[Northkeep] OK, here is a Lenten question...maybe Talana?

[Kathryn Helstrom]

We all agree that the surplus milk not used by calving cows would surely be
made into cheese and/or butter.  Also, in most bishoprics pregnant women,
young children, and the ill or infirm were often exempted from the no-dairy
lenten fast, thus they would have consumed the meager supplies not being
turned into solids for future consumption or taxes.

As far as eggs go, if the hens are kept from the rooster (no, the rooster is
NOT needed for hens to lay eggs), the eggs would be infertile.  A normal hen
will produce 3 or 4 eggs per week.  A good layer gives 5 or more. So, if you
had ten hens who were not being visited by the cock, 30 eggs per week would
be expected once laying began in the warmer weather (much less in the
winter).  The most common way to preserve eggs in the olden times?  Boil
them, peel them, pickle them, and put them in a crock!  This will preserve
them for weeks, even months in a cool cellar.  The Germans were particularly
fond of eggs long soaked in herbed vinegar.  Although I have tried several
recipes, my favorite is just save the juice from Claussen pickels and fill
the jar with hard boiled eggs.  They're delicious after about 10 days.
Makes a great egg salad.

Franziska

On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 9:37 AM, <Anawyn at aol.com> wrote:

> We know the restrictions placed on diet during Lent in the Middle Ages,
> such as no eggs, dairy products, meat, etc. So...what did they do with all
> of
> the continuing accumulation of foodstuffs? I mean, for those living on a
> farm they HAD to milk the cows each day, that could not be neglected. The
> eggs  would pile up and rot, so those would have to be gathered too. I
> would
> think that wasting or throwing away food would certainly be considered an
> "ungodly" activity, not to mention the loss of income for those who
> depended
> on  selling their various comestibles for a living.
>
> See, this is what happens to your train of thoughts when you wake up and
> can't go back to sleep. I suppose worrying about the past beats the aspect
> of
>  worrying about the future in some ways. Now I just made myself hungry for
> an  omelette...:->
>
> Anawyn
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