Victory Kitchen

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of V-E day, we turn to the American home front to see how they celebrated while keeping in mind the war wasn't quite finished yet. Sarah shares a special cake to honor Mother's Day and we hear words of wisdom from 1945 Nebraska school children about what V-E day means to them.

A special thank you to contributors on Internet Archive for making available a variety of radio clips from V-E Day.

In early 20th century America, Halloween was a time for unruly tricks, delicious treats and all sorts of "hijinks" in between. In this spooky episode, Sarah dives into how folks celebrated this anticipated (and dreaded!) holiday in a unique wartime setting. Festive, cursed recipes are brewed up with mixed results and we hear a haunting recitation of some chilling Halloween poems from 1942.

Misconceptions surrounding American WWII food rationing are swirling around on the internet. Were eggs rationed? What about wheatless days? Milk was rationed too, right?

In this episode, Sarah sits down for an experimental ChatGBT sesh to see what it has teach her about rationing (it's not great). She breaks down the rationing basics, goes over what foods were rationed and which weren't and answers follower's wartime food questions. Finally, she tries an interesting molasses frozen treat and we hear the story of fashion designer and war plant worker Elizabeth Hawes.

Christmas in 1940s America conjures up a healthy dose of nostalgia for a lot of people even today. For this special holiday episode, Sarah peeks into traditions celebrated and wartime shortages folks experienced on the homefront from Christmas trees to chocolate. Hanukkah is given a special highlight and adorable children's letters to Santa bring plenty of cheer!

Canning wasn't the only way to preserve food in the 1940s! In this final episode of Season 4, Sarah highlights the old community staple of freezer locker plants, how they served their community and why freezing was maybe more patriotic than canning. She tries out a meatloaf recipe enshrined in bacon and shares an amusing freezer story back when frozen food was still a novelty!

Hospitals in wartime not only provided vital medical treatments and short- and long-term care for their patients, they fed them as well – but where did they get their food, especially in a time of war? In this episode, Sarah delves into the vague and completely unexplored aspect of American wartime food rationing: hospital farms. She looks at what they were, how they served the hospitals they were attached to and how World War II impacted them. Finally, she tries two unhealthy, but delicious recipes from a "healthy" ration cookbook written by a doctor.

War goods weren't the only thing that "rolled off the production line" during WWII. Babies swelled the U.S. population creating bottle necks for all sorts of goods from baby bottles to safety pins. In this episode, Sarah discusses not just baby product shortages, but how the little tykes were featured in propaganda, hospital vs. home births, and which baby foods were rationed and why. (Spoiler Alert: there are some despicable characters in this story!) Finally, Sarah tries out an interesting prenatal recipe for expecting mothers and highlights the incredible career of Black midwife George Anna Saunders.

**It's a special Thanksgiving episode!** With the world at war, America's typical Thanksgiving feast was a lot more subdued, if not more patriotic. In this episode, Sarah explores Thanksgiving attitudes from WWII, the heartfelt and the guilt-trippy. She gets the details behind turkeys, rationing and their price tags, and delights over the birth of our iconic cranberry jelly "log".

Soda Fountains were at the core of American identity in wartime, representing so much of what we were trying to protect in our way of life: a sense of home, community, a place to relax & unwind, not to mention they were the dispensaries of our country's favorite sweet food: ice cream. In this episode Sarah digs into why Americans were obsessed with ice cream despite what the rest of the world thought of us and what unique challenges soda fountains faced in a time of war. She features some wartime-inspired soda fountain creations and highlights a couple soda jerks of Hollywood fame!

Eating away from home was a fact of life for busy people in WWII, and that was especially true for people traveling by rail. Dining cars were an essential part of feeding these people, but railroads were affected by wartime restrictions just like everyone else. In this episode, Sarah digs into this little researched topic to find out how railroads struggled with rationing, how civilians and the military ate aboard trains, and who made all that food while getting it done in the tiniest of kitchen spaces. She discovers a revelatory military chocolate ice cream recipe and honors the legacy of Charles Johnson - Southern Pacific Railroad's first African-American dining car steward.   

Wartime housing shortages led Americans resorting to live wherever and however they could while following lucrative defense factory jobs. Many of these places were not ideal. In this episode, Sarah discusses what the government did to address the housing crisis and focuses on two specific living conditions: trailers and apartments - plus the small space appliances that made cooking in them possible. She also interviews Jesse Williams, Tennessee native and museum professional, to discuss the extreme living conditions of the 75,000 residents of the top secret city Oak Ridge, TN. And finally, she discovers an easy ration recipe for using up leftover cake that's worth hoarding for yourself. Or maybe sharing. It's up to you. 

