SC - Traveling to Charlotte NC

[Bonne of Traquair]

Greeting to fellow SCA culinary enthusists,

I am just joining this august gathering 
of like minds, ready to discuss the minutiae
of period cuisine at the drop of a (chefs') 
hat.  Regretably, I must join via the digest
for reason of membership in already far too
many community lists.  Alas for the mundane
necessities which ingraciously intrude upon 
my time to play.

I am Baron Akim Yaroslavich of Meridies, late
founding Baron of the Barony of Glaedenfeld
(now alas, the Shire of Glaedenfeld).  I have been
continuously active as a member of the SCA
for over 22 years (membership #2786- yes before
the hardening of the crustal strata!) and am
a companion of the Order of the Scarlet Star,
which is awarded for feastcrating and autocrating
in Meridies.  My interests (on topic) are primarily
in period mainline Western European Cuisine: foods,
subtleties, alcoholic beverages and miscellany.
While I enjoy other cuisines, I do not claim a great deal
of expertise with them.  I have submitted a manuscript
on the subject of period fruits to the editor of the 
Complete Anachronist who is searching for knowledgable
readers prior to publication.  

May I introject a plea here for volunteers with 
appropriate credentials for criticism on this
subject to please introduce yourselves to the editor? 
She is Lady Heather Bryden, bryden at hers.com .I would 
be most indebted for your kind assistance in this matter.

One further endeavor of mine these days, perhaps of 
pertinence to this assembly of cooks, is a project I have
recently launched, the Glaedenfeld Centre for Medieval
and Renaissance Studies.  This is to be a fully incorporated,
educational, nonprofit center devoted to multiphase support
of other nonprofits (primarily the SCA).  Official corporate 
filling has not yet taken place, but there is an interkingdom
group nucleus working towards incorporation.  The Centre
site is 51 acres in Middle Tennessee about 35 miles north
of Alabama off interstate I-65.   A feasthall to seat 350 at 
table is now under construction.  An unusual feature of this
feasting facilitiy will be that, while mundane washing and storage
facilities (prep areas, refrigeration, etc.) will be modern,  the
primary cooking facilities will be period.  A separate pavillion
will house a basic Elizabethean open air kitchen similarly 
equipped  to the Scappi engraving on page 12 of the HISTORY
OF FOOD by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat.  Facilities will 
ultimately include large permanent bread ovens and a period
scandinavian/Rus smokehouse.  This will be a teaching facility
as well as an event site.  Eventually, a year-round period A&S
"folk school" will be in operation as well as permanent Guild 
Halls constructed, including those related to culinary arts and 
science.  Ten acres or so of the site will be devoted to growing
period varietals of food crops for both species preservation and
SCA cooking use.  Orchards are already begun with 5 period
apples, 2 plum varieties and several period cherries; this is not
one or two trees but a serious (and organic) production much
of which not consumed by SCA will be sold mundanely.  There 
are currently 5 bee hives in place with 15 more planned to support
mead making and last week we planted 7 acres of bearded barley,
hopefully to interest brewers.  Eventually, facilities for falconry and
coursing hounds will be activated so that traditions of the hunt may
be enjoyed.  The area abounds in deer, coney, and unimaginably-
wild peacock! Several nearby farms will also be raising animals such
as sheep, goats, geese, ducks and such on order for our feasting 
needs.

This site is about the original size of Coopers Lake campgrounds
and will be developed for mainly tenting events.  Another aspect
related to cooking about the Centre is the establishment of an
on site research Library and Archival center which will surely
have culinary arts as a significant area of interest.  There is a
great deal more about the Centre (beyond that which is on topic
for this community list), so further expoundment will be via private
email.  Remember, the Centre is just achieving a good crawl, with
expectations of first steps sometime next summer, so don't 
inundate us with requests for detailed program information.  
We haven't gotten that far along yet. 

I look forward to sharing much information with all of you and
hopefully will not bore you with my ocassional pontifications
on period comestibles.

Akim
"No glory comes without pain"

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