres and kept a few peach trees, but also apple, pear, and quince trees. They also kept a single row of grapes -- for eating, making grape juice, drying for raisins, and I'm assuming for brandy, wine, etc., based on what was cleaned out from the cellar before their place was sold. Walnut trees lined their driveway -- we'd pick up walnuts from the driveway after the green husk came off, and then GP would crack them open us and taught us how to get the "meat" out. This was one of the chores we did with him while DM and GM were sewing.

Grandma's Raisin-Nut Bread
Preheat oven to 350*

Grease and flour 2 regular loaf pans, OR 4-5 miniature loaf pans OR 6 cleaned and well greased and floured no. 2 cans.

3 c. raisins
3 c. water
3 tsp baking soda
Bring to a boil. When mixture begins to foam, remove it from the heat and let it cool. [Cooking the raisins rehydrates them and prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf. The baking soda helps break down the skin.]

3 eggs
2 1/4 c. sugar
dash of salt
2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (OK to cut back, if yours is strong)
4 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add raisin mixture, and flour, alternating a little at a time, to egg mixture. Fold in nuts.

Pour mixture into baking dishes to 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake at 350* for 45 to 60 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are done. Remove from pan while still warm, but not hot.

Grandma would make this in cans and, as soon as they were cool enough to handle, she'd use her can opener to cut the bottom off each can and slide the bread out. We would all have a sample for our afternoon snack. Because I don't use a lot of commercially-canned goods, I use loaf pans.

NOTE: A no. 2 can is a 20 oz. can. GM would often wash and re-use cans for baking quick breads in a smaller size, to give out to neighbors in need or to the day laborers who would occasionally help my GP with farm or other work.

 

[luludou]

Oh this subject is sooo interesting and one I would not have thought of. Thanks for all those great recipes.

 

[housewife2]

Thank you story was very interesting. Some sad times with people did appreciate what they had.. I remember my mom telling me she was born in 1915 about the depression but for Christmas they got one orange apple and a few nuts and it was a treat for them. It was 12 kids.. kids today don’t know how lucky we all are .

 

[Holiday_Mom]

This topic brings a new perspective to Christmas and, suprisingly, it's something I hadn't considered before. I know that the depression had an effect on my family and dh's family. It has trickled down to how we spend or don't spend money today.

 

[jampss]

Thank you for this @sweetpumkinpye Fascinating. I also didn’t know about the Coke Santa! When I first met DH’s mom, I thought it was a little extreme that she washed out ziplock bags and wiped down and reused tin foil. I asked her and she explained she was taught through the depression to be frugal.

DS and I will try that recipe @Lori K .