Victory Kitchen is an exploration of food rationing in wartime America. Join author, historian, and vintage foodie Sarah Creviston Lee as she delves into World War II cookbooks, recipes and menu plans to discover how our grandmas got their food to fight for victory.
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Sep 28, 2026 · 1:17:32
Spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, butter and margarine were locked in a legal battle that spanned over 80 years, fighting over margarine's right to exist. In this episode,…
Aug 4, 2026 · 1:24:21
When it comes to learning about World War II, there are enough books to keep reading for an entire lifetime! Sometimes, it's hard to know where to start. In this episode, Sarah…
Jul 2, 2026 · 1:05:53
Each 4th of July, the United States marks its birthday with parades, festivities, food, and fireworks. But how do you mark such a joyful occasion in the midst of war? In honor of…
Oct 28, 2025 · 55:36
Luncheon meat was all the rage during WWII. Convenient and economical, this tinned protein was both beloved on the home front and the loathed enemy of U.S. soldiers everywhere.…
May 8, 2025 · 34:02
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of V-E day, we turn to the American home front to see how they celebrated while keeping in mind the war wasn't quite finished yet. Sarah…
Feb 7, 2025 · 1:34:15
Wartime meat rationing didn't just affect humans, it directly impacted their dogs and cats too. In this episode, Sarah explores how pets were fed pre-war and how pet owners got…
Oct 14, 2024 · 58:42
In early 20th century America, Halloween was a time for unruly tricks, delicious treats and all sorts of "hijinks" in between. In this spooky episode, Sarah dives into how folks…
Aug 24, 2024 · 1:07:24
In 1942, the luxury of alcohol became a casualty of war to make way for industrial alcohol for war purposes. This left American drinkers high and (sometimes) dry. In this…
Jun 29, 2024 · 1:01:02
Misconceptions surrounding American WWII food rationing are swirling around on the internet. Were eggs rationed? What about wheatless days? Milk was rationed too, right? In this…
Jun 6, 2024 · 1:26:17
Homemaking during wartime presented its own special challenges. Join Sarah as she interviews Corina of The Hopewell Homestead , vintage homemaking extraordinaire, to answer…
Jan 22, 2024 · 52:37
Two of the busiest workers on the homefront were honeybees and beekeepers! In this episode, Sarah talks about the insect/human dynamic duo and their important contribution to the…
Dec 24, 2023 · 49:59
Christmas in 1940s America conjures up a healthy dose of nostalgia for a lot of people even today. For this special holiday episode, Sarah peeks into traditions celebrated and…
Jul 25, 2023 · 56:31
Canning wasn't the only way to preserve food in the 1940s! In this final episode of Season 4, Sarah highlights the old community staple of freezer locker plants, how they served…
Apr 21, 2023 · 59:31
Hospitals in wartime not only provided vital medical treatments and short- and long-term care for their patients, they fed them as well – but where did they get their food,…
Feb 13, 2023 · 57:02
War goods weren't the only thing that "rolled off the production line" during WWII. Babies swelled the U.S. population creating bottle necks for all sorts of goods from baby…
Nov 23, 2022 · 52:05
**It's a special Thanksgiving episode!** With the world at war, America's typical Thanksgiving feast was a lot more subdued, if not more patriotic. In this episode, Sarah…
Sep 12, 2022 · 1:10:57
Soda Fountains were at the core of American identity in wartime, representing so much of what we were trying to protect in our way of life: a sense of home, community, a place to…
Jul 20, 2022 · 1:15:05
Eating away from home was a fact of life for busy people in WWII, and that was especially true for people traveling by rail. Dining cars were an essential part of feeding these…
May 20, 2022 · 1:22:38
Wartime housing shortages led Americans resorting to live wherever and however they could while following lucrative defense factory jobs. Many of these places were not ideal. In…
Apr 13, 2022 · 1:05:54
Season 4 is kicking off its first episode in honor of this year's National Wildlife Week (April 5th - 9th) talking about hunting, fishing, and trapping in wartime! Sarah answers…
Jan 27, 2022 · 1:04:54
Much like the wartime conscientious objectors, not a lot is commonly known about the vital work that German and Italian POWs and the Japanese American Internees participated in…
Jan 14, 2022 · 1:00:23
Not much is commonly known about the important role conscientious objectors played in World War II except for maybe one Hollywood movie. In this episode, Sarah brings to light…