Season 4 is kicking off its first episode in honor of this year's National Wildlife Week (April 5th - 9th) talking about hunting, fishing, and trapping in wartime! Sarah answers some pressing questions about ammunition rationing, goes over saltwater fishing rules, and discusses some hot wildlife conservation topics of the day fresh from WWII. She also highlights the hilarious, but very irresponsible, wartime cookbook by Lawrence A. Keating where ration-mindedness is thrown out the window.

Much like the wartime conscientious objectors, not a lot is commonly known about the vital work that German and Italian POWs and the Japanese American Internees participated in to save our nation's crops during WWII. In this episode, Sarah highlights the Japanese agricultural heritage in our country, contemplates the conflicted relationship our communities had with enemy prisoners of war, and examines just how complicated the intersection where society and agriculture meet during wartime can be. Sarah tries a delicious Raspberry Turnover recipe and interviews Roger Roop, the grandson of a local Maryland farmer who had POWs on their dairy farm during WWII. 

Not much is commonly known about the important role conscientious objectors played in World War II except for maybe one Hollywood movie. In this episode, Sarah brings to light not only how conscientious objectors helped bring in the crops, but also the myriad of other vital ways they helped America during a crucial time of war despite the hardships they faced for their beliefs. Some cozy, winter-time recipes are discovered, and Sarah shares the personal story about her grandfather, who was a conscientious objector during World War II.   

Early in WWII, with much of the field labor being sucked into the military, defense or factory jobs, the farmers were in a really tough position for getting their crops harvested. In this episode, Sarah looks at the pros and cons of one of the most impactful agricultural programs ever implemented in the United States to help struggling farmers, the Bracero Program, which brought thousands of Mexican laborers to American fields. She tries a unique Aztec style casserole from 1944, and we hear about one Mexican-American woman's memories growing up as a teenager during the war.  

A small, hard-working army of people stood between the American citizens and military troops and the U.S.'s success in the war when it came to food. Who were these people? Veterinarians! In this episode, Sarah and special guest veterinarian Dr. Amy Gulick, talk about the vital role veterinarians and the Army Veterinary Corps played in protecting the nation's food supply during WWII. Both Sarah and Amy try some unique, autumn-friendly meat recipes, and Amy shares a special wartime story about her grandmother. 

If there was ever a youth club tailor-made to be "Homefront Commandos", then the 4-H Club was it. In this episode, Sarah takes a look at this popular agricultural youth club - what they stood for, the amazing things they did for the war effort, and why they fit the bill for Uncle Sam's work for the homefront. Sarah modifies a wartime recipe for apple butter that can go straight into your fridge, and we learn about some 4-H canning superstars from Texas. 

It's time for Rosie the Riveter to share the limelight, because the women of the American Women's Land Army are flexing their muscles in this episode! These millions of women made a huge contribution to agriculture during WWII that has largely gone underappreciated and unknown. Sarah answers some big questions about the AWLA such as who they were, what kind of work they did, and what kind of prejudices they had to overcome. Sarah also tries some unconventional bread rolls and highlights some wartime harvester menus. 

Happy Canada Day! For this special "Road Trip Edition"* first episode of Season 3, Sarah and her guest, Saskatchewan school teacher Kelsie Lonie, discuss the significant food relationship between the United States and Canada during World War II. They explore Canadian food rationing, propaganda, and the not-so-friendly lobster market in Maine. They dig into some wartime Canadian recipes (Butter Tarts, here we come!) and the Canadian Farmerettes get some well-deserved limelight.

*This episodes is longer than most and perfect for a road trip! It also pays tribute to the great distances Canadians have to travel to visit any WWII sites, memorials, or events in their country. 

Americans faced scarcities of their favorite spices and flavorings during WWII while shipping was threatened by U-boats and enemy aircraft around the globe. In this last episode of Season 2, Sarah digs into newspapers to piece together a timeline of spices' disappearance from American pantries and discovers how science saved the day. She finds some toast recipes that have changed her breakfasts forever and tells the homefront story of one family dairy in Houston, TX.

The 1920s song "Yes, We Have No Bananas" was a popular anthem of WWII, especially in the United States. Because Americans were obsessed with bananas. But were there actually no bananas available? Anywhere? In this episode, Sarah dives into newspaper headlines to find out what happened to the bananas and what Americans did to keep that magic banana flavor in their diet. She also tries some sweet wartime banana recipes and relays the incredible story of how and why one little girl ate 15,000 pounds of bananas. 

1940s Americans were no strangers to the social (and governmental) pressure to be trim and in peak health. In this episode, Sarah uncovers miracle pills, magic weight loss food, and liquid diets along with healthier approaches to losing weight in wartime. Sarah enters a showdown with a chowder recipe and we hear echoes of New Year's Eve past in a California woman's personal diary from 1945.

