Welcome to the supplemental post for this episode all about Hospital Farms during World War II! This was one of those topics that got started from a single newspaper article I found while researching something else. I dug around to find as much information I could. It wasn’t easy going, so I don’t have too much to show you. Much of what people talked about in newspapers and magazines was the lack of doctors in the civilian medical system and the need for a “rationing in healthcare”. I talk about this a little bit in my episode about babies in wartime, so I don’t cover it in this episode.
Here I wanted to discuss more about the farms and the food hospitals provided their patients and staff and how rationing affected them. If you haven’t listened to this episode yet, you can catch it here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Starting out with the farm itself… This is the only photograph of a hospital’s farm I was able to find!
And the farm laborers:
From farm field to bedside and table, the kitchen staff were vital people in the hospital system for feeding the patients and employees. Some were employed and some were volunteers.
Treats sent to recovering soldiers were always welcome as depicted in this Nestle’s chocolate ad from 1944. This is one of my favorite ads! (These chocolate chip cookies have an official recipe, by the way!)
And we can’t not mention the classic hospital Jell-O as shown here! This is historical evidence that it’s been around at least 80 years and still going strong! lol
So many varied diet requirements for so many different patients with ration restrictions in place made meal times a monumental task for hospitals.
In my episode I mentioned the article “Persons Staying 7 Days Must Deposit Ration Books” and the hospital etiquette that they ask of “the considerate public” staying at the hospital. Below is a clip from the newspaper article showing the list of don’ts:
Cookbook Feature
This episode’s Cookbook Feature was Kitchen Strategy: What? Why? How? To Feed Your Family, by Leona M. Bayer, M.D. and Edith S. Green, B.A. published in 1943. This cookbook focuses a lot on nutrition and even some recipes and menus for common ailments like colds and constipation.
The book has regular family recipes in there as well. I tried probably the least healthy recipes of all voted on by my lovely patrons on Patreon: Puffed Rice Pralines and Sponge Cake. Both recipes ran into a few mishaps but were still delicious.
Here are the Puffed Rice Pralines: Buttery and crunchy. I’d recommend plopping them onto a parchment-covered cookie pan in cookie dollops. I have no idea how many this recipe makes. It certainly doesn’t tell us. Lousy directions! Moderate oven = 350°F.
Sponge Cake! I didn’t hear my timer go off, so this cake is much too dark. The texture is just right, though, so I’ll definitely try this again when I need a Sponge Cake. Remember - don’t grease the bundt pan or whatever cake or muffin pan you’re using!
Special Thanks!
Researchers at the National Archives via History Hub and the National Agricultural Library
Breanne Lamb and Kirsten Lamb for their information and resources about the U.S. Sanitary Commission.
RESOURCES
Websites:
U.S. Sanitary Commission Processing Project: Harvest for Health
U.S. Sanitary Commission via Wikipedia (it has some good basic information to start)
WWII Military Convalescent Hospital and Hospital Farm - Spokane, Washington
State hospital’s dairy farm once was among the finest in the nation
A Brief History of Hospital Gardens
Oregon State Hospital Colony Farm History
New Hampshire Hospital History
Unified 1940 Census Enumeration District Finder
National Library of Medicine Digital Collections
Images:
This Enumeration District covers the following area(s): Kirkwood Town, Binghamton State Hospital Farm. 1940 Population Schedule for the 16th U.S. Census, Broome County, New York. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census. National Archives, 1940.
Eleven Mile Corner, Arizona. Cairns General Hospital, FSA (Farm Security Administration) farm workers' community. National Youth Administration girls helping in the hospital kitchen. Russell Lee, Photographer. Library of Congress, Feb 1942.
Preparing lunch at the Cairns General Hospital at the FSA (Farm Security Administration) farm workers’ community at Eleven Mile Corner, Arizona. Russell Lee, Photographer. Library of Congress, Feb 1942.
NYA (National Youth’s Association) girls deliver the trays at lunchtime at the Cairns General Hospital at the FSA (Farm Security Administration) farm workers' community. Eleven Mile Corner, Arizona. These NYA girls live at the resident center at the FSA camp and receive training as nurses' helpers. Russell Lee, Photographer. Library of Congress, Feb 1942.
Farm workers at the entrance of the Cairns General Hospital at the FSA (Farm Security Administration) farm workers' community. Eleven Mile Corner, Arizona. Russell Lee, Photographer. Library of Congress, Feb 1942.
Dix State Hospital Scene, 1942. From NC Conservation and Development Department, Travel and Tourism Photo Files, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
Books/Magazines:
Kitchen Strategy: What? Why? How? To Feed Your Family by Leona M. Bayer, M.D. and and Edith S. Green, B.A, 1943
McCall’s, August 1943
Ladies Home Journal, November 1944
The Tribute Book by Frank B. Goodrich, 1865
The Sanitary Commission of the United States Army…A Succinct Narrative of its Works and Purposes. University of Illinois Collection, 1864
Newspapers accessed via Newspapers.com