Great Depression Burger
My Great-Grandmother, Arizona Henry, regularly talked about the Great Depression, telling me to never waste food because she and her family had gone hungry during that time. She also didn’t waste water. She had two sinks, one for washing and one for rinsing, both of which had one inch of water or less. She would dry all the dishes after supper with an old flour bag and then put the dishes away in their correct spots. Everything had a place in Grandma’s kitchen, and it had better be put there.
Grandma taught me the importance of family meals where we gave thanks for the food we ate and shared about our day. She always said to be thankful for the things you have, like a roof over your head, a pillow and a blanket, heat on cold days, and food.
Grandma was resourceful and insistent on her family learning to cook and can food. We spent much of our time canning and freezing food to get us through the winter. She had a small garden and was always accepting bushels of apples, peaches, pears, and beans from anyone. There was never a problem if half a fruit or vegetable was rotten because she would just cut out the rotten part and use the good part.
Her favorite saying about financial management was “don’t let them in your pocketbook, Stacy, everyone wants in your pocketbook”. Boy, how things have changed in society. We can all learn from Grandma’s advice about being thankful and not letting people into our pocketbooks.
This week’s recipe is about stretching your burger to make it go further as food prices continue to rise. It’s a practical and delicious way to manage your food budget.
Great Depression Burger
1 lb. ground beef or venison
¾ cup potato, shredded fine
½ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 egg
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ cup butter
Mix all ingredients. Pat out the burger. Melt butter in a skillet on medium heat. Fry for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender and reach 160 degrees.
Stacy Schultz is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, a former Morgan County Commissioner and is the author of “It’s Stacy’s Grandma ‘Zona’s recipes” and “Great Grandma Zona’s Wisdom & recipes: Comfort food made easy.” She has been in healthcare for 35 years at War Memorial Hospital.
