PODCAST · history
Victory Kitchen
by Sarah Creviston Lee
Victory Kitchen is an exploration of food rationing in wartime America. Join author, historian, and vintage foodie Sarah Creviston Lee as she delves into World War II cookbooks, recipes and menu plans to discover how our grandmas got their food to fight for victory.
Episodes
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Episode 44 - The Butter Battle
Spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, butter and margarine were locked in a legal battle that spanned over 80 years, fighting over margarine's right to exist. In this episode, Sarah explores the history of these two industries' bad feelings, how it was affected by wartime, and the importance of...
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Episode 43 - A Home Front Reader
When it comes to learning about World War II, there are enough books to keep reading for an entire lifetime! Sometimes, it's hard to know where to start. In this episode, Sarah showcases some of the books she's read as a master's degree student and talks about their important contributions to…
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Episode 42 - Home of the Brave
Each 4th of July, the United States marks its birthday with parades, festivities, food, and fireworks. But how do you mark such a joyful occasion in the midst of war? In honor of America's 250th birthday, Sarah explores how Americans celebrated during WWII despite the grim circumstances their…
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Episode 41 - S.P.A.M.
Luncheon meat was all the rage during WWII. Convenient and economical, this tinned protein was both beloved on the home front and the loathed enemy of U.S. soldiers everywhere. In this episode, Sarah examines Spam and its counterparts to see what all the fuss was about and shares a unique…
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Episode 40 - 80th Anniversary of V-E Day
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of V-E day, we turn to the American home front to see how they celebrated while keeping in mind the war wasn't quite finished yet. Sarah shares a special cake to honor Mother's Day and we hear words of wisdom from 1945 Nebraska school children about what V-E…
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Episode 39 - Feeding Fido on the Homefront
Wartime meat rationing didn't just affect humans, it directly impacted their dogs and cats too. In this episode, Sarah explores how pets were fed pre-war and how pet owners got creative when the meat they relied on became scarce. Guest Kelsey Lonie, military historian, chats about the Dogs for...
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Episode 38 - Halloween Hijinks
In early 20th century America, Halloween was a time for unruly tricks, delicious treats and all sorts of "hijinks" in between. In this spooky episode, Sarah dives into how folks celebrated this anticipated (and dreaded!) holiday in a unique wartime setting. Festive, cursed recipes are brewed up...
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Episode 37 - The Spirits of War
In 1942, the luxury of alcohol became a casualty of war to make way for industrial alcohol for war purposes. This left American drinkers high and (sometimes) dry. In this episode, Sarah examines the tangled web of alcohol rationing and how states balanced the shortages and demands. Wartime pizza...
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Episode 36 - Food Rationing 101
Misconceptions surrounding American WWII food rationing are swirling around on the internet. Were eggs rationed? What about wheatless days? Milk was rationed too, right? In this episode, Sarah sits down for an experimental ChatGBT sesh to see what it has teach her about rationing (it's not…
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Episode 35 - Wartime Homemaking Q&A
Homemaking during wartime presented its own special challenges. Join Sarah as she interviews Corina of The Hopewell Homestead, vintage homemaking extraordinaire, to answer questions about how women during WWII managed to do so much and run a household at the same time. A delicious meat pie recipe...
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Episode 34 - Wax the Way to Victory
Two of the busiest workers on the homefront were honeybees and beekeepers! In this episode, Sarah talks about the insect/human dynamic duo and their important contribution to the war effort along with challenges they faced and solutions for those problems. Sarah tackles a couple honey recipes and…
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Episode 33 - Deck the Halls
Christmas in 1940s America conjures up a healthy dose of nostalgia for a lot of people even today. For this special holiday episode, Sarah peeks into traditions celebrated and wartime shortages folks experienced on the homefront from Christmas trees to chocolate. Hanukkah is given a special...
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Episode 32 - Frozen Assets
Canning wasn't the only way to preserve food in the 1940s! In this final episode of Season 4, Sarah highlights the old community staple of freezer locker plants, how they served their community and why freezing was maybe more patriotic than canning. She tries out a meatloaf recipe enshrined in...
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Episode 31 - Hospital Harvest
Hospitals in wartime not only provided vital medical treatments and short- and long-term care for their patients, they fed them as well – but where did they get their food, especially in a time of war? In this episode, Sarah delves into the vague and completely unexplored aspect of American…
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Episode 30 - Look What the Stork Dropped In
War goods weren't the only thing that "rolled off the production line" during WWII. Babies swelled the U.S. population creating bottle necks for all sorts of goods from baby bottles to safety pins. In this episode, Sarah discusses not just baby product shortages, but how the little tykes were...
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Episode 29 - A Wartime Thanksgiving
**It's a special Thanksgiving episode!** With the world at war, America's typical Thanksgiving feast was a lot more subdued, if not more patriotic. In this episode, Sarah explores Thanksgiving attitudes from WWII, the heartfelt and the guilt-trippy. She gets the details behind turkeys, rationing...
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Episode 28 - The First Lick Goes To Uncle Sam
Soda Fountains were at the core of American identity in wartime, representing so much of what we were trying to protect in our way of life: a sense of home, community, a place to relax & unwind, not to mention they were the dispensaries of our country's favorite sweet food: ice cream. In this...
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Episode 27 - Dinner in the Diner
Eating away from home was a fact of life for busy people in WWII, and that was especially true for people traveling by rail. Dining cars were an essential part of feeding these people, but railroads were affected by wartime restrictions just like everyone else. In this episode, Sarah digs into…
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Episode 26 - Three Cheers for Trailer Town!
Wartime housing shortages led Americans resorting to live wherever and however they could while following lucrative defense factory jobs. Many of these places were not ideal. In this episode, Sarah discusses what the government did to address the housing crisis and focuses on two specific living...
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Episode 25 - By Rod, Gun, & Steel
Season 4 is kicking off its first episode in honor of this year's National Wildlife Week (April 5th - 9th) talking about hunting, fishing, and trapping in wartime! Sarah answers some pressing questions about ammunition rationing, goes over saltwater fishing rules, and discusses some hot wildlife...
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Episode 24 - Captives: Part 2 - Japanese American Internees & POWs
Much like the wartime conscientious objectors, not a lot is commonly known about the vital work that German and Italian POWs and the Japanese American Internees participated in to save our nation's crops during WWII. In this episode, Sarah highlights the Japanese agricultural heritage in our...
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Episode 23 - Captives: Part 1 - Conscientious Objectors
Not much is commonly known about the important role conscientious objectors played in World War II except for maybe one Hollywood movie. In this episode, Sarah brings to light not only how conscientious objectors helped bring in the crops, but also the myriad of other vital ways they helped…
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Episode 22 - Americans All/Americanos Todos
Early in WWII, with much of the field labor being sucked into the military, defense or factory jobs, the farmers were in a really tough position for getting their crops harvested. In this episode, Sarah looks at the pros and cons of one of the most impactful agricultural programs ever implemented...
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Episode 21 - Who's Vital for Victory? Veterinarians!
A small, hard-working army of people stood between the American citizens and military troops and the U.S.'s success in the war when it came to food. Who were these people? Veterinarians! In this episode, Sarah and special guest veterinarian Dr. Amy Gulick, talk about the vital role veterinarians...
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Episode 20 - Homefront Commandos: 4-H Enlists
If there was ever a youth club tailor-made to be "Homefront Commandos", then the 4-H Club was it. In this episode, Sarah takes a look at this popular agricultural youth club - what they stood for, the amazing things they did for the war effort, and why they fit the bill for Uncle Sam's work for…
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Episode 19 - AWLA: 3 Million Women Fight in the Fields
It's time for Rosie the Riveter to share the limelight, because the women of the American Women's Land Army are flexing their muscles in this episode! These millions of women made a huge contribution to agriculture during WWII that has largely gone underappreciated and unknown. Sarah answers some...
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Episode 18 - Oh, Canada!
Happy Canada Day! For this special "Road Trip Edition"* first episode of Season 3, Sarah and her guest, Saskatchewan school teacher Kelsie Lonie, discuss the significant food relationship between the United States and Canada during World War II. They explore Canadian food rationing, propaganda…
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Episode 17 - War and Spice
Americans faced scarcities of their favorite spices and flavorings during WWII while shipping was threatened by U-boats and enemy aircraft around the globe. In this last episode of Season 2, Sarah digs into newspapers to piece together a timeline of spices' disappearance from American pantries…
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Episode 16 - That Old Banana Magic
The 1920s song "Yes, We Have No Bananas" was a popular anthem of WWII, especially in the United States. Because Americans were obsessed with bananas. But were there actually no bananas available? Anywhere? In this episode, Sarah dives into newspaper headlines to find out what happened to the...
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Episode 15 - Keeping Trim for Uncle Sam
1940s Americans were no strangers to the social (and governmental) pressure to be trim and in peak health. In this episode, Sarah uncovers miracle pills, magic weight loss food, and liquid diets along with healthier approaches to losing weight in wartime. Sarah enters a showdown with a chowder...
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Episode 14 - Victory: It's What's for Dinner (or You Are What You Eat)
American housewives in WWII had a dizzying task ahead of them - they not only had to make their food dollars stretch, they also had to figure out how to spend their ration points in conjunction with any sales going on at their local grocery. Add to that the government's push to utilize "the Basic...
