Self-Sufficiency Tips from the Great Depression | What My Grandparents Raised

[@MelissaKNorris]

Thank you for watching! Do you have any recipes or tips passed down from your family from these times? Are you changing any of the things you're doing this year?

[@foster3316]

I'm a big fan. You and 1870s Homestead helped me discover Ruth Stout garden methods. I wrecked my garden last year by over tilling in a really wet season here in East Texas. You helped me get back on track.

[@WeWillServeJehovah]

We are blessed to be getting our 5 acre homestead!!! Thank you for all the videos and resources. I've learned so much from you.

[@himsworthhavenhomestead1936]

My grandmother’s mother had to make a quick batch of homemade noodles when more company showed up for Christmas dinner than what was expected. We’ve continued that recipe with every turkey dinner!’

[@maryjane-vx4dd]

@@joannathesinger770 maybe compile a depression cook book and sell?

[@amandaburger2506]

My grandmother was born just after the depression, but her family was very poor and she was the second youngest of 8 children. She and my grandfather were both quite poor when my my mother was a child and they definitely lived mostly off their livestock and garden. They didn't get indoor plumbing until '72, when my Mom was 7-years-old. Biscuits were a big staple in their household and I've had the recipe memorized since I was 8. I also still use the same pie crust recipe my grandma passed down, though I'm pretty sure it's just the one from the tub of crisco. I've been gardening and canning for years, but I'm really stepping up the game this year. I had 3 raised beds and several pots for veggies last year, but I've added 5 more beds this year. Tomatoes, beans, and root veggies will be my primary crops this year. We've also got an apple, chokecherry, nanking cherry, and an apricot tree along with a few haskap berry bushes. I'm very interested in foraging and have cooked up bellflower root, made dandelion coffee, used dandelion greens in salads, and have a bowl of dandelion petals steeping right now for dandelion jelly. I've also begun the licensing process to own chickens within my city, but that probably won't happen until next spring. I'm loving your channel and all the homesteading tips, especially for colder weather!

[@dnsmithnc]

Knowing what she knows is much better than having most four year college degrees. This is the stuff we should know and maybe, one day soon, will need to know.

[@abbybonecutter8529]

I agree!

[@tatianacomeau7244]

They've made pp dependant on the system and soft and now engineering to choke the food supply

[@ritascott4040]

I keep thinking she is breaking the heck out of the eggs she’s carrying!!lol!

[@WithmeVerissimusWhostoned]

one of natural tendencies of governments is to steer people towards dependency, not help people become independent...

[@Hy-Brasil]

Thats because government needs people to exist. Truth is society does better with small government and strong military. Let the people govern themselves and enforce constitutional rights. Anything more than that is overreach nanny state bullshit.

[@margaretd3710]

My parents went through the Great Depression and we had a farm when I was growing up, so we had a large garden, a milking cow, 2 nanny goats (my chore to milk those), chickens, hogs, beef cattle, etc. I remember coming home from school crying that other kids were having hot dogs for dinner and we had to eat steak yet again! My parents just laughed and told me that when I was grown I'd look back and think how great we ate. Yep! I never ate better - we grew "organic" before it became a thing. It was just the way you grew your garden. -- So now I'm a grandma and putting in a garden (I hated all the work of it when I was a kid!) and loving all the memories that it brings. As well as food that's so much better than you can get in the stores.

[@user-dp4bu8jy4b]

Now we know a plantbased diet is best for our heart..unlike meat, fruits and veggies dont cause cancer

[@springcreek2561]

I grew up on a farm in Wi and joined the Air Force, at school (Lowry AFB CO) a bunch of us went out to eat on payday and I couldn't understand why all those other people were wasting their money on steak. lol

[@joeygibbs4775]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

[@thunderusnight]

@@user-dp4bu8jy4b ......... Meat doesn't cause cancer. It can cause heart problems if you have genetic dispositions, and it can increase your chances of getting cancer *Slightly* but it can't CAUSE cancer.

[@Misswho5]

What a great and sweet story! Thank you for sharing

[@rebeccapettifer6553]

I have the receipts from Norton's Store in the little town of Orion, Il. that my mom and dad sold eggs and cream to the local store during the 40's. Another thing that I found so sweet is when my parents were married in 1944 my mom's parents gave them a heifer that grew into an adult cow + was breed to my grandparents bull. That was how my folks started their herd and got their milk cow. They bought 150 acres across the road from my grandparents that they finally paid off when I was 18. On that farm was an old falling down farm house in the middle of the 150 acres. They tore that house down board by board and kept the good wood, pulled the nails and hauled the wood on the hay wagon to the front of the farm closer to the road. Dad dug the basement using the tractor and then for the finer points dug it by hand. He drew the plans for the house, bought the cement blocks and uncles came and helped him lay the block for the basement and helped at different times building. One of my uncles built the kitchen cabinets. We lived in a garage on the property until I956 when the house was done. Dad was born 1914 and mom 1923. They lived through the depression and my childhood was terrific. My mom and we girls gardened and canned everything. I worked the farm along with my parents, brother and sister and was the happiest time of my life except when I had my children. I own the farm now and my husband + I farmed it for 35 years. My son farms it now. The house still stands and is in perfect condition and my son lives in it now with his family. Well I got a little long winded but everything you said in this video resonates with me. Thank you for bringing back so clearly the beautiful memories.

[@janesalt1650]

❤

[@Diniecita]

Something not many people realize is that the depression took a long time to be “over” and was different in each place. Most places weren’t back to normal for 12 years after the government said it was over. So this became a way of life for so many people.

[@Brisbanesdaddy]

On your pears.... add a couple of orange wedges to each jar. The citric acid will keep them bright white and improve the flavor! Its an awesome way to can pears. My great aunts all did this (they would all be well over 100 years old) They were old time country ladies. Give it a try!

[@RjGold5.12]

Sir, thank you for telling us. Blessings to you and your loved ones...

[@Noname-cn4ly]

I’m in my late 60’s and have always added orange slices to my canned pears, but I learned it from my mother and grandmother.

[@rubiejones1897]

That’s smart!!

[@foreveryoung-vr1kh]

Thankyou

[@MarianRehersals]

My mom used lemons.

[@Lisaairbnb]

My grandparents lived in great depression and lived to 96 and still never ate fast food. All home made

[@WykedRuby]

I have a 96 year old great grandmother who would eat a McDonalds fish sandwich several times over the last few years. She did eat some "junk" like sugary cereal.

[@Mrbfgray]

Part of the reason they lived so long, similar with my dad's parents and they remained frugal long after they were prosperous.

[@mweber5459]

Probably were not over vaccinated either

[@ariloves10]

Cheers to Gramma and Grampa 💜❤🙏

[@astrolabium88]

Same with me for great grandparents, with property.

[@deebaker9961]

I grew up with my Great-Aunt and Great Uncle in Michigan. They were a young married couple with 3 small children during the Great Depression. I remember her saying that they were excited when they got to the end of the week and still had $0.05 for a pound of bologna. When I lived with them, we had 3 gardens that were almost an acre each. My Great-Uncle would start planting 2 long rows of corn when “the oak leaves were the size of baby squirrel’s ears” and then plant 2 rows every 2 weeks until the first week in August. We had fresh corn until the first of October. We canned all vegetables all summer.

[@sandrajohnson9926]

Wonderful! Great memories of hard work & love.

[@anastasiahicks9451]

Wow, what precious memories! You should write this into a children's book!

[@stringjamgirl]

Dee Baker my grandmother used to tell me they would run out of fresh food and money at the end of the week and have popcorn for supper. Everyone loved the treat. My grandfather was lucky enough to have a job at a grocery store back during the Depression, but it was very difficult getting by. Grandpa always had a garden to supplement. My grandmother had to find creative ways to make ends meet. She used to make sandwiches for supper and they would go to the beach once a week for a cheap and fun supper. We live near the coast. I know it was stressful for my grandparents, but they found ways to enjoy life just the same.

[@vernareed2692]

I'm from arkansas,& my grandpa would plant corn when oak leaves size of squirrels ears. They always had big garden that did well. Loved when we'd go visit them in usually june & the wonderful fresh vegetables,homegrown & butchered meat, & good food! They had milk cows,made butter,cottage cheese,thick cream! Fresh cherries,strawberries grandma made into preserves as well as fresh & pies. She dried fruit-apples,peaches.

[@bartpowers9972]

Dee I come from KyOut of a family of ten children we grew ever thing we ate two big garden’s 8 pigs 3 beef my papa use to warn us kids not to stand still to long around grandma are you will be looking out of a jar she can every day vegetables meat she even can eggs. We ate a lot of chicken We never went hungry

[@simplypatti6705]

Living like this is so good for the spirit. To work for your own existence, without dependence on needed cash and transportation to a store; it’s so empowering.

[@ramalingamsadasivan2835]

Also very healthy.

[@sarahs7751]

If only we could actually own land...wed have it made

[@mal35m]

@@sarahs7751 Marxists don't think peasants owning land is a good idea.

