In the 1950s, rural women had many questions about building or renovating their farm home, selecting and adapting to new electric appliances, how to launder and remove stains from new types of textiles and how to plan healthy meals for their families, among a long list of topics. A young farm wife, Mrs. Emmie (Ducie) […] Read more
Tag Archives Betty Ann Deobald
Rural electrification proved to be game changer in 1950s
The issue of farm families being isolated from neighbours, communities and services had been a concern since the Canadian Prairies were first settled. In the 1950s, many roads were still little more than trails and were often impassible during rainy weather, spring thaws and heavy snow. This didn’t stop farmers from purchasing automobiles. By 1951, […] Read more
Creative solutions found for wartime shortages in 1940s
The shortage of certain foods because of food rationing during the Second World War led to innovative recipes in many kitchens. Farm women and government home economists shared new recipe ideas and food saving preparation tips in newspaper columns, at club meetings and in cookbooks. Many unidentified readers submitted suggestions to The Western Producer that […] Read more
Trying to keep farm families fed in 1930s was a struggle
During the 1930s, an almost decade-long drought affected much of the Prairies along with infestations of grasshoppers, gophers and cutworms. With the lack of rain, the dry farmland blew away, creating terrible dust storms. A worldwide Depression, which led to a rapid decline in global trade and rising unemployment, occurred at the same time. Prairie […] Read more
Loss of dreams in 1930s required resiliency to survive
In the late 1920s, crops had improved and farmers were receiving better prices by marketing their grain through the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. The 1930s were ushered in with stock market crashes in the fall of 1929. The world-wide demand for wheat dropped, causing a drastic fall in the selling price and stockpiles of grain accumulated. […] Read more
Flavourful pulse soup: it’s all in the seasoning
Hearty and flavourful pulse soups can warm up the menu during the cooler fall weather. They can vary greatly with the use of herbs or spices, even though most include carrots, onion, garlic, potatoes, celery and a dry pulse. The following is a selection of recipes that were submitted by readers in a recent TEAM […] Read more
