Out of Helen's kitchen - The 1930's

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Published on Friday, June 30, 2017

Helen Drysdale
The Neepawa Banner

What would be known as the Great Depression was ushered in by the stock market crash in 1929. That caused a worldwide economic depression. This was followed with a horrendous drought that struck the Prairie provinces, which were reliant on one single crop, wheat. What the drought did not get, the grasshoppers and the wind storms that tore away the topsoil did, and devastated agricultural production.

The lucky Prime Minister during the first years of the depression, was R.B. Bennett and many things were named after him such as a Bennet yard, the name for a farm that had been abandoned or Bennet coffee, the name used for roasted wheat coffee. To save the 30 cents a yard for cotton at the store. women made diapers, aprons, underwear, pillow cases and curtains from the flour, sugar and feed sacks. At the Beautiful Plains Museum, you will find aprons and pillow cases made from bags fancied up with beautiful embroidery. The manufacturers seeing an opportunity, began putting printed patterns on the sacks and soon, many women were wearing fashionable dresses made from these sacks. The Great Depression caused many hardships, including the change of the cuisine of the time. Many of the seniors who lived through the depression remember the many ways their moms could make rhubarb desserts, beans and potatoes. One of my older friends refused to eat rhubarb after living through the ‘30s. He said he had eaten enough in his childhood to last his lifetime. Patches of rhubarb plants still can be found on the prairies in abandoned yards.

Rhubarb treat cake

1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen
Topping:
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
4 Tbsp. milk
Mix together sugar, butter and egg. Stir the flour, salt, soda and cinnamon together. Add the dry ingredients in two additions alternately with the milk and vanilla, starting with the milk. Fold in the rhubarb and place in a 9x13” pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until firm in the middle. Topping: combine all the ingredients and spread over hot cake. Broil until bubbly, watch it carefully as not to burn.