[@rosimeiredemelo4898]

By reading the comments I felt like I lived in a depression times, although I have not, I grow up in a very secluded country farm in Brazil with no access to health care (would take 10hrs with horse carriage) to get to the closest pharmacy. Then I have learned all about growing fruits, vegetables, caring for the animals. When I first came to the US felt like I want to forget about my difficulty childhood, now that I am old I know how fortunate I have been and wants to have a piece of land to do this.

[@festuswilliams4138]

Hi Rosi.

[@kayhollings1777]

This was a great comment. There seems to be a demonisation of any form of poor today. Unless you grew up with a 6 bedroom house, a pony and gold bed sheets you needlessly suffered and your life isn't worth anything. It's craziness! Who ever grew as a person, learned real life values because they never suffered and had everything they ever wanted on cue? All that breeds is narcissism and/or depression. Not to mention the skills that develop when you need them!

[@faramund9865]

Great vid. I think a lot of people misunderstand when someone says "life was hard, but it was good". They might think that our ancestors enjoyed the suffering they went through, that's not it. Life was a challenge, but they had the knowledge and skill to overcome those challenges which made them feel free and proud. On top of that you would rely on your family a lot more, forming a tight bond, which people also enjoy.

[@sandramkettner3506]

You also had great neighbors who helped anyone in a pinch.

[@faramund9865]

@@sandramkettner3506 I still have them! But I live in the countryside.

[@kourtneyw8442]

I think people were less hedonistic back then as well. The simple things made them happy.

[@stvsmith1791]

Why it's almost as though you get out of it what you put into it... *disappears in ninja fashion

[@kforest2745]

Exactly. It was theirs.

[@suellenw561]

I came across a guy selling "home-made" jams & jelly at a farm market that insisted you can't make jelly w/out store-bought pectic. I couldn't convince him that I never buy pectic & have great jelly. Glad to hear someone else knows that, too. I inherited my Mom's recipes. The one for strawberry preserves was "strawberries & sugar ... cook til thick." That was it.

[@kathrynronald9365]

I make great strawberry jam without pectin as well. 4 cups of mashed strawberries, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 cup of apple sauce or apple purée and 3 cups of sugar. Slow boil for 25 mins. So good 😊

[@JennaDanelle]

Jams made w sugar are often called conserves and they are my favorite, plum is super delish if you can get a plum tree! I have never used pectin in jam, ever, always just fruit and sugar.

[@victoriabulcock8823]

Blueberries especially have a high pectin content when about 5 days from peak ripeness! The sugars also arent fully formed into long-chain carbohydrates yet which gives it a nice jell and a nice sour contrast to the super sweet ones

[@athenac2696]

Anyone know how to use honey to make Blueberry Jelly?

[@elainebaird2091]

@@kathrynronald9365 Hello, Kathryn, thanks for the recipe. Have you tried to freeze it, and if so well well did it freeze?

[@gracenjuguna7292]

Many of us in Kenya live like this except we don't preserve stuff. We don't have winter. I eat maize, beans and grind maize flour to make ugali which is staple and wild greens esp at the coast where I live. I use solar though... Would love to learn how to can

[@madamsophia1503]

Look into fermenting, too.

[@hemanginipr6974]

Please, I urge you, make a channel and show us your ways.

[@iammarklynch]

Just learned to can last week Grace, it was nice to have my Mother show me how. The catch is right now in all of this uncertainty canning supplies are are scare a lot of places.

[@debbiedebbie9473]

www.africanbites.com/ugali-corn-fufu/

[@klantifashakur9894]

Show us your ways!

[@treebeard7140]

Hardships make farmers out of all of us. The farm supply section is picked clean and it makes me happy people are getting the big picture.

[@sandrafrancisco]

it's illegal for me to raise chickens in my city on my quarter acre (it's a small suburban city too). many americans don't own enough land to feed themselves or their family a healthy diet (lack of clean water will probably get people first though). that's why it's important to manage the government properly or there will be mass death. and before the mass death happens, there will be a bunch of armed, desperate, and starving people doing everything possible to stall death for just another day or so.

[@Mrbfgray]

I haven't even noticed the farm supply section as I've been building slowly toward self sufficiency (to some degree at least) for over a decade. Had all the tools I need long ago.

[@granmabern5283]

Shaun Go to city council meetings and get the bylaw changed. Start a petition. Make a few copies, with a nice picture of a cute chicken tractor on it... Post the petition at a few health food store and corner stores..with permission from managers. Chicken tractors make city chickens attractive and practical. Also, having a couple could be legal as pets. Roosters are probably not possible. They squawk too much.

[@laurakelso9652]

@@sandrafrancisco exactly!! This horrific mess has been planned for years and 5g in connection with so called Vaccines are designed for mass depopulation !! And of course the lack of food, water, utilities will be used as weapons against humanity!! Another weapon is DIVISION amongst the people!! Too many people don't even see what's happening, by design!!

[@sandrafrancisco]

@@laurakelso9652 hah, okay honeybuns.

[@edwardpaty7420]

My momma and daddy lived thru the depression in Arkansas and didn't have refrigeration. My momma's family did have spring house and my daddy's family had a root cellar and they taught me how they used them to preserve food. They didn't do a lot of salting of their meat and fish, instead they smoked and dried most of their meat and fish. My daddy and his sister survived the 1918 influenza pandemic, losing their parents and a sister to the influenza, and the aunt and uncle that took them in and raise them were 'Por' they were so poor, they couldn't afford the second 'O'. They were so 'Por' they didn't know there was a depression till it was over. But they never went hungry because they chickens and raised a slaughtering hog each year, and my daddy's uncle was a good hunter, trapper and fisherman and he taught my daddy to hunt, trap and fish, and they had garden with a long growing season. According to my daddy his aunt was good cook and she had 2 specialties: 1. Vegetable Delight, because they were delighted they had vegetables. 2. Meat Surprise, surprised we have meat. That meat might be chicken or pork or venison,... Or it might be a squirrel or rabbit,... Or even a possum.

[@dianehall5345]

Good morning Melissa. My mom was also raised through The Great Depression. And her mother, Grandma Hazel, was my babysitter! Gram lived next door, so I heard her stories and advice from birth. It was one of the greatest gifts she gave me that sustains me and my husband to this day. Gram's brother, Ray, owned an egg business, so we always had fresh eggs and chicken. Gram's New Englander house was originally a farm that became the edge of the suburbs in Manchester, New Hampshire. Ray's farm was in the bordering town of Bedford. Our city did not allow chickens, but Gram had a Victory garden. Gram canned foods and taught me the OLD NEW HAMPSHIRE WAYS. The first recipe Gram taught me was baking powder biscuits. Tapioca pudding was a staple desert after school. Melissa, please press home the BARTERING. This is one way we can get a variety of foods today. We raise beef cattle, but buy and barter meats and vegetables we don't have, with our neighbors. We also barter work. Neighbors would help us hay and in return we gave them bales of hay in payment or a combination of money and hay or firewood. All I can think of is the fairytale story of STONE SOUP. The town was on the verge of starving. A stranger came into town and said he could feed the town with the help of his magic stone. He placed the stone in a large iron kettle and asked if anyone in town had carrots. One family did and added them into the pot. Another family came forward with potatoes, followed by cabbage. Each family added one food item to the pot. Soon there was a meal to feed the entire town. A wonderful story of everyone working together to help each other.

[@charlottehayward5943]

My dad told that story. He was all about people working together and helping each other.

[@wintersprite]

Stone soup is similar to Hobo Stew. People would contribute what they could into a pot and share the soup/stew. I’m from NH. New England brown bread is great as well. And Marshmallow Fluff is a New England staple.

[@genefoster9821]

Hi, I’m from central Virginia. My father grew up during the depression. He said that they did not know they were poor because all their neighbors were in the same situation. There were 14 in the family, so the only things they bought were shoes, salt, cloth, they actually raised their own wheat. He said they ate a lot of beans. He taught me a lot about gardening. Also, he would not buy anything unless he could pay for it. One of his favorite expressions was: If you don’t owe anyone you can’t god broke.

[@payghbrozny1111]

Using dehydrated orange peel that you grind to a power with a coffee grinder makes natural pectin

[@melrose4429]

Wow thanks for sharing!

[@m.k.1543]

I assume its just the peel with the pith removed, is that correct?

[@athenac2696]

Thanks!

[@victoriabulcock8823]

Going along with that, if picking berries to make jelly or something, put a bit of the almost ripe ones in there. Their pectin content is pretty high and the sugars arent quite fully formed into long-chain carbs yet so it jells nicely!

[@johoney5458]

how did you learn this and how much do you use per pint jar? I have so much to learn and I feel like I am so behind on everything. Thank you for sharing.

