One of my favorite recipes stays with me not for its overwhelming deliciousness (although it is pretty good), but for the adaptability it represents.
Water Pie. It’s about as simple as you might imagine: just flour, cooking oil, salt, and water for the crust, and flour, water, butter, sugar, and vanilla for the filling.
At a glance, you can see the lack that must have been present to birth such a humble dish. The very substance of the pie is glaringly absent. And if ever you have ventured to bake this pie, you know it takes a little faith.
When the oven dings and you go to retrieve your pie, you are certain you will be left with a soggy, half-baked crust full of water. Yet, like a miracle, a filling will have formed.
This recipe represents so well the incredible creativity, tenacity, and resourcefulness of people during one of America’s most trying times, the Great Depression.
As we stand in the midst of our own troubles and the future hangs in a haze of uncertainty, you would be forgiven for finding yourself a little nervous. But there is truly no need to fear.
Your very existence in this world is a testament to your ancestors’ ability to persevere. And that ability is as much a part of you, and it will be part of your children. And their children.
Let us glimpse the ingenuity of those who came before us. And with their wisdom, we can thrive.
The Great Depression, from 1929-1939, was a time of extreme poverty alongside high unemployment on a global scale. There was a very real threat of starvation.
Think of the homemakers, women who were faced with the impossible task of putting meals on the table amidst rampant poverty and lack. But with what little they had, they not only supplied dinners that would become comfort recipes for future generations, they somehow produced dessert!
Water Pie, to me, represents the ability and the invitation to thrive in hard times. It wasn’t, in itself, a meal. It was only dessert. An addition. An enjoyable bonus. It was not at all necessary to expend those ingredients to survive.
It represents a generation’s determination to live, to maintain normalcy, and to meet the needs of those in their care with creative problem-solving.
Another example of this is Wacky Cake, doubtless named for its uncanny use of low-cost ingredients to somehow become cake, even without milk, eggs, or butter.
These people were spelunking to the barren depths of their resources and cobbling together solutions to their everyday problems with scraps.
Out of almost nothing, they made something. They didn’t throw up their hands when the cupboards were bare, and their pockets were empty. And neither will we.
As they did, we will look at what we have, and we’ll make something.
We won’t be afraid. The possibilities are brimming, and we are not helpless. We may not have much, but we have something. And there’s a way we can use it.
The kitchen creativity of the mothers of the Great Depression is transferable to every area of the homestead. We will need to extend that problem-solving to the coop and pasture as well.
Some creatures will be admittedly easier to care for in times of scarcity than others. Large ruminants, for example, may prove a challenge, but by no means impossible.
As such large creatures, cows and horses naturally require a lot of food and water. Are you able to grow and harvest your own hay on your property, or on a willing neighbour’s? These days, there are options for renting farm equipment if you lack the machines.
If this option fails you, bartering was a tried and true system during the Great Depression, and that interdependence marks a great many stories of human survival in hard times, and is the backbone of community.
You may not have hay for your cows, but perhaps your surplus of eggs would be useful for your hay-rich neighbour who is running low on food. Bartering and trading are great ways to thrive in hard times.
Or you may be able to establish a deal among a neighbor or two to share the cost of large orders of goods, so that everyone may enjoy the benefits of a bulk discount.
Your homestead is very likely not a one-hundred percent self-sufficient island with no need for anything external to it. And that’s okay.
We are stronger together, after all.
Of all of the creatures on a homestead, chickens may be your biggest ally. Their needs are perhaps the easiest to meet in times of scarcity, and they will help you survive as much as you help them.
If money or food are lacking, it may be time to consider free-ranging. Not only will your flock relish the opportunity to run amok, but they will also feed themselves for free on seeds, bugs, and grains. The wild edibles they find will doubtless include beneficial herbs to boost their overall health.
They will find their own grit, and you can feed them their own eggs to supply some valuable protein, and the shells for their high calcium needs.
And if the thought of feeding your chickens their own eggs seems a little strange to you, I assure you it is not only very healthy for them, but no other snack you could ever supply would likely be more enjoyed.
As you can see, chickens will mostly care for themselves while supplying you with eggs that you can eat or barter with. Remember when egg prices soared to impossible heights? There’s gold in them thar coops!
If free-ranging your chickens is not an option, you can gather grasses and weeds from your yard and garden manually. Pests devouring your garden? You may see possibilities in such a problem when you realize they are valuable treats for your flock. Sometimes a problem can actually be the solution to a bigger one.
Your chickens’ normal store-bought feed can be extended by soaking or fermenting it. Not only will they eat less, but each bite will be far more nutrient-dense.
As for substrate in your coop or run, dried leaves are free and a nuisance to most people. Your neighbours may be quite willing to part with them if you’re willing to gather them, supplying both of you with a valuable service. The leaves will also supply excellent nourishment to your garden soil.
These are, of course, only a few ideas to spark your own creative thinking. We need not be discouraged. We need not fear. Even with little, we’ll be just fine. We can stand together. We can adapt and change.
There are assets in your hands you may not have considered. With a little out-of-the-box thinking, you will know how best to utilize them.
Don’t give up. We are not going to survive, friend. We are going to thrive!