Home economics: From ‘apron strings to kitchen sinks’

While serving as chief of the Bureau of Home Economics within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 1923-43, Dr. Louise Ellen Stanley was responsible for educating American homemakers about cooking techniques and advising them on other domestic issues and concerns.

 

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Dr. Stanley earned a doctorate degree in chemistry from Yale University. She served as a home economics professor and department chair at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., before going to work for the federal government.

At the USDA, Dr. Stanley took on the persona of “Aunt Sammy,” the fictional wife of America’s “Uncle Sam.” It was her job, working with a team of three other women, to produce a 15-minute radio program “Housekeeper’s Chat” that aired five days a week, beginning in 1926. The program was distributed nationally through a network of local radio stations.

 

Aunt Sammy was a huge success; millions of households tuned in. Listeners flooded Aunt Sammy with letters, asking for her help on the full spectrum of housekeeping topics.

 

For example, during one episode, Aunt Sammy shared that she loved cottage cheese, “a source of protein to build and repair body tissue. Cottage cheese makes a delicious sandwich filling, especially for the picnic season of the year.”

 

The “Housekeeper’s Chat” ran for two decades. Although the radio show was discontinued in 1946, much of the bureau’s work has been preserved by the U.S. National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Md., through a digital exhibit “Apron Strings and Kitchen Sinks.” It cites numerous bulletins and publications authored by Dr. Stanley during her tenure at USDA.

 

She wrote curriculum for the first-year high school course in home economics. (The language reflects a bygone era.)

“The aim of any course in home economics is to make the girl a better homemaker,” Dr. Stanley stated. “By teaching her how to do, and the reasons why, and as well by giving insight into the fundamental importance of homemaking, such instruction transforms housework from drudgery into an honored profession.”

“In the average home, two industries stand out – sewing and cooking – and they furnish the basis of a well-rounded course; but they should be supplemented by other subjects necessary for the homemaker.”

 

Dr. Stanley stressed the importance of applying scientific principles to home canning of fruits and vegetables. “Canning is a method of using heat and airtight containers to preserve food as nearly as possible in the condition in which it is served when freshly cooked,” she wrote.

“It is a desirable and economical method of preserving many foods so that their use can be distributed over seasons and to places where they are not available fresh.”

 

“The method of canning foods affects the vitamin content to some extent,” Dr. Stanley said. “Emphasis is placed on canning foods very soon after they are gathered and on carrying every step of the process through rapidly…precooking foods for a short time, packing them hot and processing them in the containers….”

 

“A canning budget prepared at the beginning of the season will indicate what quantities of different canned foods are needed by the family. In making such a budget, consider the number of persons in the family, the length of time that fresh foods are out of season and what foods are available for canning, as well as the cost of equipment and containers.”

Dr. Stanley concluded: “Assistance in planning a canning budget suitable to the locality and adapted to the nutritional requirements of the family may be obtained from the State college of agriculture.”

Don’t go looking in all the wrong places…like Chapel Hill, N.C.