[@wendellbell6164]

I also live in Washington state. My dad lived in south Dakota during the depression, then was a POW for a short while in North Korea. He killed his way out of that prison but could never remember how many days he ran to get back to friendly territory. He had PTSD but handled it quite well I thought. We had milk and beef cows , pigs and made our own butter from the cream, chickens for meat and eggs, raised gardens that my mother canned . Mom would gather us kids to go pick straw berries and make straw berry jam by the quart and pour hot paraffin wax on top of the jam to seal it up. We would reuse the wax. We had alot of bacon , eggs, fried potatoes, drop biscuits and white sauce gravey for breakfast. It was really good. My brother thought we had a bad childhood but I thought it was great. 4 kids in my family. We all worked hard and advanced in life pretty well. We are still a close knit family. I now live in a log home with a wood cook stove 50 plus free ranging chickens depending on the varmints. I built a big root cellar a few years ago, still figuring it out for temp control. I learned to graft and grow about 70 fruit tree's and put up 80 to 100 tons of hay per year. I like gardening but run short on time. Raise honey bees for fun but they are not easy to keep alive. Growing fruit trees and cattle has been the best effort for gain for me. Honey bee's increase your fruit production by about 30%. Farming keeps me alittle to busy but is rewarding and the pandemic doesn't slow me down much. I built homes for a living and farmed for entertainment and self reliance. Thanks for your video, please make more.

[@jeanetteinthisorn4955]

Look up Paul Stamets on how bees need certain types of fungi to thrive - they use it like a pharmacy. You can grow them yourself near the bee houses. If you see lionsmane in the wild, there is a good chance there is a wild swarm nearby.

[@DChristina]

You were so blessed!

[@jeancassup8878]

You should blog about these things.

[@sbell9989]

"It was a hard life but it was a good life" I remember, was exactly what my mom said to me. The Greatest Generation...they were a different breed, we will never have again.

[@brendahowell5946]

Amen

[@ideoformsun5806]

This is the BEST comment section! I love all the stories and memories. And the tips.

[@bellachi9575]

This is an excellent resource. And it gave me an “aha” moment. My grandmother never made bread, but biscuits or cornbread were at every meal. Because it was more efficient time and material use! This makes me want to get chickens again, and maybe a couple of milk goats(less feed and work for dairy than a cow). We as a nation have been spoiled by consumerism. We need to get back to producing our own, for ourselves and to share with our community. True happiness comes not from what we possess but from what we produce.

[@beckysmuck8771]

So excited for you! Get them goats! I have laying hens and three roosters. Three milk goats. Only two are in milk right now. Already harvested the meat chickens this year... We have five pigs... Two cows... a meat goat... We also hunt Deer, Elk and antelope. We have two raised garden beds and two large in ground gardens. I can and or freeze everything I can get my hands on.

[@woodspirit98]

Wise words. Happiness from what we produce. I would add..what we give to others also.

[@whosedoingwhat]

I would get those chicks fast. The predictions for Aug. Sept. are unnerving and who knows if they will lock us down for good! They are sure pushing that scenario. When we bought them ev. Chicks related was selling out fast, & still is. Ours are a month from producing. We bought 2 Rhode Is Reds we lost one and replaced lost that one also😢 think poopy butt got chilled after washing, we also bought 2 Australorps, and 2 Silkies forgot zoning said 4🤫 they are so darn cute getting their personalities of sort and the variety is entertaining along with the big egg producing A & RIR, Silkies less but so cute! Here’s the easiest bread (link) you’ll ever make👍🏻 open his site for more type breads rolls m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ-zgoNjma15o8k

[@SirenaSpades]

Not spoiled by consumerism, but marketing/media convincing people of the need to buy things. My grandmother ALWAYS made bread, that's a regional thing, I'm in New England, never had corn bread until maybe 7 years ago :)

[@valerieschauber1544]

I share my eggs with my family and friends

[@shirleydrake1602]

In Alabama, they often had dances. The musicians were local and some family or another would host the dance. Furniture was pushed out of the way to clear the floors for dancing. My parents courted at those dances, as late as the 1940s. My father and his brothers were the band. People pitched in whatever they could to give the players so they could cover their gas. Those young men were the rock stars of their day.

[@debramossbrook6510]

My Dad grew up in rural PA in the Great Depression. When lock down started (I'm in NJ) , i ran to the store and bought flour and yeast. Then, I ordered seeds online. My sister called me the same day, and said she had done the same. The lessons our dad taught us about survival suddenly made total sense. I have a much smaller garden, but I enjoyed this video very much. God Bless the WWII generation. Thank you.

[@treebeard7140]

Valuable lessons everyone seems to be more inspired for self sufficiency. the food supply chain is unsustainable

[@ashleybosvik3031]

I did the same thing, I bought 4 bags of flour 10kg for 3 dollar each and 3, 2lb bags of yeast for 6 dollars each

[@rebeccashetter2309]

@@treebeard7140 I talked to food managers and people who have the wholesale food warehouses. They told me the same; the warehouses are becoming empty.. they are ordering food.... but not coming in. I remember reading years ago that China needs food for their population and had been buying all our farmland. They bought over 58 percent of our good farmland before, we stopped them. They were selling us the food; but not anymore; all is being exported back to China. The largest meat processing company just closed down and went back to China. I honestly think if you don't raise or grow it...by, next year you are going to go hungry. People are so caught up in their TV and phones they don't have a clue what is going on. I see the stores becoming empty... where their was huge amount of food behind each item. That food is spread out in front by four or five and nothing in the back of the shelves. I had to use the bathroom at a grocery store and the back was almost completely empty. It was a scary sight. I would buy what you can while you still can..I am here to learn.. God bless and stay safe everyone.

[@ourfamily3570]

@@rebeccashetter2309 THANK YOU FOR THE WAKE UP CALL!!! o7

[@digsindirt4490]

Same here. I was able to stock up on flour and sugar and vegetable plants. We also purchased fresh fruit which I processed and froze.

[@NoBody-ij9dj]

My fiance and I are terrified by what's happening in America today. We are going to move to Alabama or Georgia soon with hopefully 5-10 acres. We know nothing about living on a farm but are willing to learn. I thank you for your videos and they will be very helpful. I hope we can make things work.

[@amykruse6887]

Homestead Heart Homesteading Family Both good channels for beginning homesteading. I'm year 20 into homesteading and still learning.

[@A-G5518]

Definitely check homesteading family channel for their video on what to know before buying a homestead (or raw land, not sure what they titled it), as well as others who talk about buying land to homestead. I live in SE GA and finding land that big corps aren't snatching up (or price gauging to the point of impossibility) has been a horrible issue. We've been looking daily for over a year. If you find land for a decent price you have to dig and find out why. Is it in a wetlands area? Is it zoned for homesteading? It is right next to an undesirable upcoming plan? (Areas here are for sale right around a potential upcoming spaceport and that's not a good place to homestead, for example). Best of luck!

[@NoBody-ij9dj]

@@A-G5518 Good advice and thank you. We couldn't find the land in our price range but decided on North Florida instead due to family. Probably not far from you in fact. We have a house with an adjacent lot and a greenhouse. It's not big but it's a start.

[@A-G5518]

@@NoBody-ij9dj oh nice!! Congrats! 💜 Totally didn't even realize your original comment was 6 months ago 🙈

[@NoBody-ij9dj]

@@A-G5518 No worries at all. We actually had a home with 6 acres that would have been perfect in Alabama but a cash buyer snatched it out from under us. I really wanted that house and land but it wasn't to be. We are going to have to make due with this for now. It's not our dream home but considering current events that's not important.

[@hermittao]

My mother grew up during the depression as well. She grew up on a farm in rural Tennessee, and said the depression didn't affect them much. Coffee and to a lesser extent sugar had to be purchased. When they visited neighbors, it was usually for several days, as travel was difficult. It just occurred to me, she never complained about hardships growing up. Medical services was the main difficulty, and even easily treatable illnesses now could be a death sentence then. Religion played an important part in their lives and a chance to visit with neighbor. Thank you for bringing back memories.

[@jennhill8708]

My Dad was born in 1922, the youngest of 5 living children. By the time he was 8, he was working before & after school. His Dad lost the ranch trying to save his oil leases, which he also lost. His Dad was a carpenter, by trade & fell from a roof, breaking his back. The oldest boy carried his Dad's dreams, but my Dad was close to his Mom. He always felt responsible for the family. He moved West & learned to mechanic (heavy equipment) & weld, really good skills for life. He joined the Marine Corps before WWII & fought on Iwo Jima. In the boom following the War, he was set w skills that kept us comfortable as a family, when I was growing up. It's interesting to listen to yr stories. Similar to how we lived in the 60s.

[@lethalbilly4270]

I wish we were taught valuable things like harvesting and preserving foods at school. That's a lot more important to me than calculus or analyzing poetry (though those things can be interesting). I look forward to watching more of these videos!

[@angieriggins7366]

My grandparents had an out house when I was little. They had a word stove that we had to take a bath by. I was born in 67. I would not trade them days for the world.

[@trickstothetrades1801]

Same with my grandparents. And to drive to the house u needed to cross the creek (god willing and if it didn’t rise ha ha). In which case we used the scary swinging bridge. It was in West Virginia.

[@kelleyjerred8032]

I was fascinated with my grandmas GD stories out of everything she keptes saying SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!! the stories she told me I really don't blame her. At the ripe age of 45 I finally learned how to budget paid off all my debts including house as a single women kids grown. So finally I listened to that amazing women and im saving 70% of my income 🙌

[@nicemomasmr]

My daughter is 3 years old, I'm always teaching her things. I hope she grows up to be like you. Using all the knowledge you've been given to honor your parents and yourself, it touches my heart

[@amyclark959]

One of my kids is 4 and while putting out some seeds in our humble garden I was impressed with how many he knew. I always encourage my kids to come and "dig in the dirt" with me.

