Victory Gardens - Growing American Roll up your Sleeves Self-Reliance

I started out to write an article about World War II Victory Gardens, and to augment, I went online to search more, and what a pleasant discovery — Community Gardens/Victory Gardens are growing in the USA!

Simultaneous to writing this article, a news item came through from Ann Trinca at The Nest Art Space in Napa CA.  This innovative artist is providing a common area at this Art Space, where people can gather to plant, tend and harvest vegetables.  She does request that people bring their own spades shovels, rakes and picks to this first prep session on 6 May 2008 from 9 am to 4 pm.  The community planting day will be 10 May 2008.



Back to World War II, at a time of rationing, Victory Garden posters were beautifully designed graphics, distributed to encourage Americans to participate in their own self-reliance by planting gardens. 



Please check out Sacramento History online. There are three silent movie clips made during WWII that are absolutely charming and wonderful.  To follow is a description of this time in Sacramento, relative to Victory Gardens and canning:




Use It All; Wear It Out; Make It Do; or Go Without!
By Carey Draeger

     It was a time of careful shopping, empty sugar bowls and Victory gardens growing on every bit of available land. Karo syrup, honey and molasses replaced the sugar in cakes and cookies. Americans ate more chicken—the Sunday pot roast had become a fond memory. Tires were patched and re-patched; new tires were as valuable as gold and more difficult to acquire. Gasoline and shoe purchases were severely limited and required special stamps. America was at war with the Axis; it was time to tighten the belt and make sacrifices to ensure an Allied victory.
   
    Within a year after America's entry into World War II, factories were producing armaments instead of civilian products like automobiles and electrical appliances. Shoe manufacturers made boots for the U.S. Armed Forces. Silk and nylon went into parachutes instead of women's stockings. Shortages of metals, rubber and sugar quickly appeared as Pacific supply routes fell under enemy control.

    In April 1942, the Office of Price Administration announced sugar would be rationed—Philippine imports had been cut off and ships carrying Cuban and Puerto Rican sugar were needed for defense use. Large amounts of sugar were also required to manufacture the alcohol used in explosives. By 1943 coffee, canned meat and fish, canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables and fresh meat, fish, butter and cheese quickly joined the list.

    On December 6, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Claude R. Wickard to the newly created position of food administrator to supervise the rationing of consumable and usable products vital to the war effort. Wickard, well aware of his job's importance, noted during a radio broadcast later that month that "the way we manage our food supply will have a lot to do with how soon we win the war."

    By early 1943, the point system for food and other commodities had become reality for most Americans. Each citizen, regardless of age, was issued 2 ration books on a specific date—set by the Office of Price Administration—each month. Blue coupons were used with cash to purchase canned foods; red went toward meat, fish and dairy products. Every coupon had a special point value and the total monthly point allowance was 48 blue and 64 red points. The rationing points translated into about 2 pounds of canned fruits and vegetables, about 1.5 pounds of meat and 4 ounces of cheese per person. The average family of 4 received 8 ration books, or 192 blue and 256 red points per month.

Rationing was established to distribute fairly whatever food was available to home front markets, but it did not guarantee that everyone would find the foods for which they had coupons. The military's needs were met first, so shortages of certain foods quickly became unavoidable. Points were figured geographically, but food supplies differed regionally, even within a state. While some cuts of meat might require 12 points per pound in Detroit, they would only require 6 points in Chicago.

Faced with inevitable shortages, housewives spent much of their day budgeting and planning meals. Their innovative ideas quickly became apparent in the recipes for sugarless or low-sugar cookies and cakes that appeared in newspapers and magazines. Other sweetening agents, such as honey, molasses, sorghum and Karo syrup, were substituted in desserts or atop pancakes and hot cereal.  Wartime required many cooks to fall back on Depression-era recipes that used oatmeal or soybean flour in casseroles and stews as meat extenders.

Many cookbooks were written to assist the wartime cook as she dealt with meat, sugar and egg rationing. The book "Thrifty Cooking for Wartime" by Alice B. Winn-Smith (1942, The Macmillan Company) is a charming example of the kinds of books women turned to for help. In the book's preface, Winn-Smith writes, "In this book are many helpful suggestions that will make your meal planning easier while going through these experiences. After all, we owe it to our families to keep the home fire burning as comfortably as possible, while they are so willingly doing everything to protect it."

Nutritionists and cookbook authors suggested housewives serve more meatless meals, something we've discovered today is a healthy alternative, but was considered a patriotic sacrifice during the war years. Winn-Smith reminded readers, "Remember, much of the meat is needed by 'our boys,' and the use of some of these meat cuts that are less important for supplying the armed forces, definitely helps in the conservation program."

I MADE ALL OF THESE RECIPES THAT FOLLOW.  During many months while living in what was fondly called The Military House in Baja California, Mexico and because it was built by the government for military housing in 1942, I fell in love with the music of the era, wrote stories about the women who probably had lived in this abode, waiting for their husbands to return from the Second World War.  As a result, my research included recipes designed for families when certain foods were scarce.  It followed of course that I would try them out, and you know, they are tasty!  By the way, my friend Kimberly Morrison and I threw a fabulous party with this theme of Use it all, and those who attended said it was a blast!

Winn-Smith's nut casserole:

2 quarts boiling water, salted
1 cup spaghetti or macaroni
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/3-cup bread crumbs
2 cups thick tomato juice or canned tomatoes
1/4-teaspoon pepper

1-teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Drop the spaghetti or macaroni into the boiling salted water and cook until tender (not soft), about 25 minutes. Drain and lightly mix with the peanuts, grated cheese and onion, place in a greased casserole. Season the tomatoes with the salt and pepper, and pour them over the spaghetti. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Winn-Smith's recipe for an egg less, butter less spice cake

1-cup brown sugar
1-cup water
1/3 cup shortening
2 cups seeded raisins
1-teaspoon cinnamon
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each: nutmeg, allspice and cloves
2 cups cake or pastry flour, sifted
1-teaspoon baking soda
1/2-teaspoon baking powder

Boil the sugar, water, shortening, raisins, spices and salt together for 3 minutes, stirring continually. Cool. Sift flour, soda and baking powder together and gradually stir into batter, beating well. Bake in a greased cake pan in a slow oven (300 to 325 degrees F), for about 1 hour. This is a delicious cake and keeps well.

MEATLESS MEAT LOAF from War Emergency Recipes

1 1/2 cups cooked peas
 1 1/2 cups diced cooked carrots
 1/2 cup milk
 2 eggs
 1 1/2 cups two or three day old whole wheat bread crumbs (firmly packed)
1/4 cup minced onion
 1 cup water
 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
 1/2-teaspoon celery salt

 Mash together the peas and carrots. Add milk, beaten eggs and all remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Place mixture in a well-greased loaf pan and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) for one hour and 15 minutes. Serve with any favorite meat sauce.