Oct 20, 2021 · 57:52
Early in WWII, with much of the field labor being sucked into the military, defense or factory jobs, the farmers were in a really tough position for getting their crops…
Sep 16, 2021 · 49:16
A small, hard-working army of people stood between the American citizens and military troops and the U.S.'s success in the war when it came to food. Who were these people?…
Aug 18, 2021 · 51:41
If there was ever a youth club tailor-made to be "Homefront Commandos", then the 4-H Club was it. In this episode, Sarah takes a look at this popular agricultural youth club -…
Jul 22, 2021 · 1:08:49
It's time for Rosie the Riveter to share the limelight, because the women of the American Women's Land Army are flexing their muscles in this episode! These millions of women…
Jul 1, 2021 · 1:27:18
Happy Canada Day! For this special "Road Trip Edition"* first episode of Season 3, Sarah and her guest, Saskatchewan school teacher Kelsie Lonie, discuss the significant food…
Jan 29, 2021 · 1:03:47
Americans faced scarcities of their favorite spices and flavorings during WWII while shipping was threatened by U-boats and enemy aircraft around the globe. In this last episode…
Jan 15, 2021 · 54:13
The 1920s song "Yes, We Have No Bananas" was a popular anthem of WWII, especially in the United States. Because Americans were obsessed with bananas. But were there actually no…
Jan 1, 2021 · 1:19:41
1940s Americans were no strangers to the social (and governmental) pressure to be trim and in peak health. In this episode, Sarah uncovers miracle pills, magic weight loss food,…
Dec 6, 2020 · 1:12:49
American housewives in WWII had a dizzying task ahead of them - they not only had to make their food dollars stretch, they also had to figure out how to spend their ration points…
Nov 21, 2020 · 53:32
With 40% of young men being turned away at the draft for malnutrition, Uncle Sam had to do something if he wanted a strong, healthy fighting force and nation of civilians. In…
Nov 7, 2020 · 1:07:09
If there was anything Uncle Sam wanted the American people to know, from war plant worker to school child, it was that eating a good, healthy lunch was their patriotic duty. In…
Oct 28, 2020 · 54:55
With all that Victory garden bounty, no one wanted it to go to waste. Women learned or brushed up on canning skills in order to preserve the harvest and stock their pantries to…
Oct 12, 2020 · 1:00:04
Prisons, church yards, department store displays... WWII Victory gardens were planted in some pretty interesting places! In part two about Victory gardens, Sarah discusses the…
Sep 24, 2020 · 44:07
Victory gardens may be one of the most iconic aspects of WWII. In this first episode of the new second season, Sarah explores the various aspects of the National Victory Garden…
May 28, 2020 · 46:09
By the 1940s, Americans had come to rely on the conveniences of canned, dried, and frozen foods, but wartime needs and restrictions changed all that. In this episode finale for…
May 8, 2020 · 41:48
With the rationing of dairy cream, Americans had a difficult time getting their hands on their favorite dessert: Ice Cream. Sarah gives the "scoop" on the headaches and the…
Apr 15, 2020 · 45:02
Wartime dairy farmers were no strangers to milk dumping, distribution problems, and irate customers. Sarah lays out the problems dairies faced during WWII and what American…
Mar 31, 2020 · 38:35
In March 1943, Americans loved their meat enough to go on carnivorous shopping sprees before official meat rationing began. In this episode, Sarah explores who got most of the…
Mar 19, 2020 · 31:51
If you're one of those that have been drawing parallels between our current global pandemic situation and World War II rationing, you're not alone! In this special episode, Sarah…
Mar 9, 2020 · 30:05
Fat was arguably the most valuable commodity in WWII. In this episode, Sarah lays out why fat was so important, explains the logistics of the Fat Salvage Program, and a special…
Feb 18, 2020 · 33:31
In this episode we find out the lengths Americans went to ensure they had their daily cup of coffee (and we thought they were crazy about sugar!) Sarah and a guest try out a…
Feb 7, 2020 · 23:35
With a lot of the world's stores of sugar tied up by wartime, America had to figure out how to satisfy its major sweet tooth. Sarah dives into all the details behind sugar…
Feb 5, 2020 · 24:56
In this first episode, Sarah introduces the nitty gritty details of American food rationing during WWII (yeah, it's confusing!). She also reveals with one ration recipe that…
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