[@amotowngirllivinginasouthe1158]

Because of flour being so hard to come by my grandma would make Peanut butter cookies with one cup of PB, One cup of Sugar and 1 egg put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 min My other grandma would use 1 can of cherry coke with a cake mix to make her cakes with . So she could save her eggs for other things

[@comfortworm3202]

my great grandma did that too, the are very delicious

[@genal5808]

Yup best cookies and so easy to make.

[@amotowngirllivinginasouthe1158]

Yes, Gena they are the best

[@danielstrother2494]

Cans of cherry coke didn’t come out till the 80s

[@danielstrother2494]

Sorry that was off topic. Thank you for your grandmas wisdom. You also brought me back to when I was a kid and cherry coke came out (obviously t was added to fountain pop for years).

[@williamroche3539]

I remember my grandfather talking about the bread lines and people boiling shoes and belts to make a kind of soup or stock. I also remember them talking about making dandelion soup and using acorns as a food source. My grandmother always insisted on a well stocked pantry and a garden out back. I picked up a lot of good habits from those great people and am thankful for their wisdom. People used to think I was strange for keeping things stocked up but not anymore. Hopefully one of the positive changes from this crisis will be that people will be better prepared and self sufficient . Thanks for the video.

[@sophie3869]

Similar story here. We moved a few years ago and found out our new house's foundation was unstable so we had to rebuild the house. We redesigned it to have a big kitchen with a lot of storage and an underground pantry. The pantry is mostly filled with jams, jellies, pickles, etc and flour/sugar. We also put a standing freezer in there. We have a garden and chop our own firewood from dead trees our neighbors cut down. My freinds thought we were extra and weird for stocking up, making most things from scratch and learning survival skills (foraging, fire/shelter building, sewing, tool making, preserving, etc). I really hope that this crisis makes people more in touch with nature and helps people return to a simpler way of life.

[@debrajabs9523]

@@kellygarland6196 I believe the point of boiling the leather would serve 3 purposes: disinfect, soften the leather and release the proteins. If you have ever eaten spam you would be familiar with the clear jelly like substance that is in the can as well. That is pure protein that is gelatinous until you heat it up. Meat flavored jello. It holds the chopped meat together. Things are pretty dire if you are boiling leather. Rice and dry beans like pinto beans supply all the essential amino acids you need when eaten together.

[@dianehall5345]

William- My Grandmother Hazel also kept her pantry filled and had a Victory Garden. She taught me how to live well from the land. I am now living her 1935 lifestyle, complete with the 1930 kitchen wood stove! I am now 70. We are a working farm. What we don't grow, our neighbors do. We co-op. Not rocket science. We have beef, but place our orders with other local farms in for chicken, eggs and pork. We trade off what the gardens produce. Its called communication.

[@williamroche3539]

@@dianehall5345 There's some places like that here in Maine. A lot of homesteaders and off grid folks. It looks like a good, simple way of life.

[@dianehall5345]

William Roche- Yes, I am native New Hampshire. Our 350 acre working farm is 4th generation. All college educations are not equal. If you have a degree in Agriculture, your mindset is in that direction. My career was manufacturing engineering. My co-workers were brilliant in their fields, but many had no clue how to garden and live sustainably. Thank God for my grandmother! I teach rural New Hampshire lifestyles from 1920 to 1940, either on or off grid, but only to the local residents. These You Tube channels are lifesavers. They can show how to live by your own hand. Today's society has not done us any favors in that respect. But you do not have to live on a farm to learn the basic skills of pressure canning and dehydrating foods. I was also a corporate Sr. Buyer in high tech. People can form neighborhood co-ops to have more buying and acquisition power for foods and goods. This winter could become a challenge in the cities and suburbs. In the 1970s, we formed neighborhood food co-ops. The Erwon & Llama wholesale companies dropped off tractor trailer loads of food at our town community center and we broke up of 100lb bags of organic flour and boxes of raisons, etc. Once a month, we gathered and put an order togeter. There are wholesale companies out there that should sell a minimum dollar amount in order to qualify the buyers for a "drop off". I wish the town councils would step forward to assist, but individual citizens can accomplish this on their own.

[@jesshothersall]

My father was born in 1904, and they had an old black iron cooking range. His widowed mother would put bake potatoes in there ready for the morning, and the three children would be given a big hot potato each to put in their pocket, to keep their hands warm as they walked to school in winter (Scotland) and then it was their lunch too. After living through the being a single parent household and the depression, he never wasted anything. Always saving things "in case they come in handy" they often did eventually, and I still save things for later. He was a Merchant Seaman though, so never got into gardening beyond mowing. I'm having to learn the gardening/growing part of making do and mend. Loved the history in your video, thanks for making it. In the UK we call it bottling as cans here are made of metal. When you first mentioned canning, I thought you must actually be using tins, until you showed us the bottles. I have 2 pear trees, which never last long, so having seen yours, I now realise I must preserve my pears this year, thanks for that :)

[@stanleypennock2118]

My mom told about the same story as your father even though she was a few years younger. She grew up in Southeastern Ohio here in the US. There were 8 of them and older children got baked potatoes and the little ones got hard boiled eggs. I asked why not give them all the same thing? She said that they ran out of potatoes early spring but usually had plenty of eggs so it was really just to ration the potatoes.

[@shirleylake7738]

My Dad was born during the great depression. One of three children. His dad left when my father was 2.5 never to return. My dad and his older sister used to sell soft pretzles,pencils and apples on the street corners of Philadelphia Pa. They had stale pretzles and oat meal for a couple of Thanksgiving .Living The city w as difficult . My grandmother took in laundry and did ironing for a few professional people. She saved thread from old clothes and wound it to a ball. She would save tin foil the same way after she washed and dried it.

[@ourfamily3570]

@@shirleylake7738 That sounds like what happened to my father-in-law... 1 of 3 to his parents... his father left... We found someone with the same last name... apparently a set of 3 half cousins... whose father was born before our family's set... that knew what happened to the guy.... died by himself in CA of heart attack at age 58 I think it was.

[@trishshahtegardens]

My grandfather walked from Missouri to California on the Oregon trail. Walked! I just think that's wild. The best stories came from Grandpa.

[@denisebrady6858]

Melissa I am the youngest of 10 children & I am 69yrs of age so I can associate with everything you were saying in this video. I have to say though we had a Wonderful Life & growing up was just magic- it was different here in Australia because we were still such a small Country. Thank you for making younger people of today realise how tough it was then. Cheers Denise - Australia

[@tilmonhensley443]

Melissa, I remember the fresh buttermilk fresh butter. and corn bread, pickled green beans, Or fried ham from the smoke house home made gravy and hot biscuits from the wood cook stove, Going to the barn to geather eggs. Or milking the cow, God i hated milking the cow, But it was my job and i loved hateing it. but never knew any one dieing from hard work, Girl im so proud of you and your videos, and what a smart women u are, and the work u put in them, GOD BLESS YOU GIRL Love from North Carolina.

[@mattandmegandiercks8809]

My wife also hates milking the cows but I cannot complain for her practice has really paid off and so I try to beat my wife to that chore quite often so I can say to her “I’ll take a rain check for when I’m ready”

[@meditation9666]

I can't find the recipes. I really enjoyed you show.

[@VideoCreators]

Wow, so much to learn here. Thanks so much for sharing your dad's stories. Fun to see how you're taking his stories and living them out yourself now.

[@joeygibbs4775]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

[@rwatts2155]

WOW! What a great video!! I grew up in Arkansas in a small rice farming community. We were not farmers but we did raise and grow much of our food. Fishing and hunting rounded out the meals. I learned to cook, bake bread ( yea biscuits ! ) . Of course we had black and white television until we upgraded to color by Scotch Taping red, blue ( for skies ), green ( mid screen for grass and trees,and yellow( for added interest I guess ). That upgrade lasted about as long as the pet sea monkeys that we bought from ads in the backs of comic books. Don't waste your 10 cents...the "monkeys" are some kind of amoeba and don't look a thing like the little smiling animals that are sketched in. My favorite pass time was listening to my parents, grandparents, and my great aunts and uncles recount the stories from their lives at the turn of the 20th century and the Great Depression and the prohibition. Yep! my grampaw was a very spiritual man. In fact, you could say he was a spiritual leader in the south. Grampaw was heavily in the distillation and distribution of fine spirits. In fact, his distillation and distribution enterprise kept a lot of people fed and clothed at the time. There were not only his family and employees fed but there were local and state police, judges, and politicians whose families benefited from Grampaw's fine liquors but that's another story for another day. Thank you for making and sharing your beautiful video with us and keep up the good work!

