SELECTIONS FROM
AUNT SAMMY’S RADIO RECIPES
AND USDA FAVORITES
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
SCIENCE AND EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
HOME AND GARDEN BULLETIN NO. 215
Issued August, 1976
Prepared by
Consumer and Food Economics Institute
Science and Education Administration
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402
Stock Number 001-000-03523-1
Aunt Sammy came to life with the first radio broadcast of “Housekeeper’s Chat” on October 4, 1926. The character of Aunt Sammy—wife of Uncle Sam—was created by the USDA Bureau of Home Economics and the Radio Service. Many women across the country played the part as they spoke into the microphones of local radio stations.
The highlights of Aunt Sammy’s show were the menus and recipes, but Aunt Sammy also talked about clothing, furniture, appliances, and other family and household matters. Aunt Sammy wasn’t just a homebody, however. She commented on world affairs, reported the latest fads, and told jokes. The talk moved easily from one subject to another, always natural and entertaining as well as informative.
Aunt Sammy soon became popular. By the end of the first year her program was carried by 43 radio stations. By 1932, 194 stations were broadcasting Aunt Sammy’s show. A number of the stations were broadcasting the show five times a week.
Many listeners wrote for copies of the recipes, and the Bureau of Home Economics answered these requests with weekly mimeographed sheets. In 1927 the most popular recipes were assembled into a pamphlet. The demand was so great that it had to be reprinted after only a month. “Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes” was revised and enlarged three times between 1927 and 1931. In 1932 it became the first cookbook published in braille.