American housewives in WWII had a dizzying task ahead of them - they not only had to make their food dollars stretch, they also had to figure out how to spend their ration points in conjunction with any sales going on at their local grocery. Add to that the government's push to utilize "the Basic 7" food guide to strengthen the health of their families, and they had a headache in the making! Enter: Menu Plans. In this episode, Sarah explores wartime menu planning using three case studies, tries out a rice loaf sure to satisfy your cheese tooth (is that a thing?), and we get a behind the scenes look at Mrs. Roosevelt's life in the White House. 

With 40% of young men being turned away at the draft for malnutrition, Uncle Sam had to do something if he wanted a strong, healthy fighting force and nation of civilians. In this episode, Sarah explains the start of the National Nutrition Program, how merchandisers got involved, and what the deal was with "the Basic 7". She tries a weird nut loaf recipe and laments her candy making skills.

If there was anything Uncle Sam wanted the American people to know, from war plant worker to school child, it was that eating a good, healthy lunch was their patriotic duty. In this episode, Sarah talks about the Victory lunch box - why it was a thing, what it looked like, and what went inside it to keep Americans in top form. She tries out three tasty ration recipes from a Victory lunch box cookbook and we learn how one Michigan community came together to make sure their kids ate a lunch that packed a punch. 

With all that Victory garden bounty, no one wanted it to go to waste. Women learned or brushed up on canning skills in order to preserve the harvest and stock their pantries to save on ration points. In this episode, Sarah examines wartime canning, especially within communities, and dives headlong into the touchy topic about why we should never use vintage canning recipes. She sings the praises of two delicious ration recipes, and a Minnesota woman remembers her teenage years on the home front. 

Prisons, church yards, department store displays... WWII Victory gardens were planted in some pretty interesting places! 

In part two about Victory gardens, Sarah discusses the nitty gritty details of the actual Victory garden - what U.S. citizens planted, what tools they needed, and all the gardening helps available, including the discovery of the second most important aspect of Victory gardens after being a food source. Sarah tries two more vegetable recipes, one of which her family won't touch with a ten-foot pole, and the mystery about Indiana mangoes is cleared up!

Victory gardens may be one of the most iconic aspects of WWII. In this first episode of the new second season, Sarah explores the various aspects of the National Victory Garden campaign, what makes a garden one of the official "victory" variety, and why these gardens were so important to the war effort. Sarah experiments with a couple 1943 vegetarian recipes, and one Indiana preacher sets the bar for the Victory Garden standard.

By the 1940s, Americans had come to rely on the conveniences of canned, dried, and frozen foods, but wartime needs and restrictions changed all that. In this episode finale for Season 1, Sarah explains everything that went into the rationing of processed foods including a national "pantry census." She features two wartime cookbooks with contradictory messages and the homefront farm kitchen gets a highlight. 

With the rationing of dairy cream, Americans had a difficult time getting their hands on their favorite dessert: Ice Cream. Sarah gives the "scoop" on the headaches and the heartbreaks of ice cream rationing and experiments with a Victory "half & half" frozen treat combo. 

{Happy V-E Day! This episode commemorates the 75th anniversary of kicking Hitler's rear!} 

Wartime dairy farmers were no strangers to milk dumping, distribution problems, and irate customers. Sarah lays out the problems dairies faced during WWII and what American consumers had to do without. (Oh, sweet butter!) Two ration recipes for cheese dips are praised and "Nostradamus McLemore" has his say about food rationing.

In March 1943, Americans loved their meat enough to go on carnivorous shopping sprees before official meat rationing began. In this episode, Sarah explores who got most of the good meat (you know, the kind everyone actually wanted), which exact meats were rationed, and she uncovers a "dastardly" government meat conspiracy that no one seems to be complaining about. Plus - Hot Ham Rolls are on the menu!  

If you're one of those that have been drawing parallels between our current global pandemic situation and World War II rationing, you're not alone! In this special episode, Sarah talks about the differences and similarities, offers ideas and suggestions from wartime wisdom, and features a special wartime cookbook. You may or may not want to ignore her wartime/virus pandemic sandwich filling recommendations...

Fat was arguably the most valuable commodity in WWII. In this episode, Sarah lays out why fat was so important, explains the logistics of the Fat Salvage Program, and a special wartime animated icon learns why her bacon grease shouldn't go to feed her dog.

In this episode we find out the lengths Americans went to ensure they had their daily cup of coffee (and we thought they were crazy about sugar!) Sarah and a guest try out a homemade coffee replacement, and Sarah tries out a weird Victory Apple Pie recipe.

With a lot of the world's stores of sugar tied up by wartime, America had to figure out how to satisfy its major sweet tooth. Sarah dives into all the details behind sugar rationing and discovers why corn syrup should best be left for making candy. 

In this first episode, Sarah introduces the nitty gritty details of American food rationing during WWII (yeah, it's confusing!). She also reveals with one ration recipe that there's more than one way to eat a graham cracker.