[@johnmcdonald1306]

Born in 1959 I had to ask my Dad what it was like in the depression. It was depressing to here his family of eight was poor with dysfunctional parents and brothers and sisters went to orphanage's and a couple fostered into good families. My dad stayed with his dad who was a drunk living above a bowling alley and was 8 yrs old during the depression in the city He said he did stand in soup lines and had to sell newspapers on the street and was a pin boy at a bowling alley. To live like this growing up I could not imagine and asking him this I realized why he did not believe in wasting anything. after he became the father of six kids just him telling me this made me realize that I had everything I got to be thankful for and work hard to get everything I could. The best advise he said to me was no matter what job you have do your best and eventually it will pay off. Now we were poor and got government cheese that was great and peanut butter in a gallon can with a half inch of oil on top and I didn't know what Kraft was until I was 12 and went to a friends house. But I learned latter how blessed I was to have a Mother and Father and a family . I wish I knew how to attach a black and white picture of us kids around a home made birthday cake that people see that are shocked. But you see me smiling at 6 years old not caring how the cake looked

[@PlanetMojo]

Our cookbook was passed down from my grandmother who raised my mother during the great depression and it is chock-full of depression era recipes. My favorite is chicken noodle soup with dumplings. Grandma made it with chicken stock, eggs, and the flour came from home grown grain. Grandma was a school teacher back then and walked to the little school house she taught at. She hunted rabbits and turkey on the way home.

[@Keyspoet27]

Both my mom and dad grew up during the Depression; my dad in NE Texas and my mom in New Mexico, and I saw my maternal grandparents and my great-grandmother every summer growing up, learning a lot from all of them in the process. Then, when I was seventeen, we visited his cousin in southern Oregon, and she was all about homesteading, self-sufficiency, and growing and preserving the vast majority of their food. We lived in suburban L.A., but had about a third of an acre on a pie-shaped lot, at the end of a cul-de-sac overlooking what had been Coyote Pass (now Monterey Pass), where my mom grew a large variety of fruit trees and a few vegetables, plus a large strawberry patch, all fed from her ever-present compost pile. And, growing up in earthquake country, we all learned to be prepared in case of disaster, so as my sisters and I each moved out on our own, we developed our own ways of being prepared and making certain that we had more than enough food and water to carry us through anything life could throw at us. After twenty-eight years in Florida, I'm now in Middle Tennessee with my husband, on an acreage that we bought specifically to start an organic farm and orchard. Our garden is way late this year, as we had a series of storms and tornadoes rip through here in March and April, but in the past eight years we've planted over 100 fruit and nut trees and bushes, and I've got several dozen more that I've grown from seeds and cuttings that are ready to go into the ground. We have a number of mature and producing fruit and nut trees in our woods, along with five chicken hens and a rooster, two Muscovy duck hens, and we're hoping in the near future to add several varieties of quail, along with milk goats, sheep, possibly guinea hogs, and definitely a milk cow. My husband is from Poland, and grew up visiting his own grandparents' rural homestead there, so we both love cooking from scratch, and have both done fermenting, dehydrating, canning and other forms of food preservation since childhood.

[@rebeccacampos5217]

I grew up for awhile in Monterey Park. Went to Brightwood. Did you go to Brightwood or Highlands? Your place in Tennessee sounds amazing! After my husband retired we moved to New Mexico and we love the rural life. ❤

[@michalbarkai3736]

My mom literally told me this week that they didnt have a lot of money, so rice in milk and sugar was their special treat. My mom was born in 53.

[@farmoboy83]

My favourite desert is sweet rice :)

[@debralev]

My mom used to make us that as a treat. I call it now my poor mans rice pudding. I use Brown rice, non dairy vanilla milk and cinnamon. It’s so good.

[@debrajabs9523]

@@debralev Add maple extract instead of vanilla for a yummy twist.

[@debrajabs9523]

My mom was born in 41. She said they got boiled rice with milk and cinnamon and sugar for a treat. I think that it was probably a way to get them to eat rice.

[@michalbarkai3736]

@@debrajabs9523 my mom said they didnt have enough so it was a cheap treat.

[@lindamickel8545]

My parents were born in 1930 and 1931. My dad rarely spoke about it but my mom did. She would tell about here in NJ making margarine and using a capsule and breaking it open to color the margarine yellow. Their gardens consisted mainly of squash and green beans. Going through my folks stuff we actually found their ration cards. You reused everything and never threw anything away. My grandparents had ice boxes, coal for heat root cellars. Newspaper was an insulator. Many lessons learned. Something big out here was chipped beef and sometimes it would be creamed with flour and water.

[@fireofevender5515]

My husband asked for creamed chipped beef on toast a few weeks ago. I got the Buddig beef from the grocery store & we had gravy on toast. Delicious! His Mom (now 70) learned this recipe from her Mom. Great depression recipes usually involve gravy & bread. Yum!

[@annettesegal9585]

Thanks for the memories! When I was young margarine or oleo as we knew it was illegal in the state of Wisconsin (until 1967)! My Dad and uncles would make an oleo run across the Illinois border in November for Christmas baking. I laugh and tell people my Dad was an oleo smuggler.

[@lindseyt240]

Just found your channel! My great grandma was born in SW MO in 1910; oldest of 12 kids. Lives through flu epidemic (lost 2 kids), 2 world wars, depressions, oil crisis, and more. She helped with the garden until she was 96, and green beans were very important! She dried them because as a child they didn’t have enough canning supplies for 14 people all winter. They called them “Johnny’s jumpers” and added them to boiling water to make protein in soup/ stews. It stretched her meat and veggies at the end of winter. She would make a couple biscuits to go with. This brings back memories for me!❤️❤️❤️

[@RjGold5.12]

This was my first time to watch your channel. My parents lived through the Depression and I remember growing up NW Arkansas in the 60's-70's. Dad would slaughter a hog every fall, use sugar cure and smoke in the smoke house. Mom would can vegetable soup and everything from the garden that we didn't eat. Sometimes, they'd have to buy an extra hundred pounds of potatoes to store under the house, so we'd have enough for the winter. We'd pick wild blackberries and muscadines for jelly and she'd can pickled, sweet Indian peaches. Through the fall and winter we'd eat pinto beans, with a carrot chunked up in them, fried potatoes, turnip greens, cornbread and maybe an onion cut in wedges. Thanks for sharing your video. Blessings to you and your loved ones...

[@pauldonathan5316]

Awesome, love that area of Arkansas, I can just smell that hog right now...I grew up in Little Rock, Fort Smith, born in Memphis

[@sandrajohnson9926]

My dad was born in April 1929. We had a beautiful garden growing up. The best corn around. Peanuts, potatoes, okra, tomatoes, onions, on & on. I didn't like weeding, but I loved the rest. My husband & I continue growing & expanding our gardens. Now we raise bees as well. Chickens again soon.

[@gardenbun]

You are so incredibly knowledgeable! I can't imagine what 'nutcases' gave you a thumbs-down! I am a lifelong vegetarian, but I found your talk and tour fascinating. I had a grandma from Germany and she told me many similar stories/techniques. Most people in the US do not realize how fortunate/spoiled we are to have an over-abundance of more food than our ancestors could have envisioned!

[@free2binnh]

I just could not slaughter the animals she talks about. I could embrace a diet with limited dairy and eggs and some meat.

[@deltadawn679]

I don't know who could give her a thumbs down? This was wonderful!

[@melissasmomglam]

@@free2binnh oftentimes we don’t know what we could do unless we are faced with that situation.

[@winnie2379]

My dad was a child and young adult during the Depression, and he was the only son of tenant farmers. It was a incredibly difficult way to live. Plowing was done by walking behind a horse. At age 12, he was doing the work of a grown man. He was an organic gardener before anyone else was, and he was a great cook too. He taught me about Sorghum, which was important to his family, and I don’t ever hear folks mention sorghum☺️!

[@lorimangold2890]

Winnie,I eat sorghum, but it doesn't grow around here, farmers grew it when I was a kid, but not now, Wow Winnie, your Dad grew up tough, my Dad had to do that too, he said, that they chopped corn with a machete corn knife,

[@amiegamble1678]

My grandma is from Kentucky. She has sorghum in her pantry. I was raised knowing about sorghum. She uses it sparingly.

[@jenmailsouth4155]

I'm in KY. Sorghum is in the grocery here, local made.

[@amiegamble1678]

@@jenmailsouth4155 My grandma and mom are from Greenup.😊

[@jenmailsouth4155]

@@amiegamble1678 I'm in Mayfield.

[@bettyc.parker-young1437]

Rice pudding was a real treat for us too! My mom and dad were born in the 1920's and they taught me so much! I have also inherited kitchen non electric appliances from my mom since her passing. I feel so rich! We had a large family and always had a big garden. Until my dad bought a tiller we used a neighbor's mule. He used to give rides on Old Dan. Love your video and it has brought back many memories. Thank you.

[@sillililli01]

There is so much we can learn from our elders, if we only took the time to listen to their stories of survival through the great depression era, etc. We could put to use what we learn from them into our own lives. Thank you for sharing your Dad's story with us. It is inspirational.

[@jakefilmore]

My Nana grew up in England during the war, it was rough, Neighbors Wld add their baking supplies together for special occasions.you never threw out anything, old bits of cloth & bones from your dinner went to the Rag & Bone Man who would sell on to poor. She told me about the bombs that dropped before they hit about a mile above it would whistle then go silent to terrify the ppl, she came out of her bsmt after a raid & both houses on either side & ppl were hit & just rubble.

