During the Civil War, one of the biggest problems for southerners was lack of food. Crop production fell as men left corn and wheat fields to go off to war. Much food was diverted to the Confederate Army, while Union blockades of Confederate ports contributed to shortages, as did unscrupulous speculators who hoarded food and sold it at high prices.Hungry North Carolinians boiled watermelon to get sugar and drank a mix of dried and ground okra that passed for coffee. Perhaps their most missed item was salt, as it helped preserve food and give it flavor.For more, visit: “Starvation Will Stop It”.