With the way prices are rising on food, I think it is good to sit and contemplate some of the old fashioned recipes that used very few ingredients. Sometimes you can stretch a few ingredients into a fantastic meal if you use some of Grandma's old tried and true methods. Below is a recipe that truly shows the simplicity fo good food. It also shows how a mom back when would make dessert when she ran out of fruit. This was probably something served in late winter when stores had run low, and all the fruit had been used.The recipe, and one for Tea cakes like Nanny used to make is at the site below.

Vinegar Cobbler Pie

1/2 cup vinegar 2 Tbsp. butter 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 quart water

Make dumplings or biscuit dough. Add to mixture and cook until tender, use the following spices to suit your taste. (1 to tsp. each: allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon)

http://www.geocities.com/mcelyeafamily/Recipes.htm

Grandma's tea cakes, and Vinegar Cobbler pie

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@brightok.net), May 20, 2004

Answers

Here is another great site called "Ration Recipes of the Past"

http://recipecircus.com/cgi-bin/recipes/category.cgi? category=RationRecipesFromThePast&login=carnation037

Ration Recipes

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@brightok.net), May 20, 2004.

A quick not to add to the above. Many recipes from back when depended on the easily obtainable staples of the time. They included a lot of butter, and eggs, and milk which were available from the barn or nearby farmers. Given the current state of affairs the homesteader is obviously going to be in a favored position. Pray for those people with families that are or soon will be paying $4 a gallon for milk! I believe things are going to be pretty bad for those with young children who need calcium, and are unwilling to live off of taxpayers. Count your blessings , and use your milk wisely, for their are those who don't have it.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@brightok.net), May 20, 2004.

Aaah....we always just called it Vinegar Cobbler. I grew up in Oklahoma eating this desert quite a bit. My Daddy loved it because his "Ma" made it when he was growing up. He was the baby of 10 children that were born near Tahlequah, Ok and then left for California when he was four years old. They did not return to Oklahoma until he was 13 or 14 years old but Oklahoma was always home.

I just realized that I have never made this cobbler for my own family so I guess I'd better get busy and hand that recipe down :-).

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), June 02, 2004.

Forgot to say that my grandma and mama made the Vinegar Cobbler with a top and bottom crust instead of dumpling style.

Another dessert that grandma (and then mama because daddy like it that way) made was strawberry shortcake, without the cake :-). They rolled out pie dough and cut it into strips which they browned in the oven until crisp. We topped the strips with strawberries instead of putting them on cakes. Yumm!

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), June 02, 2004.

I thought you straberry shortcake sounded so good. I'm going to try it. Thanks!

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@bright.net), June 09, 2004.

We, too, use the pie crust strawberry shortcake and love it. However, we also really like "from scratch" baking powder biscuits, warm from the oven, split and buttered, covered with cold sweetened strawberries and juice and a bit of milk. Topped with whipped cream is good. At least once each summer. we make a complete supper of the above. Yummmmm.

The vinegar cobbler recipe, I always tasted as vinegar pie. Good, too.

-- Dee (deatline@globalsite.net), June 09, 2004.

You guys are making me HUNGRY!

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@bright.net), June 09, 2004.

Speaking of simple food, I took a batch of homemade bisquits to a ladies bible study I teach last night. I also took a selection of freshly canned jams and jellies. They were a hit! Sometimes simple is better!

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@bright.net), June 22, 2004.