Time for Thanks-giving

These Minnesota soldiers in training marched on the dusty streets of Camp Dodge outside Des Moines, Iowa in 1917 and 1918. Soon they would be fighting on the fields of France during World War I. November 11 was once called Armistice Day, honoring all those who fought for freedom and marking what people hoped would be the "end of the 'war to end all wars.'"

The truth is, if you had relatives in the United States in 1917, they fought in this war. They may not have been actual soldiers, but they all participated in the war efforts. Women, children, and men collected metal for recycling, folded bandages for the wounded, knitted sweaters and socks to keep soldiers and sailors warm, and changed the way they ate to conserve food for our allies and soldiers.


Here, in another picture from the archives of the Minnesota Historical Society, women attend "war cooking classes" taught by the University of Minnesota Extension Division, learning how to make meatless meals and wheatless breads. Federal food administrator Herbert Hoover lead the campaign, but citizens all over the nation cheerfully took up the cause as this poem credited to Mabel L. Clapp and appearing in Northfield, Minnesota's Norwegian American on January 25, 1918 demonstrates.

Hoover’s Going to Get You!

The “great old Hoover Pledge” has
come to our house to stay;
To frown on breakfast bacon down,
and take our steak away;
It cans our morning waffles, and our
sausage, too, it seems,
And dilates on the succulence of corn,
and spuds and beans,
So skimp the sugar in your cake
and leave the butter out!
Or Hoover’s goin’ to get you if you
Don’t Watch Out!

O, gone now are the good old days of
hot cakes, thickly spread;
And meatless, wheatless, sweetless
days are reigning in their stead;
And gone the days of fat rib roasts,
and two-inch T-bone steaks,
And doughnuts plump and golden
brown, the kind that mother makes
And when it comes to pies and cake,
just learn to cut it out.
Or Hoover’s goin’ to get you if you
Don’t Watch Out!

So spread your buckwheats sparingly,
and peel your taters thin;
And tighten up your belt a notch, and
don’t forget to grin.
And, if, sometimes, your whole soul
yearns for shortcake high and wide,
And biscuits drenched with honey, and
chicken, butter fried,
Remember then that Kaiser Bill is
short on sauerkraut.
And Hoover’s goin’ to get him if we’ll
All Help Out!


This Veteran's Day why not make a different kind of thanks-giving -- a World War I style meal. There are several recipes in the posts below. Meat Cakes, Whole Wheat Chocolate Cookies, Victory Cabbage, War Bread, Oatmeal Muffins to name just a few. Take a moment -- perhaps at 11 a.m. on November 11, to think about the contributions and sacrifices of those who have gone before. Say "thank you" to a soldier or veteran and remember to celebrate all that makes this nation great.

Wheatless Oatmeal Cookies and Victory Cabbage

World War I food conservation measures inspired homemakers to use pantry and garden staples to maximum advantage. Instead of using precious flour, fats and sugar to make cake or pie for dessert, the clever cook served a light and satisfyingly sweet cookie instead. These crisp and chewy cookies certainly fill the bill.

Cabbage is a Midwwestern garden staple. Harvested late in the fall, folks could put the heads down in an unheated basement or root cellar for use well into the winter. Many traditional red cabbage recipes use bacon -- an important food to be shipped overseas to our soldiers and allies. The Victory Cabbage recipe below substitutes the tiniest bit of cayenne pepper and nutmeg to fill in that flavor gap. It is easy and one of the best red cabbage recipes I've ever had.

Oatmeal Crisps

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons melted butter or other fat

1 cup Quaker Old Fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat egg until thick and lemon colored and add sugar gradually. The mixture will look almost like cake frosting. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop teaspoons of mixture on well greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart and spread into circular shape with knife dipped into cold water. Bake until just lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully, they can burn quickly. Cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet then carefully lift off and place on wire rack. Enjoy plain or sandwich two together with date filling. Store cookies in a dry place. Makes about 30 single cookies or 15 filled with date filling

Filling for Oatmeal Crisps

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

4 ounces chopped dates or figs

Combine sugar and water in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add dates or figs and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens. Cool and put spoonful of mixture between cookies and press firmly together. Store leftover filling in refrigerator and serve as a jam or mix with cream cheese for a WWI-style sandwich filling for whole wheat bread.

Victory Cabbage

4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced onion

1/16 teaspoon nutmeg

1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Soak the cabbage briefly in cold water. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and seasonings and cook until the onion is transparent, stirring frequently. Drain the cabbage and add to the frying pan carefully as the water clinging to the shreds will tend to spatter. Cover and cook over low heat until the cabbage is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove lid, add the vinegar and sugar, stir well and cook for 5 more minutes.

Copyright 2010 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved