Survivors

This appeared in the October 1 edition of The Fish Wrap.

The Great Depression of the 1930s is a sobering example of how intensely the global economy can decline. The world may be headed into another depression. What can we learn from our ancestors that will help us prepare? The rural midwest was less severely affected than cities, in part because of practices like home gardening. 

Food prices were comparatively high compared to wages during the depression, but people didn’t need to purchase all their food. A family with a cow and a garden was considered rich. Just about everyone had an enormous garden and knew how to grow and preserve a diverse range of food. Today, Illinois has some of the richest soil in the world, but we grow only 4% of the food we currently consume, with 96% being imported from outside the state. 

Besides a garden, here are some things rural people did to survive the depression. All food was made from scratch and all parts of a plant or animal were used. People foraged, swapped with neighbors for variety and ate seasonally. Hunting and fishing kept many families alive. Housewives proudly showed off how many jars they had ‘put up.’ Generations of a family lived together to share knowledge and chores. When a family had nothing to eat, people in the community with just a little bit more than nothing helped them out.

During the depression there was no sense of entitlement - everyone knew they would only survive with hard work, support of their community and a bit of luck. A crisis may be coming and you can prepare by learning to garden and building ties with local food producers and your neighbors. You’ve got nothing to lose. If the world escapes falling into depression, you’ll be left with a nice garden and a stronger local community!