SC - Preserved Foods--Julleran Pls Note (LONG)

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

At 11:37 PM 4/14/97 -0500, you wrote:
>From: allilyn at juno.com (LYN M PARKINSON)
>There's also a reference, although I don't remember where it is, to Anne
>of Cleves cooking pigeons and keeping them 'in their own fat'.
>Has anyone tried this in the modern day?  
>Allison

This is a pretty cool subject, and was covered on the Realto a few months
ago, with some lively debate (Stefan, can you point out that file?). It
sparked such an interest in me that I did some reserach and taught a class.
The week before the class I tested some of the various methods of preserving
things, direct from period sources. Guess what....thay all worked (at least
in the short term)! We ate the results, which had been preserved at least
3-4 days and in some cases a week, without and problems. It made for a very
nice "h'ors d'eouvre" session two hours before the feast.

I tested:
Food/Type:                                      Result:
Preserving grapes in spring water.------Far fresher than just leaving them
in                                         the fruit bowl. Quite effective
short                                         term, and the water is also
good, having                                         a mild fruit flavor.
Highly reccomended for
                                    camping and non-refrigerated sites. Keep
them airtight (topped with water).
Potted Shrimps and Potted Cheese--------This was sheer delight! You can use
any                                         fat, but I suggest you go for
flavor by                                         using clarified butter. In
any case,                                        your fat must be very pure,
and heated                                         very hot first, to kill
any organisms   
Pease kept in Clarified butter--------These were passable. They sat on the
counter for four days. Tasted good but
had an off (yellow)color when cooked.
Preserved Beef (after an Apecius--------The beef was kept using honey, vinegar, 
recipe for veal)                        mustard, salt, and some herbs I
threw                                         in. This was far and away the
winner! The
                                        meat was pre-cooked and then
immersed in                                         the pickle, and kept
very well for 3                                         days (I didn't want
to be manic about                                            it).
        In the past I have also preserved oranges a la Huwife's Jewel, with
very good results (won a category at Ice Dragon with some that had been
preserved a month!). In addition, I have preserved flavors by making fruit
syrup (the vinegar kind), which will keep unrefrigerated for months. I also
have made pickled vegetables for my russian feast last year.
        I maintain that many of our feasts are not truly "period" until we
begin to address the sorts of food processing typical to the middle ages.
For instance, one knowledgable source I read maintained that most Oysters
that were used, and most lemons in non-producing countries, were pickled
rather than fresh, since they had little or no shelf-life once the shipping
time was factored in.
        I believe that we would only see a meal made completely of
unprocessed food during the high summer and fall months, in regards to a
large feast such as we normally produce in the SCA. Yes, it does make it
more difficult to plan the menu you want when you can get oranges and apples
year-round, but couldn't in Denmark in 1473. But it also makes for a truer
concept of the dining experience to limit yourself to the logical choices
(besides, it's cheaper to buy in season). Sometimes this falls down a little
in the face of 300 diners and a modern kitchen and limited time, but it is
truly worth the effort when you have a little extra time and a smaller
crowd. I have discovered that people really eat these preserved food to an
extent I wouldn't have believed possible. People  must crave that
concentrated flavor you get with preserved foods, espescially the sweet and
sour varities.
        It's just my two cents worth.
Aoife    

Confidential to JULLERAN (and any other children's officers): Julleran,I
can't e-mail you. It won't go through.<<much swearing>> But I can get yours!
Results of Idea Requests for Children's Office Name and Device: Rugratacrat,
Pied Piper (and Pied Piper's Point), Nurse, Master/Mistress of Pages,
Children's Steward, Chancellor Minor. Devices: Shepherd's crook (my fave),
Spinning Top, Hobby Horse (too juvenile?), Flute, some outstanding graphic
design like a division of 8-12 parts alternating black and white (very
visible), possibly in combination with the above, and a Golden Acorn
(implying growth and potential), Horse on wheels,  A cinderella-type castle
(makes a good banner).  I will call some evening to talk. I may mail you a
packet with mock-ups. A.
PS Gunther I promise not to do this again!Girl Scout's Honor!
"Many things we need can wait. The child cannot."
				---Gabriela Mistral, Chilean Poet 1889-1957