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Matilda
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I am looking for an authentic WWII (simple) Jell-O recipe. Does anyone have one from their Grandma? I am looking for something more than just mixing the Jell-O in a mold. Maybe something with fruit in it? I read about the lack of shortening meant that they started serving one crust pies with a gelatin filling. Any ideas?
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11 , 10 , 9 & 5 ) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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Matilda
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Anybody?
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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Red Cardigan
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I found this on an Internet forum, Matilda:
"This Cranberry Jello salad was my mother's recipe. We always had it in the 1940's and 1950's. I love it.
1 package lemon jello
1 1/4 cups hot water on jello
2 cups fresh cranberries - grind
1 whole orange - grind
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 small can shredded pineapple
Blend together and place in refrigerator. Cut into squares or slices."
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JennGM
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Matilda, I have to thank you for helping me spend some time googling this.  I enjoyed digging around for some information. Seems like there isn't much online for Wartime Jell-O recipes, but there are booklets out there you might be able to track down.
But see the fun sites I found:
Food Timeline. So the first thought I had was "When was Jell-O invented?" Did they have Jell-O or just gelatin during WWII. So this site answered that question. I didn't realize it was around so long.
I saw that you got your original question from this site. Seems we need to find the booklet, "Bright Spots for Wartime Meals—66 Ration-Wise Recipes"
Jell-O Museum, Historic Jell-O Recipes. There's only one WWII recipe on this page, and it's the olive one. That's the one I keep finding everywhere else.
Use It All; Wear It Out; Make It Do; or Go Without! I really found this interesting about the food rationing. I have to wonder if Americans would be willing and capable of making the sacrifices if we had a repeat of this.
WWII Further Resources. Although a UK site, maybe these titles might help?
Searching for Wartime recipes or cookbooks, WWII, World War II. I found some things, just no Jell-O stuff. I have some of my grandmother's old recipes, but they were during the 50s Jell-O mold craze.
And so, I was spending way too much and had to stop! And the simple answer is no, I couldn't find any particular recipe of a single crust Jell-O pie, but I definitely did look!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Oh, and I thought your question would be simply answered at Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project, but the most recent date of cookbook there was 1922. 
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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All right, Matilda, I have a pie recipe. It's not Jell-O but Knox Gelatin. Lemon Chiffon Pie from 1943.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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KASB
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I have a couple of old cookbooks with wartime supplements and found a couple of recipes using gelatin; none specifically said Jello. Here is a "wartime dessert recipe developed in the Home Institute Kitchen -"
Grapejuice-Walnut Mold
2 1/2 envelopes (2 1/2 Tablespoons) Unflavored Gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups grapejuice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup broken walnut meats
Sprinkle gelatin on cold water. Dissolve in boiling water. Add Sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Cool. Add grapejuice and orange juice; mix well. Pour one-half of this mixture into a large mold that has been rinsed in cold water. Chill. Chill remaining mixture until syrupy; beat with rotary egg beater until fluffy; fold in the nutmeats. Place this mixture on the clear gelatin in the mold, filling mold to the top. Chill until firm. Unmold. Garnish with galax leaves and small bunches of grapes. Serve with gingersnaps. Approximate yeild: 8 portions.
From another book's wartime cookery section -
Strawberry Grapefruit Salad
1 package strawberry gelatin
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/3 grapefruit juice
1 cup strawberries, quartered
1 cup diced, drained grapefruit
Lettuce
Whipped Cream Mayonnaise
Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add grapefruit juice. Chill. When slightly thickened, fold in strawberries and grapefruit. Pour into mold and chill until firm. Unmold on lettuce. Garnish with mayonnaise and whole strawberries. Serves 6.
Variations - Pour into ring mold. When firm, unmold and fill center with cottage cheese. Garnish as above.
Use raspberries and raspberry gelatin instead of strawberry.
I didn't see any recipes in the wartime sections using Jello in pies, but there are sections on making pies using wartime rations and suggestions on which recipes in the regular section of the books are good for choices for wartime. I'll check and see if any of the pies are made with Jello.
Blessings,
Kym
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KASB
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Matilda wrote:
| I read about the lack of shortening meant that they started serving one crust pies with a gelatin filling. Any ideas? |
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Some further information about pies -
"Pastries and Pies need not be war casualties. Pastry eats up shortening, it's true, but one-crust pies can make their appearance now and again - deep-dish fruit pies with an upper crust, or pies of the many kinds with just an under crust. Make use, too, of packaged pie crust mixes while they are available, and don't forget packaged lemon pie filling, and prepared pudding mixes , which can be used to make cream pies - vanilla, chocolate or butterscotch."
Pies are still Possible
"The substitute for pie when fats need to be conserved is the fruit-filled yeast coffee cake.
Fats rendered at home can be used for pastry. Chicken and bacon fats are preferable to fats from seasoned roasts. Have fat well chilled. Save fats by making deep-dish or one crust pies. Choose fillings which require less sweetening and fewer eggs. Prunes, raisins, dates, and figs are rich in natural sugars and may be used as long as they are available. Extracted honey, corn sirup, brown sugar, molasses, or sorghum may be used when available to sweeten both cream and fruit fillings. Thicken cream fillings with corn starch or flour and use fewer eggs. Pudding powders and gelatin desserts may be used for fillings when their cost is reasonable. For meringues, brown sugar may be used in the same way as white and honey beaten with egg white until stiff. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup extracted honey with 1 egg white."
I love the cheerful attitude and how women at home enjoyed coming up with creative ways to make do with less so they could do their part to support the war effort.
Blessings,
Kym
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Cay Gibson
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I keep meaning to look in Chelsea's "Kit American Girl" coookbook to see if there's a recipe. Or ask my grandmother. She had my mother in 1944 so she would know.
Speaking of jello...Chelsea just served me cherry jello with cool whip on top. I think she's trying her darnest to get out of her tabletime school work today. 
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Matilda
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Thanks for all the help ladies!
Jenn,
I have been researching this for a while now since volunteering to do The Mitchells: Five for Victory for our book club this month and found most of the same links you did! Great minds I guess! The conclusion I am coming to is that while Jell-O did help stretch things like pies and fruit, because of the sugar it required it wasn't a huge help to the war wife.
I think I am just going to make some Jell-O with some fruit in it to show the kids how it did help stretch a little bit of fruit into a nice dessert.
I did also find some very interesting things about some other foods and games that I will share in a Book Club post once this is over.
Thanks again everyone!!!
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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JennGM
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Matilda wrote:
Thanks for all the help ladies!
Jenn,
I have been researching this for a while now since volunteering to do The Mitchells: Five for Victory for our book club this month and found most of the same links you did! Great minds I guess! The conclusion I am coming to is that while Jell-O did help stretch things like pies and fruit, because of the sugar it required it wasn't a huge help to the war wife.
I think I am just going to make some Jell-O with some fruit in it to show the kids how it did help stretch a little bit of fruit into a nice dessert.
I did also find some very interesting things about some other foods and games that I will share in a Book Club post once this is over. |
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So much fun, Matilda. After doing these searches, I found that there were many recipes that used alternative grains/flours during the wars. I think I need to spend some time looking through some Wartime cookbooks and recipes to get some ideas for food allergy friendly recipes. They might just be on to something....
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Topic: World War II Jell-o Recipe
