SC - Pennsic 28 Classes: Was: Back From Pennsic - Fairly Long and Rambling

[Elise Fleming]

I don't know how much Lord Ras has told you about our War, since I got home to
find out that one of Mike's kids had dumped my AOL screen name along with all
my files, and it took me a few days to get back on, but I will forever
remember this War as the War of the Lamb.

As Lord Ras may have told you, he and I split an entire lamb for War. I picked
it up frozen, in 6 sections, shoulders, loins split, and the legs, with the
brain, heart, kidneys, and liver. We intended to feed people, and we did,
but... 40 lbs of lamb is a LOT!!!!!!!!!!

Got to Coopers just before dark. Lamb was in a good cooler, didn't worry.
Friends fed me, so all I did was wander, chat, and talk until bedtime- pulled
out a sleeping bag and slept under the truck. Got up bright and early to do
land grab. In our area, it usually takes 15 minutes flat, but somehow 209
people got put in an area that fits 160, and land grab took 8 hrs. Meanwhile,
lamb is in truck on battlefield in hot sun- finally I brought the truck down
and parked it in the shade. Ras arrives with 30 minutes to unload the U-Haul,
but couldn't set up camp until land was negotiated, so I got all the land
agents in our area to unload him at the side of the road, but that meant we
had some hauling to do to get his stuff in when things were settled. As you
can imagine, we were all so tired we didn't eat, by the time we got set up.

Next morning, we had to make a town run, so you guessed it folks, the first
meal two members of the Cook's list had at Pennsic, with 40 lbs of lamb, and a
variety of fresh herbs to hand, was Taco Bell.

We did well by the lamb- we roasted a shoulder the first night, added
leftovers to the other shoulder for a stew, Ras fixed brains and eggs for
breakfast, I cut up the rib sections for a Crown roast with Ras' "Garbage" as
the stuffing, we roasted both legs one night and chopped up the leftovers into
chunks for a stew which never got made, though the chunks got eaten, and on
Tuesday night, I served the members of the Cook's potluck- lamb stew, a la
Platina. Considering how much lamb we'd been having, it's a wonder that I
didn't serve something out of another book I'd picked up, "The Medieval
Warhorse". By the way, the lamb was still good after a week and a half, we'd
kept it well iced, and you guys got basically the tenderloins and some rib
meat, with fresh bay, fresh rosemary, and garlic. Cariadoc, who got there
late, said it must not be any good- there wasn't very much of it there.

Anyway, when Morwen, a friend of Ras' got there on Saturday, she brought us a
special treat- a couple of lamb roasts!! And at the potluck, a friend of mine
invited me to a lamb roast on Friday. Good thing lamb is my favorite meat, but
can anyone understand why the next meal I cooked was Southern Fried Chicken,
green beans, and mashed potatoes? I know it's not period, Cariadoc, but
forgive me- I'm a Southern Celt!

In all, I had a great time. My particular thanks go to Stefan, for being such
a gentlemanly escort on my birthday, Jean-Yves for the lovely Mead he shared
with our camp, the potluck, and particularly the bottle he gave me for my
birthday- it's aging, as you suggested for next War, Lord Ras, for being
himself, as usual, Alys-Katherine for her great efforts on behalf of Arts and
Sciences, Allison for her support in Chirurgeon's Point, and Mistress
Christiana for her wonderful grain dish, and the recipe to go with it.

Love to all ;-)

Phlip
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