Victory Gardens Take Root in San Diego

The county of San Diego, working with charitable organizations and volunteers, has gone further than most places in establishing new victory gardens as you will see from this video:

Economy Spiced Cake

Perfect for the 21st Century recession, this WWII recipe from Royal Baking Powder was a way for busy homemakers to add a sweet dessert to their busy wartime schedules. Let us know if you like it (recipe below).









Economy Spice Cake

¼ cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
2 cups cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons Royal Baking Powder (or other baking powder)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening; add sugar slowly, beating in well. Add unbeaten egg, beat well. Blend water and syrup. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with liquid to first mixture. Bake in 2 greased eight-inch layer cake pans in moderate oven at 373 degrees F about 25 minutes. Makes 1 two-layer cake.

WWII Bread Pudding

A recipe that restricts the use of sugar. The original instructions claimed the dessert to be "Inexpensive, Easy and Nourishing."

1 envelope gelatin
2 cups milk
½ cup light or dark corn syrup or 1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoonful salt
4 slices white bread (2 ½ cups cubed)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoonful vanilla
nutmeg, if desired

In a Pickle for the Fourth of July

This recipe is culled from a WWII cookbook that helped Victory Garden growers make the most of their produce. It's another example of saving money, and a good way to show some patriotic pride this July 4.

Sweet Cucumber Pickles (Short Process)

1 gallon cucumbers
6 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mixed spices
1 ½ quarts vinegar
1 cup water

Wash and dry fresh cucumbers. Cover with brine (1 cup salt dissolved in 1 gallon cold water). Let stand 24 hours. Drain. Puncture each cucumber in 2 or 3 places with needle. Simmer (do not boil) ½ of the sugar, the spices, vinegar, and water 30 minutes. Add cucumbers. Simmer 15 minutes. Let stand 2 days. Drain off the liquid. Pack the pickles in hot jars. Add the remaining sugar to the liquid. Boil 5 minutes. Pour, while hot, over the pickles and seal at once.

Victory Cake

So called Victory Cake was designed to make use of fewer eggs and less sugar and other rationed items during WWII. When it comes to the sweetener you can substitute light corn syrup for the honey. The original 1943 recipe was published by the makers of Royal Baking Powder (you can certainly substitute another brand). So bake for Victory, and let us know how you liked it.

One-Egg Cake

1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1 cup milk
2 cups cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons Royal Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Cream shortening well; add sugar slowly, beating in well. Add beaten egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Blend honey and milk. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with liquid to first mixture. Bake in greased square pan (8 x 8 x 2 inches) in moderate oven at 350 degrees F about 1 hour or in 2 greased eight-inch layer cake pans at the same temperature about 30 minutes. Makes 1 eight-inch or 1 two-layer cake.

WWII Recipe: More With Less - Canned Peaches

Sugar and other foods were strictly rationed during World War II. This authentic war recipe from the National World War II Museum shows homemakers how to turn a can of peaches into a mouth-watering jello-ed dessert. Try it and let us know how you enjoyed it.







Peach Fantasy
(Serves 6; uses ¼ pkg.)

1 envelope gelatin
¼ cup cold water
¼ teaspoonful salt
1/8 teaspoonful ground cinnamon and cloves mixed
½ cup hot canned peach syrup or hot water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup canned peaches mashed
2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Soften gelatin in cold water. Add salt, spice, hot water or hot syrup. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add sugar, mashed peaches, lemon juice. Chill until mixture begins to thicken. Beat until frothy. Fold in beaten egg whites. Turn into mold that has been rinsed in cold water. Chill until firm. Serve in sherbet glasses. Garnish with peach slices. May be served with custard sauce made from leftover egg yolks.

Note: Any other available fruit may be substituted for the peaches.

Digging In at Buckingham Palace

The Queen, it seems, has a new hobby - growing veggies. For the first time since WWII a victory garden grows at her palace in London.