Meet Your Aunt Sammy

April 19, 2017

I would love to hear a recording of Aunt Sammy’s voice, which was broadcast into kitchens across the country from 1926 through the great depression.  The brainchild of the USDA Bureau of Home Economics and the Radio Service, Aunt Sammy’s “Housekeeper’s Chat” was one of the most popular radio programs of its day; by 1932, it could be heard five days a week on 194 stations across the United States.

The obvious precursor of food television, Aunt Sammy offered political talk and housekeeping tips, but mostly she shared her favorite recipes.

The USDA received so many recipe requests from folks who had just missed that one last ingredient, that they printed a pamphlet of Aunt Sammy’s best hits. Within a month, they were back at the printers. 

Here are a few of her recipes.  (Note that the “hard sauce” is actually soft; Aunt Sammy left out the booze.

And these look pretty good!

 

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3 Comments

  • greg says:
    April 19, 2017 at 5:12 pm

    Yummm….. corn fritters, and interestingly they’re sometimes offered in a slightly different version at Thai restaurants. Thanks for this. Ahh… for the days of good will, and the New Deal.

  • Louise Rae says:
    April 19, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    In New Zealand we had Aunt Daisy, and her cookbook is still available.

  • Leslie in Oregon says:
    April 20, 2017 at 7:29 am

    Both of my grandmothers (and their families, I imagine) looked forward to Aunt Sammy’s broadcasts. Remembering that brings back a whole cascade of memories about my grandparents…thank you!

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