SC - Classes-long

[LrdRas at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/10/00 4:48:24 PM Eastern Standard Time, allilyn at juno.com 
writes:

<< Could you do a class for Pennsic, bringing the various 
gourds/squashes/pompions etc. you grow for show+tell? >>

I could do such a class, perhaps next year. This year our US wedding date is 
during Pennsic and, Elysant and I may not be able to attend for more than a 
couple of days if at all. I have been working on a gardening/cookery/animal 
husbandry web space and hope to have that up and running sometime in early 
April with any luck. 

 <<It would be nice  to see them. >>

One of the things I do is set up a display of fresh fruits, vegetables and 
other foods like spices and grains, facsimiles of period cookery manuscripts, 
reproductions of period pots and kitchenware, etc., at local public demos 
when they are scheduled on a non-work day. Many of the herbs and vegetables 
are grown by myself and Mistress Alicia including various edible gourds. 
Mistress Alicia sets up a display of other agriculturally related items such 
as animal husbandry, tools, buildings, etc. We also try to have a working 
fire pit set up at outdoor demos with Master Gille doing this when I am not 
available to help. Other shire members maintain a table with free samples of 
gingerbread, cardamom cookies or other period sweets and savories.  The 
accompanying spinning/carding/weaving displays and interactive dance 
demonstrations, does much to emphasize the pastoral and agricultural basis of 
medieval society.

<< I realize they will be full grown in Aug. Not the small, edible 55 day old 
types.>>

This is not necessarily the case. If the plants are kept picked regularly 
they continue to produce throughout the season. I usually leave at least one 
plant unpicked to mature into seed for the next year because not all 
varieties are available from the seed houses every year although edible 
gourds such as bird's house (bottle), cucuzzini (Italian Edible; snake 
gourd), loofa and bushel basket are almost always available in either the 
kid's section of the seed rack locally or in the 'unusual' vegetable section.

  <<Take pics of your garden, perhaps?>>

This would make an excellent project and could provide pictures of many 
edibles and plant species in various stages of useful picking stages at the 
period garden site. Thanks for the idea. I appreciate it.
 
<< Some of us with access to paintings of fruits and veggies might be able
 to bring those.>>

That would also be great. Some period illuminations and painting are 
incredible detailed when it comes to botanical information. Comparing actual 
fruits/vegies to these pictures is one of the ways to identify certain types 
such as the bottle gourd.

 << We get this theme all the time, and I, for one, as an inept gardener, am 
still not sure what I'm looking for in markets--or should not buy.>>

Unfortunately many vegetables and period like fruits are not available in 
markets with any great regularity. Fresh fava beans, cucuzzini, red carrots, 
quinces, Seville oranges and Lady apples immediately come to mind. Some, like 
fresh lovage are not available at all. 

The best way to assure their availability is to either grow them yourself or 
have someone else do it. For many people, that simply is not a viable option 
although some herbs can be grown on window sills indoors with varying degrees 
of success and failure. 

I will keep this suggestion in mind for a future class and, as soon as the 
state approves a new contract for us, I am hoping to purchase a small piece 
of land for the very purpose of creating a working historical plant 
garden/park where folks can drop by to see and taste these things in person. 
 
 <<Regards,
 Allison,     allilyn at juno.com >>

Glad to have you back.

Yours in Service to the Dream,

Ras