[@sillililli01]

@@jakefilmore My father who will be 97 this year, is a WWII Veteran. The stories he tells of the war are quite something. He spent some time in England during the war.

[@jakefilmore]

@@sillililli01 Is he wondering why they ever fought another richer men's war after all this BS? Thank him for his service from a Canuck. My Papa was in WW2 in Scotland, he survived also but never spoke about it.

[@sillililli01]

@@jakefilmore My father landed on Juno beach, two days after his B-Day, a teenager. He said, he saw things no young man should ever see, that day. The Canadians were fierce, they made in-roads further than anyone. By the end of the war, he realized just how political war is, so yeah, he figured it out, real quick.

[@guydesnoyers8417]

Thank you for sharing these valuable perspectives in such detail. I'm sure your Grandmother would be in disbelief that nearly a half-million people were influenced by her work!

[@timz1280]

I live in MN, and grow a lot of vegetables. We grow enough to feed ourselves year round and have some left over to give away so we have a fresher crop come summer time. We can stewed tomatoes, and make pizza sauce. We're trying a few new things this year, such as making ketchup and salsa, using onions and peppers we grow in our recipes. We've also staggered our corn this year so we don't get hundreds of ears at the same time. Otherwise we freeze corn, beans, carrots, peas, peppers and onions. We store potatoes until they turn into seedlings. I also deer hunt, so most of our meat annually is from venison. It's tons of work, but it's nice to depend on yourself for food and other needs.

[@jimmyhvy2277]

as a young boy , my job at home was to milk our two house cow's by hand , before and after school everyday . Plus tending to the crops , we also had horses that we would brake in to riding and pulling cart's ,it made me a strong and well coordinated young fellow .

[@lynnbea491able]

Thank you soo nice, Bravo! Have a great day 👍👍👍👍👍

[@lesliekendall2206]

I just listened to your interview with your dad. I'm just now drying my tears. We had recordings of my dad. Oh sure, everyone has photos. But when you play it after he's passed, it's like he's still right there next to you. A treasure you won't realize till you experience it. 💕

[@cvmfriends]

My grandmother is Icelandic, and over there (at least in my family) rice pudding is what they make for the Christmas dessert. we grew up eating it and I absolutely love it every time I make it I think of her.

[@OvcharkaShepherd]

Yum, rice pudding with golden raisins and orange peel

[@decastring]

Amen to "it was a hard life, but it was a good life"!

[@victorwadsworth821]

I can remember my old granny churning butter, my great granddad was happy to see my dad as granny fond of dad was the only time she would cook steaks from the cows they grew. Great granddad paid of his land during the depression by digging up huge slabs of limestone, transporting them and selling them. He feed many of the hungry around him & somewhere I have a poll tax bill of his for less than two dollars with his signature on it. We sat in the late evenings, churning ice cream, sitting on either rope chairs or chairs made from the hides from Great granddad's cows. I hated the outhouse as there were always wasp buzzing around in it. His well water was a horrible metalic tasting thing, but great granddad had those small bottles of Dr. Pepper for us kids to drink. Both granny and great granddad dipped Garrett's snuff, his name by the way was A.F. Garrett & I have one of his old snuff bottles in my window seat. On hot summer nights, they would pull their iron bedframes and mattresses out on the grass to sleep under the stars. There home was built from local rock early during the great depression in Milsap, Texas.

[@kan-zee]

wow….thanks Mr Tom.. You awoken alot of my own childhood memories of late depression times. . Hunting , setting Fishing nets, Trap lines were a huge part of our survival in Northern Ontario..We never had the Homestead animals like you mentioned in your experience..but we did alot of fur trading and crafts.. for canned goods, and ammunition and supplies . We weren’t allowed farm animals / it was against the law for us northern First Nations to have multiple farm animals…so we were dependant alot on our traditional ways for survival . If there was a Native family whom wanted to start up a homestead with animals..the laws back then required that family to give up all their native rights and become fully assimiliated into white man’s society. All future children would have no native rights. Today their are many families trying to get their Native Status back due to homesteading or Franchising. Collecting wild edibles was a must-do activity (family berry picking was a good time) and smoking meats and lots of barn building for our staples of flour, Sugar, coffee, lard etc… Many natives had home gardens and would be operated sorely on man power. Their were some families whom would barter with off reserve white families, for a horse in exchange for labor on their farm or clear cutting and logging.... Never was their a locked door to the log homes...and everyone knew everyone's business..lol...clothing was always church donations and hand me downs, yet alot of women , were seamstresses and would trade their skills for food from the church....The churches got rich with alot of native artifacts, through unfair trades...knowing the families were desperate for food and supplies. . Back in the younger days...You had to have permission slips from the government Indian agent to leave the reserve to get work , or go to the white town for shopping ...or you'd get arrested for leaving your reserve and fined. . Alot of families had bootlegging business's (moonshine ops) in the bush, also , cause it was against the law to sell booze to natives... . It wasn’t till the late 1950’s that farming was introduced for many natives and it took off….Alot of first Nation tribes, excelled in apple orchards, grains, potato production and many other crops…but were still not allowed by the government, to have access to machinery till 1970’s .. . I recall the times of the outhouse and cold windy trots out in the winter..We used scraped cedar bark ...it was soft and is antimicrobial ...great bum cleaning stuff, the women loved it for the absorbency of it, with their sacred moontime. Then we too eventually , started using cut up newspaper, and catalog pages and the women adapted also . . I remember the fish camps, hunting camps, seasonal activities of harvesting morels, leeks and dandelions, Cattails, wild ginger, stinging nettles, chicory , red clover, spring plantain, Burdock etc.. for suppers with our mix of flour and birch bark for baked or fried bread... .I remember tapping maple trees for maple syrup and trading it for supplies and ammo. Getting hair cuts from a couple of the neighbourhood grandma's in exchange for some basic labor work of repairing a chimney or splitting wood pile...I remember the collecting of garbage, with horses and wagon..to deliver to the dump for burning. I recall bow hunting for salmon and rabbits/partridge and other small game...and getting my 40% of the catch ...canned up by great aunties (they got their 60% of the meat ..lol ) . I remember doing deer runs, to the open fields and open frozen lake, so that my older cuzzins could take that bow shot and stock up on winter meat... . I remember building a dozen smoke houses and smoking meat and fish from the nets, for weeks. Duck, Goose, wild turkey were favorite times as well . I remember the long winters, when we were snowed in..and our only entertainment was our elderly storytellers...boy they could tell great legends , and educational , history stories that kept the imagination burning and will to live going. . The Trap line was my favorite time...always we had fresh meat, and working the hides for trade was a bonus. Harvesting Cedar bark, spruce roots and birch bark for new creations of baskets, …thanks again for awakening some of my own memories through your recollections. . Everyone from early teen years to elderly, had hunting skills, canoeing skills, knew which plants were edible and medicinal, trapping and snaring skills, gardening skills, tool making , a good relationship with the land and wild animals and knew the seasonal activities that needed to be done. . If a crime (eg: theft) was committed it was handled by the elders , chief and family members...the only prisons we had, were Old potato cellars (holes dug in hills) , I recall that some mental ill members ended up in these for a time, and were isolated and treated by elder medicine people and family members , till they got through it. . It was rare that criminal activity occurred...but when it wasn't resolved by the tribe..the perps were banished from the community....this was a death sentence for some, whom knew their survival was dependant on community unity...solo was a terrible thing, and many starved or got killed in white towns. . when a big sickness came through the land...we isolated our sick to an island, where a big lodge was build for them ..and supplies were taken out to them daily , for their survival.. It wasn't till I was separated from my mother by the government courts and church , that I was put on a Work Farm and made into a full time laborer and god fearing follower....that I experienced most of what Mr Tom mentioned in his life telling...and experienced a different diet, different lifestyle.... .. Great job Melissa with the interview with your pops

[@tinekarmannnielsen3249]

Wauw, so interesting reading, thank you. God bless you!

[@tbpc800]

Very interesting! I hope you write a book of these things

[@kan-zee]

@@tinekarmannnielsen3249 Many thank you's...and May God keep you & family well.

[@kan-zee]

@@tbpc800 A tall order indeed to write a book...but I have my community today...whom I get to share my elders and my own life with, in our winter time story tellings and sacred gatherings. thank you for your kind interest.

[@happydays1336]

It's so sad that you had to experience such bigotry. I hope it's better for you now.

[@strutt01]

There was a blessing to beans and cornbread our people didn't realize. There is lots of protein in corn, there's lots of protein in beans. But we cannot digest it unless you mix one of the 3 types of proteins together in a meal. Legumes(beans) grains (corn) nuts( from trees or peanuts) when you mix two of the three groups together, you get a complete protein , hence beans and cornbread made for some extremely healthy and strong people. Cheapeast food in the world, also the healthiest.

