Oklahoma Dust Bowl & Great Depression Desserts You Should Try

The 1920s and 30s were a double punch to the gut in America's heartland. The Dust Bowl plunged the plains states into an insurmountable drought, and the Great Depression added fuel to the fire making it impossible for farming families to get any sort of help.

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Many families fled to greener pastures, but those that stayed defined what struggle and strife were in America, offering a road map of determination in making a life.

While better farming practices and conservation programs are what we remember the outcome to be now, the food wasn't nearly as bad as you would think.

Here are some of the sweet treats you might find in the dugouts of Oklahoma during that period of time.

Oklahoma's Dust Bowl & Depression Era Desserts You Should Try Today

If you're not up on your Oklahoma history, drought struck the region around the same time America's great economic collapse happened. We know it as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

While thousands of Okies left to become Californians, those that stayed did as best they could to lift spirits in a time of overbearing adversary. They say the key to contentment is a full belly, and Oklahoma's pioneer women came up with some really strange recipes to please the palate.

Treat yourself and make one or more of these over the next few months.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Weird Oklahoma Dust Bowl Recipes To Stretch Your Budget

With grocery bills growing, take a page out of the most thrifty generation of Oklahomans. These Depression Era Dust Bowl recipes are easy on the wallet, delicious, and filling. You'll be amazed how much free food grows in your neighborhood.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

16 Oklahoma Phrases That Would Stump Out-of-Towners

Every state seems to have its own way of talking. Here are a few of the more common phrases that'll have you wondering what Okies are saying.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

More Oklahoma Phrases That Stump Non-Okies

Depending on how old you are and how big your hometown is, these Oklahoma phrases will be either really familiar or not at all. If you're seeing and hearing these for the first time, add them to your vocabulary. As Okies die, move away, and non-Okies move in, these words are disappearing from the Oklahoma dialect.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Categories: Food, History, Oklahoma News