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Many people today are not aware of how successful WWII Victory Gardens were in providing not only food but improving nutrition for civilians. Here’s a look at Pennsylvania’s Victory Gardens back then. "The Victory Garden movement and its significance in our wartime economy, both as a means of releasing food to our armed forces and improving the nutritional status of civilians" can be most appreciated when looking at the numbers, wrote Marion Margery Scranton, Commander, War Services, Pennsylvania State Council of Defense in the 1944 handbook "Victory Gardens". In 1943 Victory Gardens produced 8 million tons of vegetables equal to 25% of the entire U.S. production and in 1944 that increased to 40%. At their peak there were more than 20 million Victory Gardens planted across the United States with more than 1 million tons grown during the war. There were approximately 1.4 million gardens in Pennsylvania in 1943, double that from 1942. Governor Edward Martin called for an increase in 1944 to 1.54 million and the 1,500 Victory Garden committees throughout the State took up the challenge. The Victory Garden program was highly organized and supported by citizen and local groups though committees. In Pennsylvania, Penn State College and their County Farm Agents gave citizens whatever technical information and services were needed. These included site and seed selection, soil tests and cultural information. The Pennsylvania Handbook provided information from committee organization and technical information to all methods of preserving and the nutritional values of vegetables and fruits. This program helped improve nutrition by encouraging more use of both in everyday diets. To aid in canning excess food, there were Victory Garden Conservation Kitchens available to all. Foods were canned not only for home use but also civic purposes - local hospitals, school lunches and food banks.Victory Gardens were not only a way to aid the war but made at-home citizens part of the war effort. Claude R. Wickard, Secretary of Agriculture in the early 1940's, said, "A Victory Garden is like a share in an airplane factory. It helps win the War and pays dividends too." His slogan was "Food Will Win the War and Write the Peace." Franklin County Master Gardeners will soon open registration for their season-long, hands-on Victory Garden program. Participates not only learn vegetable gardening from planning, planting, caring for and harvesting the crops but get to take home a share of the harvest. Call 717-263-9226 for information. For those interested, the Handbook can be downloaded as a document or e-book at https://archive.org/details/victory.... Carol Kagan, Penn State Master Gardener Comments are closed.
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AuthorCarol Rhoades Kagan, Chambersburg, PA CategoriesArchives
November 2020
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