[@durwoodfoote9607]

Even after the Great Depression, rural areas didn't have electricity until the REA and TVA came onto the scene! Lighting was by kerosene (coal-oil) lamps and if a family had a radio, it was battery powered and Mama controlled its use by day and Papa controlled it in the evening before bedtime which was soon after the sun went down.... lots and lots of quality time! And no surprise, in the large families, one or more members learned to play a musical instrument, guitar, mandolin, violin, piano, harmonica, or Zither! Yes, times were hard, but families were strong and well loved! And that's what made the "good old days," the good old days!!! Loved your video! Thanks.

[@srg6532]

Different breeds of milk cows give different levels of milk fat, protein, etc. It helps to know what what final products one wants, to aide in the selection of the breed of milk cow. Breed also affects flavor, in my opinion. Wild onions are to be avoided around milk cows due to altered milk flavor also.

[@brett76544]

My grandfather and grandmother live through the depression and her father also told me about it, plus what live was like in Germay 120 years ago. The apple or pear trees or the odd peach tree, berry picking (black, blue and raspberry), the garden vegetables (peas, beans, broccoli, tomatoes, different squashes), Growing items for pickling, like thime. There were wild strawberries, blue berries, cranberries, elderberries. Then nuts from the forest chestnut, hickory, beach then some walnut if it was there. Then wild grapes, mushrooms. One thing, Sheep or goats. Some people used the goats for milk instead of a cow. Then there is the Apple butter! On my dads and moms side all grew enough to sell items. Be it wool, caned items. Then in season the main crop along with some extra vegetables. Then the Maple syrup or maple sugar. Then remember for hunting there was not the game like today. In PA you could only shoot bucks, if you even saw a deer, but there was more grouse, rabbits and people even shot crows to eat. There were a few turkeys in PA, in very remote places that ended up being used to repopulate the state.

[@Sh4peofmyheart]

I'm just a few short months away from 50, and my folks had me later in their lives (I was a change of life baby). Both of them grew up/were young adults, during the great depression. I learned everything I know about gardening and animal husbandry, food preservation, self-reliance, sustainability, and cooking, from them. I've forgotten much of it, or thought I had, but it's coming back quickly. My garden is growing, and I look forward to all of the good things we'll be eating.

[@ladyhawk6999]

My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents all did this and I still do. I was raised and still live on the very farm they homesteaded when they came from the old country.

[@tomsalzer535]

My name is Pam. I use to raise chickens, collect eggs. A tip for bright orange yolks was that the chickens got into my flower garden and chowed down my marigolds and zennias. I had a great garden with hearty shelves I did all kinds of fruit, veggies. and I froze my corn on and off the cob. I had geese, turkeys, ducks, guinea hens, rabbits. We hunted venison as well. Chickens love table scraps. I love to bake bread.

[@sandramort37]

I got my first chickens when I moved out of NYC a few years ago. What did I know? I never even had a parakeet before. Well, apparently 140 chickens is a lot. Who knew? LOL!!! Fast forward a few years, we're raising them again. We got 20 straight run dual purpose birds, so we'll keep 10 laying hens and one or two roosters to protect the flock, plus the rest go to 'freezer camp'. I'd like to also get some Texas A&M quail, both for the eggs & the meat. Unfortunately, dairy animals aren't an option right now, but someday. Then there's the garden, but that's for another day. I'm going back to your video now!

[@Rosethatwantstomove]

My dad always talked about his hogs, his mom's chickens, & the dairy cow that forced him to chase her to get milked. 1 day the cow was in the middle of a frozen pond, he took after her w the tractor. Cow got off the pond safely, tractor wasn't so lucky, it fell thru the ice. He hated that cow even more after that. He also mentioned that his mom fed anyone that asked for a meal. Far as I know no one stole anything from them.

[@thisorthat7626]

Rosie Ehnie, I also heard stories from my mom about living during the depression. They lived in the suburbs and my grandfather was employed during the depression but things were still tight. My mom did mention that her mother never turned anyone away who came to their door asking for food. It was often something small, but she always gave them something to eat. We could learn a lot from that behavior, IMO. Blessings.

[@brucethomas3100]

@@thisorthat7626 That's right. My Mom and Dad got up every morning at 4:00 to start their day. Dad fed the livestock, milked the cows while Mom cooked breakfast for all of us that were still sleeping. I have been up building a fire in the wood burning heater in the dining room when someone would knock at the door. When Mom answered the door she would always take a couple of country ham or bacon biscuits, whatever our breakfast meat was. Chances are it was someone asking for something to eat.

[@thisorthat7626]

@@brucethomas3100 Thank you for sharing. I think more of us are going to return to the "old ways" of living during the next few years as we learn what is important. Blessings!

[@raffaellavitiello1762]

@@thisorthat7626 they exchange goods among neighbours, or a service for food, people help this way, we lived in a small village, it was like a family, especialy among the poor and needy, my mum told me a lot of amazing story that as a child i did not notice happen in those days. Today we lived among strangers but l am sure if bad time come l hope anyway that the best in people will prevale

[@thisorthat7626]

@@raffaellavitiello1762 I have faith in people and I believe that the best in people will prevail when necessary. Blessings.

[@Freeagent-4-life]

My Dad and his siblings were raised on a hand to mouth existence in Australia (He was born 1929). Many today would no believe the difficulty of their life.

[@aliyannajoy1607]

My dad and mom went thru the Depression, too. Both of their families were 7 or more kids...so yeah big families. When they moved up North to WA state....besides beans...they had lots of taters and apples. I have a larger family....and when my husband was out of work....we went gleaning for potatoes and apples and those were a big part of our meals. Some of the apples weren't meant for cookin..mostly for fresh...but with a little sweetening and lots of cinnamon...lol it was great applesauce. Gleaning (with the owner's permission) made a big difference for us. We have often gone to wheat ranchers during harvest and bought our wheat for a year and it cost us less than a few bags of flour or gleaned enough potatoes to keep us (husband works construction....so times are always changeable) We bought local honey from orchardist who used the bees for pollinating and would sell the honey to cover costs.....always great honey and local honey is so good !! You look to be on the other side of the mts from us....we live close to the Columbia.

[@kwranchandkitchen4655]

I absolutely love your videos that talk about the depression era. I was raised by my grandparents whom I thought were my parents but my mom was born in 1933 so she grew up right during the depression times so everything was made by scratch in our home but she had stopped canning by the time I came around. I wish she talked about it more often then she did.

[@jasongentry7405]

Love the video. Just as an add-on: Honey can replace sugar in recipes...even canning. If I am not mistaken 3/4 to 7/8 cup honey replaces 1 cup of sugar. My grandfather used to follow honey bees from a water source and then go back and cut down the tree they were in.

[@lindsayg8224]

I know I've enjoyed learning the same things from my grandma. So thankful for that generation of hard working people.

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

it is interesting to watch videos like this. Most people seem to think anyone in the nation can just go buy food whenever they want. That's not the case. The great depression issues are real to many people today. I run on $600/month. If I were to buy all my food, that would be $450/month in itself. Lucky for me, I live on 7 acres on the far side of nowhere. I garden and forage most of my food. A weasel killed my hens this past winter. Ohh! Rice pudding! One of my childhood treats! another was sugar and cream on home made bread. I've never used pectin. I like the texture of jam without it.

[@dana102083]

hey lady, I just wanted to pipe in as this has saved me money. I started a ketogenic diet about 2.5 years ago and ate around 500/month in food or more. Now I'm at 200/month! I only ate twice a day usually and aimed for snacks but now I just eat once a day of very good quality meat and veggies.. that's it! Because it's high fat, it keeps me full and I burn body fat when I don't eat. I'm at my body weight that's normal for my size and still ok eating this way. I wanted to pipe in as people think keto is expensive, but if you have weight to lose or health issues, I'd challenge you to take a look at the information. Dr Box, Dr Berry and Dr Eckberg are my go to's for info.. oh and Dr. Fung! Grains are starvation foods and why they were used widely in the war times, our ancestors before that have eaten fatty meat and foraged for life! We are the same people. Sent with love!

[@colleenkaralee2280]

Before I got pensioned off I fed on $3 daily buying one large $6 watermelon all summer - it was delicious and filling and lasted for two days and never got tired of it and never wanted anything else.

[@dana102083]

@@colleenkaralee2280 but zero protein. :/ being in ketosis spares protein at least..the difference between starving on sugar metabolism and starving on body fats metabolism

[@alanprine3668]

This year I am growing all my tomatoes , green beans, tomatillos, pumpkins,melons, and lettuce hydroponically. I’m growing my potatoes, carrots, radishes,green onions, and Brussels sprouts in grow bags. I’m hoping this works out. If so I will expand it next year.

[@michaelmoore3360]

Melissa knows about chickens gardening, making bread, homesteading such a well versed woman for being so young. She has written books. Not sure where she finds the time to write. She knows about everything. So so wise.

[@Lisaairbnb]

I loved hearing the stories of my grandparents during the depression. She used to tell me that they went to the but hers and asked for the head of a cow, which the but hers threw out. He carried it home in a sack and made lots of meals from that. Today most wouldn’t eat it and i agree were spoiled. She said the tongue made a roast, the cheek was tender, made omelettes with brains. They wasted nothing. Canned everything. Big vegetable garden. Tomato sauce, fruit, eggplant, etc. Made lots of home made pasta! Im wanting to get back to my roots and going to start and can.

