Vintage Advertisement of the Week – October 13, 2024
California Prune Growers Advertisement – Life Magazine, January 5, 1942
Those poor California Prune Growers. What they’ve had to endure over the years. There really is no great way to sell prunes, is there? They tried their best, especially during the war years, but they had a lot of ground to make up.
During the late 1800’s, eager and ambitious California farmers over planted plum trees, designated for the prune industry. Their goal in doing so, was to push out the supply of prunes being imported from Europe. By 1900 they succeeded in doing just that. 85 prune packing plants were up and running in California1. The price of prunes dropped as suppliers in the Eastern United States and overseas mixed poor quality fruits with the California prunes, degrading the product. Prune fanatics throughout the world were not thrilled with the cheapening of their beloved dried fruit.2
Enter the war years, the WWII years, to be specific. Dried fruits were considered to be a processed food. Certain processed foods, such as prunes, were rationed in the United States from March of 1943 to August of 1945.3 This coupled with the ever-changing landscape of wartime trade policies and the sale of prunes plummeted.4 It was the second biggest blow to the industry since the inferior fruit debacle. The California Prune Growers needed a plan.
What angle could they take to sell their product? Prunes have to be one of the least exciting of all fruits, dried or otherwise. My grandparents ate them. The only cake I ever remember eating that my maternal grandmother made was prune cake. Sounds gross, but it actually was pretty good. It tasted like spice cake with white boiled frosting. I think my maternal grandpa actually ate stewed prunes. As a kid of the 80s, it sounded so depression era disgusting, I never tried them.
In fact, prunes got such a bad rap throughout the 20th century, marketers changed their name to dried plums in 2001, to get away from just the type of ad you see above. (18 years later in 2019, they changed it back to prunes.)5 Rebranding didn’t work.6
Back to our wartime ad…
The money is on regularity. Mother keeps you kids regular by serving you prunes, she should practice what she preaches. So should Dad. If you possess digestive regularity, you will naturally have more energy.
Other ways people can have more energy? In Dad’s case, he could not work so many hours at the office. Maybe he’s under a lot of pressure to meet a deadline at the insurance agency or he had to work a double shift at the factory to meet his quota for the war effort. Or, maybe his factory makes him work swing shift hours and his sleep schedule is so screwed up he can barely keep his eyes open during his “normal waking hours”. On weekends, he is expected to fix everything that breaks around the house inside and out. Not to mention mow in the summer and shovel in the winter. There are loads of things that could contribute to Dad feeling weighed down and tired.
As for mother, she is most likely exhausted from dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, tending her victory garden, volunteering with the PTA, bluing and starching clothes, feeding said clothes through the wringer washer, hanging up clothes to dry on the line in the basement during winter, ironing them once they are dry, doing dishes and making beds. I’ll bet her feet hurt from walking to and from downtown, since they only have one car and Dad needs it to get to work. Women had plenty of things to keep them busy during the day. There was no lack of drudgery in one’s life.
Oh wait, this is the 40s. The kids probably did help out. Making their own beds and setting the table. “Jimmy” probably knew how to use the push mower. “Sally” most likely helped with the dishes and dusting. Everyone had their roles. But, the brunt of life’s responsibilities fell squarely on the parents’ shoulders. As usual.
All this talk about prunes got me thinking. Would their campaign actually help one feel more energized and regular? More fiber in one’s diet can’t be a bad thing. Maybe it would be a good idea to try to incorporate more prunes in my own life. Personally, I don’t mind having some prunes now and again. You can make a valiant attempt to trick your mind into thinking you are eating chocolate. For a split second it works, until your brain catches up with reality.
I read their 30-second health quiz and I am sold on trying it out. Beyond regularity, prunes have enormous health benefits. Flourishing Foodie7 highlights these benefits as:
WHAT ARE THE NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF PRUNES?
Prunes are a source of copper and manganese which contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Prunes are a perfect low-calorie snack. A single serving of 4-5 prunes contains under 100 calories.
Prunes contain natural sugars and have a low glycemic index, meaning that the rise in blood sugar is much slower, keeping you satiated longer.
A serving of prunes contains 3g of fiber. Including fiber-rich foods in your diet helps to improve digestive health and reduce symptoms of poor gastrointestinal health such as bloating, cramping, constipation, and heartburn.
A serving of prunes contains 23 mcg of vitamin K which is important for bone health.
Prunes are a source of vitamin B6 and copper which contribute to the normal function of the immune system.
Sounds like I’ve been missing out on a fantastically, nutritious food choice. What a dope I’ve been!
Starting Sunday, October 20, 2024, I am going to try a seven day prune challenge.
Without a doubt, I will grow sick and tired of snacking on prunes, so, I will try to find fun recipes to try. (Prune cake and prune whip anybody?) Are you willing to try this with me? Maybe you have a recipe that includes prunes that you care to share?
Even though this first recipe is not technically vintage, I would love to give another shout out to Heather Hands of Flourishing Foodie. I will try her recipe for Oatmeal with California Prunes. (Check her blog out, it’s gorgeous.) I will post a picture of my version on the 20th!
Prune’s Away!
- “History.” California Prunes | Prunes. For Life., californiaprunes.org/history/.
↩︎ - “History.” California Prunes | Prunes. For Life., californiaprunes.org/history/.
↩︎ - Springate, Megan. “Food Rationing on the World War II Home Front (U.S. National Park Service).” Www.nps.gov, 16 Nov. 2023, http://www.nps.gov/articles/000/food-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm.
↩︎ - “History.” California Prunes | Prunes. For Life., californiaprunes.org/history/.
↩︎ - Koger, Chris. “Dried Plums No Longer: California Prunes Have New Brand.” The Packer, 23 May 2019, http://www.thepacker.com/news/retail/dried-plums-no-longer-california-prunes-have-new-brand. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
↩︎ - The Society Pages. “Re-Branding the Prune – Sociological Images.” Thesocietypages.org, 2016, thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/01/10/re-branding-the-prune/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
↩︎ - Hands, Heather. “Flourishing Foodie.” Flourishing Foodie , 16 Apr. 2020, http://www.flourishingfoodie.com/blog/2020/3/16/oatmeal-with-stewed-california-prunes. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
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