Before we left for the mission field, we had to downsize our belongings. But I decided to bring along three essential books. A medical book and what I call my hard times cookbooks.
These cookbooks, especially during our first few years here, were lifesavers for me! Reading recipes in Italian was beyond me until I learned the language. And the medical book because medical terms are difficult even in our native language!
What makes these books special?
They differ from more modern cookbooks in that they take cooking back to the basics. They don’t require instant soups, mixes, or expensive ingredients. Nor do they require the latest gadgets or electrical appliances. And packed with money-saving kitchen tips, they can help stretch a limited budget.
Over time I stopped using these cookbooks so much. We cook and eat less now that there are just the two of us. But during the pandemic and all the lockdowns, I decided to dust them off.
Now we’re facing widespread drought, skyrocketing inflation, and possible food shortages. So tools like this come in handy again.
Now is the time to return to the wisdom of old-fashioned ways. To learn new skills, and discover effective ways to stretch a dollar. I would have said pinch a penny, but high inflation has eliminated our one and two cent Euro coins. (Inflation here has reached 8.5%.)
Check these books out. In these hard times, they might help you cut your food budget. And teach you to make do when ingredients become unavailable.
1. The Jungle Camp Cook Book
Designed for jungle missionaries, it’s full of simple but tasty recipes. And it shows you how to cook over an open fire and even how to build a clay oven! Skills I’d hope I’ll never need, but if I do, I know where to turn! Plus check out the many charts and tips that are useful in any context.
- Measurement equivalents
- Food substitutions, and how to make your own
- Cooking on a budget
- Preserving the nutrition value of foods
- Making your own sauces and baking mixes
- Using herbs and spices, cooking tips and terminology
- Preserving foods without refrigeration
- Health precautions
- Nutrition and special diets for the sick and elderly
- Cooking over an open fire and building a clay oven
- Baking in a skillet
- Cleaning and sterilizing
This 495-page cookbook from The Summer Institute of Linguistics is out of print. But Abe Books.com and Biblio.com have used copies. Or you could try the Wycliffe Cook Book which I haven’t seen, but sounds very similar.
2. The Settlement Cook Book
The Settlement Cook Book is also unique among cookbooks. Milwaukee’s Settlement House published it to help poor, newly-arrived immigrants.
As a social service agency, the Settlement House helped young care and healthcare. They also provided opportunities to learn English, cooking, sewing, and citizenship. This 757-page cook book also includes many special sections.
- Budget and meal planning
- Food substitutions and equivalents
- Cooking tips and terms
- Using herbs and spices
- Cooking on a budget
- Emergency housekeeping and improvising
- Cooking on a wood stove
- Stain removal
- Pickling and preserving
- Cooking for kids
- Ideas and menus for entertaining
This book by Lizzie Black Kander is also sadly out of print, but you can find used copies at Amazon and Abe Books.com. Or go to the Internet Archive and check it out online.
Are you one of the many people who have never mastered the art of cooking? Then these cookbooks are for you because they start with the basics. Or they can help you hone your management skills such as shopping and cooking on a budget.
Hard times cookbooks can help us get back to living as many wiser generations did. Back to a simple life of living within our means. Learning to make do and become more self-sufficient.
The right tools can help us survive these hard times – and live well while doing so!
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