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Episode 13 - That's a Lot of Vs
With 40% of young men being turned away at the draft for malnutrition, Uncle Sam had to do something if he wanted a strong, healthy fighting force and nation of civilians. In this episode, Sarah explains the start of the National Nutrition Program, how merchandisers got involved, and what the…
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Episode 12 - Eat A Lunch That Packs a Punch!
If there was anything Uncle Sam wanted the American people to know, from war plant worker to school child, it was that eating a good, healthy lunch was their patriotic duty. In this episode, Sarah talks about the Victory lunch box - why it was a thing, what it looked like, and what went inside it...
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Episode 11 - Of Course I Can!
With all that Victory garden bounty, no one wanted it to go to waste. Women learned or brushed up on canning skills in order to preserve the harvest and stock their pantries to save on ration points. In this episode, Sarah examines wartime canning, especially within communities, and dives…
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Episode 10 - Vegetables for Vitality for Victory
Prisons, church yards, department store displays... WWII Victory gardens were planted in some pretty interesting places! In part two about Victory gardens, Sarah discusses the nitty gritty details of the actual Victory garden - what U.S. citizens planted, what tools they needed, and all the...
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Episode 9 - Gardening Is War Work!
Victory gardens may be one of the most iconic aspects of WWII. In this first episode of the new second season, Sarah explores the various aspects of the National Victory Garden campaign, what makes a garden one of the official "victory" variety, and why these gardens were so important to the war...
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Episode 8 - The National Pantry Census
By the 1940s, Americans had come to rely on the conveniences of canned, dried, and frozen foods, but wartime needs and restrictions changed all that. In this episode finale for Season 1, Sarah explains everything that went into the rationing of processed foods including a national "pantry…
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Episode 7 - Ice Cream Goes to War
With the rationing of dairy cream, Americans had a difficult time getting their hands on their favorite dessert: Ice Cream. Sarah gives the "scoop" on the headaches and the heartbreaks of ice cream rationing and experiments with a Victory "half & half" frozen treat combo. {Happy V-E Day! This...
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Episode 6 - The Dairy Dilemma
Wartime dairy farmers were no strangers to milk dumping, distribution problems, and irate customers. Sarah lays out the problems dairies faced during WWII and what American consumers had to do without. (Oh, sweet butter!) Two ration recipes for cheese dips are praised and "Nostradamus McLemore"…
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Episode 5 - Liver and Tongue and Brains, Oh My!
In March 1943, Americans loved their meat enough to go on carnivorous shopping sprees before official meat rationing began. In this episode, Sarah explores who got most of the good meat (you know, the kind everyone actually wanted), which exact meats were rationed, and she uncovers a "dastardly"...
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Special Episode - Modern Lessons From WWII American Food Rationing
If you're one of those that have been drawing parallels between our current global pandemic situation and World War II rationing, you're not alone! In this special episode, Sarah talks about the differences and similarities, offers ideas and suggestions from wartime wisdom, and features a special...
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Episode 4 - There's Dynamite In That Grease!
Fat was arguably the most valuable commodity in WWII. In this episode, Sarah lays out why fat was so important, explains the logistics of the Fat Salvage Program, and a special wartime animated icon learns why her bacon grease shouldn't go to feed her dog. Check out the supplemental material for...
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Episode 3 - Postum ≠ Coffee
In this episode we find out the lengths Americans went to ensure they had their daily cup of coffee (and we thought they were crazy about sugar!) Sarah and a guest try out a homemade coffee replacement, and Sarah tries out a weird Victory Apple Pie recipe. For more content related to this…
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Episode 2 - The Great Sugar Shuffle
With a lot of the world's stores of sugar tied up by wartime, America had to figure out how to satisfy its major sweet tooth. Sarah dives into all the details behind sugar rationing and discovers why corn syrup should best be left for making candy. For more content related to this episode, visit...
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Episode 1 - What Do We Eat Now?
In this first episode, Sarah introduces the nitty gritty details of American food rationing during WWII (yeah, it's confusing!). She also reveals with one ration recipe that there's more than one way to eat a graham cracker. For more content related to this episode, visit the podcast blog HERE.…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Victory Kitchen is an exploration of food rationing in wartime America. Join author, historian, and vintage foodie Sarah Creviston Lee as she delves into World War II cookbooks, recipes and menu plans to discover how our grandmas got their food to fight for victory.
HOSTED BY
Sarah Creviston Lee
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Victory Kitchen have?
Victory Kitchen currently has 45 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Victory Kitchen about?
Victory Kitchen is an exploration of food rationing in wartime America. Join author, historian, and vintage foodie Sarah Creviston Lee as she delves into World War II cookbooks, recipes and menu plans to discover how our grandmas got their food to fight for victory.
How often does Victory Kitchen release new episodes?
Victory Kitchen has 45 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Victory Kitchen?
You can listen to Victory Kitchen on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Victory Kitchen?
Victory Kitchen is created and hosted by Sarah Creviston Lee.
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