Plenty of tasks in the busy spring, including some that ensure plenty and sweetness in the later part of the year. Thomas Tusser cautions in his “Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry” that the farmer should “Take heede to thy bees that are ready to...
Spring is upon us, and the first promise of plenty shows in the flush of new spring grass. The cows have calved and are “freshening”, which means plenty of milk and cream for butter and cheese. Thomas Tusser devoted a whole poem in his “Five...
In the Middle ages through the 18th century this time of year was often called “the starving spring.” The spring was the time of hopes, because you had eaten most of the winter stores, and all you could do was eke out the time to...
The farming sage Thomas Tusser recommended in his "Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry" that in February, "Where banks be amended and newly up cast, sow mustard seed, after a shower be past." That was a wise recommendation indeed, for mustard was one of the...
Winter is here in its depths. Yule merriment may have left us all with tender stomachs, or colds, or both. If you were lucky enough to have a cow in milk at this inclement season (or imprudent enough; January is definitely NOT when you want...
“Christmas is a-coming and the geese are getting fat…” I explained last month one of the things you could do with a goose – now let’s move on to the fancier trimmings. Yule feasts, especially in the royal households, have been a time to pile...
Longer days draw on apace, and the agricultural year draws down to its close. After the grain harvest about the first two weeks of August, young geese were turned into the fields to eat up the grains that shattered out during the harvest. This custom...
A bounteous harvest is coming in and the season of feasting is upon us. Feasting means parties, and parties mean special foods and drinks, as much as the budget of the household would allow. A favorite postprandial tipple during most of the middle ages was a sweetened...
Well, back to business; preserves can no longer wait! I apologize for waiting so long on this recipe, since by the time this is printed we will have missed both the strawberries and cane-berry seasons. However, this recipe can be applied to almost any fruit, and plums,...
The inspiration for this column is a banquet encounter with His Lordship Jamal Damien Marcus of the Kingdom of Caid, a cook of vast and deserved renown. Preserves can wait until next month!...