SC - Re: Honey

[DeeWolff@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/26/00 10:15:08 AM Mountain Daylight Time, 
JGedney at dictaphone.com writes:

<< I think I remember a reference to Strainers being made of Horsetail, 
 If it is the animal hair they are talking about, Horse tail is probably the 
 stongest hair that would have been available in sufficient lengths. 
 But not being a fiddler, I have little idea on how strong such hair 
 actually is, and how it reacts to regular wet/dry cycles.
 Anyone have any ideas on this?
 Then I wondered if they were talking about the vegetable "horsetail" 
 reed...
  >>

I do not really know about the use of horsehair in strainer manufacture. 
However, I can attest to the strength and durability of horsehair, even when 
wet.  Very plausable useage would be in strainers.  

Now, as to the vegetation named Horsetail.  Thinking back on the days when I 
lived in the wilderness and lived off the land (yea, really, a years worth, 
but that's another story) I recall Horsehair as a fiberous edible.  Well, 
only margionally edible. You could eat it, but it tasted like ****. 

Roughly resembling a cousin of Asperagas, it differs in several ways. First, 
it is not a supple stem.  Horsehair is very tough (even when very young) and 
has a high silicon content in the cell structure. It also has a fairly high 
alkaloid content. Not high enough to be lethal, or even mildly haucinagenic, 
just high enough to remarkably nasty tasting.  This can be over come if you 
are really hungry and to weak to bother going and hunting something.  You 
boil it.  Then drain and boil it again, and again, and again. After about 8 
or 9 boil and strains, you come up with a smushy handful of dark green 
vegetation that is not too bitter. Edible yes, but I really recommend doing 
something with it.  Saute in butter and garlic is nice. So to is tossing with 
chopped tomato, basil and lavender and pasta.  But then again, If you are 
reduced to eating Horsetail you probably don't have the other stuff with you! 
*wink* 

Now the point of this story, yes I'm wandering, is that the other thing that 
you have to contend with other than the flavor and texture of cooked 
Horsetail, is the tough fiberous strand intermixed with the mush.  While 
these would be fine and tough enough to weave a screen for a strainer, the 
plant in highly segmented. The longest segment on older plants is still only 
4-5 inches long (at least in the species growing in the Sierra Nevada Range 
and the Wasatch Range and the semi-wetlands of Southern Utah), when you are 
really bored some enjoyment can be had popping the segments apart, 
fascinating little plants.

So the short answer to your short question is...

Horsehair is more likely to have been used than Horsetail.

Cheers,
Isabeau

HL Isabeau de Sevyngy
Squired to Sir Sakura kita no Maikeru
Shire of Gryphons Lair
Artemisia