Letters To The Editor

More Ways To Make ‘Great Depression Soup’

When I was young, every year, we planted zucchini. I learned that three zucchini plants will feed one person every day from mid-July through September. Sometimes, my mother would empty out the fridge and add whatever was in there to the zucchini. She called it “skilletino.”

Now my husband and I eat lots of soup. Usually, we start with a base of beans or lentils. Then whatever we have on hand gets added. It’s always different, but it’s nutritious. Often we add barley, veggies and sometimes rolled oats to thicken it.

Katherine

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I’ve been married just shy of 50 years and have only been in financial trouble twice. However, I’ve been making what I called “garbage soup” for almost the entire time of my marriage. The only thing I would do differently than what is suggested is to: 1) Keep fish stuff for fish soup but mix poultry, beef and pork, and, 2) I would bake the veggies to brown them, which increases the flavor.

I always save the crumbs from crackers, bread, cereal in a jar to use for thickening soup, gravy, whatever. The ‘nut dust’ from bags of shelled nuts I save separately to use in muffins, bread, salad dressing. And I always rinse/scrape clean jars and cans and put into a container – keeping sweet, like jams and jellies, separately to use for anything sweet – even as a spread for biscuits or pancakes.

Ellen