The Foods People Ate To Survive The Dust Bowl Are Making Our Stomachs Groan
You don’t need to be an American history buff to understand the damage caused by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Entire towns were swept up by what became known as “black blizzards,” and they both devastated crops and left families struggling to survive. Even if folk escaped the worst of these storms, they may have still struggled to eat as the Great Depression wore on. And in order to put food on the table, the desperate would resort to some truly stomach-churning recipes — ones that sound completely unappetizing today...
Frozen fruit salad
Don’t be fooled by the name of this dish! There definitely wasn’t a plentiful supply of fresh fruit during the Depression or in the Dust Bowl. Folk resorted to the canned stuff instead to make this delicacy, which was generally only enjoyed only once or twice a year.
Beef and gelatin
During the Dust Bowl, food became so scarce that people often didn’t care what they ate — just as long as it filled their bellies. And that resulted in some pretty revolting concoctions. One “recipe” from the time simply combined corned beef and peas — both from cans, of course — with gelatin and vinegar. Lemon juice was added to the mix, too, if only to improve the taste.
Hard-boiled eggs
What’s a Depression-era food that has stood the test of time? Hard-boiled eggs! It’s easy to see why the simple snack was popular back in the day. Many farmers had access to eggs, for one. They were nutritious, too, and proved to be versatile ingredients in quite a few dishes.
Cornmeal
Speaking of versatile ingredients, cornmeal was a must-have during the Dust Bowl — mainly because it could be prepared in so many different ways. You could start off your day with a little cornmeal mush or add the stuff to milk. Folk even fried up cornmeal for a go-to evening meal.