[@julieanderson5184]

I have a pair of my mother's wooden clogs made for her when she was probably four years old. My grandfather raise the cattle butchered and tan the hide, then once a year the cobbler would come around. He would measure everyone's feet then make a wooden clog base and attached my grandfather's tanned leather with tiny nails. Every nail is still perfectly set and my daughter would wear them around the house when she was little, they are still in perfectly usable condition for future Generations.

[@Anonymous-km5pj]

Amazing...., as it should be. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

[@coryernewein]

We had 100 acres when I was a kid, now I have 6 acres and am showing my son how to get back to our roots. He was 5 when we moved here so he should have some good work ethics instilled

[@andreab5865]

I lived with my grandparents who lived through the great depression and so they raised cattle and a few pigs and always had a huge garden and a field of potatoes not to mention an orchard with grapes , strawberries, peach, cherry, and pear trees. We also had mature pecan and walnut trees. We picked black berries from my great aunt's cattle field (ouch) and apples from her trees. I can remember going into the field as young as 5 and gathering cow patties loading up the wheel barrel for the fertilizer. (I remember it being fun!) I grew up organic before everyone called it organic. So many are so terribly spoiled and entitled and not just children but adults as well. If anything crazy happens like another great depression there will be a nation of lost unskilled people. Thanks for the great video. God bless

[@Tobar68]

You brought back so many memories of how my grand parents lived - they lived through the depression as well. Too bad I was too young to care to learn how to CAN things - she died before I thought it was important enough to let her teach me. :( But yeah they did most the stuff your showing as well as having a Worm Sand Box they covered with Tin and threw kitchen scraps - so we had worms to fish with. Granny was the Best Fisher using a Cane Pole and she would catch a basket full no matter where we went. So with Grandpa farming and her fishing - they could survive for sure. Thanks

[@lorettahooper8367]

Rice pudding is awesome am 71 ate it all my life

[@saraanderson8458]

My mom lived on her grandparents farm during part of the Depression. They grew all their own vegetables, and raised chickens to eat and collect the eggs & feathers for pillows.

[@SherryEllesson]

I was raised by my grandparents who had lived through the Depression. My Gran used to make Rice Pudding when I was growing up (50s into '60s) and Bread Pudding - both frugal foods that were occasional treats and both of which I still love. Another food she put on the table was Succotash. Her version was red kidney beans and creamed corn, and my grandfather made our bread.

[@festuswilliams4138]

Hi Sherry.

[@nikkicampbell9159]

Ricepudding is still a special dessert in my family we make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Awesome video !

[@thisorthat7626]

Yum! I love rice pudding. How wonderful that it is still special in your family. So many people have forgotten the homemade treats. Blessings.

[@heidiscott4363]

I add raisins & put syrup

[@rick31869]

CAN I HAVE RECIPE PLEASE ?

[@jesshothersall]

@@rick31869 2 gently heaped tablespoons of pudding rice, (it's rounder) 1.5 tablespoons sugar (any) and 1 pint of milk, put it all in an oven dish with lid (pyrex is ideal), stir together, then sprinkle some nutmeg and cinnamon on top (level teaspoon each or to taste). Medium oven for about 45 minutes, take lid off, another 15/20 minutes or so for a golden browned top, and serve in pudding bowls maybe with a splodge of jam for the children :). Should be enough for a family of 4 to 6? My grandmother and mother's recipe, hope you like it :). My children loved it, and my daughter now makes it too, so 4 generations worth...

[@rick31869]

@@jesshothersall thankya dawlin

[@joyfulinhope1210]

Honestly the best part is this video is all the stories and advice contained in the comments. Such a treasure trove!

[@unclerob617]

The Great Depression 1929-1941 left a big impression on all Americans for may years to come. I heard about it my whole life from my parents who in 1941 would have been 10 y/o. It taught people to be self sufficient. My dad would do all of his own electrical, plumbing, concrete work, carpentry, auto maint, etc.. When we would move we just called on family... never dreamt of calling a moving company. People in town kept backyard chickens and had "Victory Gardens".

[@davidnorton7037]

I just noticed your green clothes line. Bet a lot of people didn't even see it or they know what it was. It seems your life now, was how I grew up. Truly the best times of my life. Thank you for bringing those memories back to me.

[@will2-b150]

… Well somebody told us Wall Street fell But we were so poor that we couldn't tell.

[@CantrellLeatherGoods]

Will 2-B great song and true words, we had no idea. We were poor before and after so no change. 🤔😌Grew up listening to Alabama.

[@will2-b150]

montanadoctor Just some lyrics from an old song, no correlation to my finances. Appreciate the concern though.

[@teg31-949]

Melissa, I think this is one of my favorite videos you have made. I love them all, but most of all, I LOVE listening to how people lived "way back when". I am 65 now, my parents are gone, but I remember my Mom telling me how she went to school in a one room schoolhouse, and she brought fried potato and bread sandwiches for lunch. I would LOVE to hear even more stories from your Dad, about the OLD way of life! Can't wait to see your canning videos!

[@1jmass]

Diane Gramelspacher My grandmother made the best cookies, and my mom said she would always get one of the “town kids” to trade their store bought cookies for her homemade ones at lunch. We truly seldom appreciate what we have because there was absolutely no comparison between the two kinds of cookies.

[@downhillwelder73]

Its one of the best videos I have seen, my wife and I are in our early 70s, we have always gardened and canned. My parents lived during the depression, they lived the way your father did, My grandfather would jump the train in Portsmouth ohio, somewhere along the Scioto trail he would throw it off then get off at Lucasville , walk back and collected it, people forgot what if was like then.

[@corissa1960]

I was born in 1960. When I was little we had a 2-seater out house by the barn and we had indoor plumbing. We took a weekly bath on Sunday and the rest of the week we just washed up. We very rarely ate anything out. We ate what mom made and didn't complain. All of us kids loved vegetables. Sometimes we didn't have meat but we never noticed because a plate of mashed potatoes and fried cabbage or fried onions suited us just fine! I'm 60 and I STILL enjoy having that! It's sad that today if we lost all this technology, most people wouldn't know how to survive. It's people like you that carry on the traditions and put out these videos where others can learn about sustainability. Thank you for that.

[@sherryseay6918]

Wonderful video, my parents are gone, watching this brings back a lot of memories and I’m thankful to have a garden and be able to can food for my family.

[@scottwilliams5196]

I don't normally comment, but I really really enjoyed this one. I wish I could hear more stories like this.

[@MelissaKNorris]

I'm so glad you commented! I'm still trying to get my Dad to come on camera but don't know if he'll give in, lol but I love to listen to the stories too.

[@marirose756]

Melissa K. Norris - Modern Homesteading I’m glad that you’re listening to his stories and sharing them with us.

[@growinginthecountry646]

What a great video. We really need to return to a little bit of the mindset they had back then. We've just moved to our own place in the Irish countryside. I'm setting up my veg garden at the moment, and have plans for a wildlife garden and orchard. Looking forward to a bit of self sufficiency and making lovely jams and preserves!

[@JohnDoe-wb4iv]

Mom often made great north beans n cornbread she called it a poor man's meal I loved it

[@amykruse6887]

This reminds me of the Great Depression Cooking channel with Clara. Loved hearing the stories along with recipes of the times.

[@beerbuzz62]

Melissa this video made me feel how fortunate we really are in today’s society thank you for a great video

[@wolfiezdreamscape]

Listening to you talk about your family made me think you were talking about mine and I am much older than you, so are are very blessed and fortunate to have gained this knowledge at such a young age. Sharing to my organic farm page. Thank you. Wonderful and very instructional. Minister Wolfie out.

[@annettesegal9585]

My Maternal Grandma's farm had a root cellar carved out of a hillside just outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Her farm still had no electricity and no indoor plumbing in 1965. We didn't miss it at all when we were kids but certainly was not an easy life. I remember her home canning and pickling including homemade sauerkraut, beets and meat. The root cellar was also full of root vegetables potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets, rutabagas, celery, onions and garlic, many types of squash. All of which would last 4-6 months in the right root cellar to make it through the winter. My Mom continued the tradition and canned the most beautiful peaches, plums and pears. Her root cellar was in our basement. They shelves were perfection of her hard work and the best tasting food ever! My family history was my Dad's family rented a basement "apartment" during the Depression. These were referred to as Polish flats named after all of the Polish immigrants that lived in that area of Milwaukee. Eventually, my Grandparents ended up purchasing the 2 flats with basement apartments. Some of my fondest memories were in those basement kitchens. Two stoves cooking away with the upstairs and back house stoves going for family gatherings of up to 80 relatives. We kids would be the look out of who was arriving. We could only see from the knees down and so identified who was coming to the back cellar door by their dresses or slacks and shoes as they passed the basement windows. Back door guests are best...

[@TheOldSwedesFarm]

My parents both were from the Depression era. The original Old Swede passed on a lot of great ideas, plans, stories, etc. Thanks for sharing your stories and the ideas from your Grandmother and Dad!