[Sca-cooks] what is your project?

[Mark.S Harris]

Jana said:
> On the list someone mentioned the Vikings did preserve their meat by putting
> it in casks, packing in weay and bearing it.

> First I had troubles finding that much weay that wasn't dried.  You know
> clerks in stores really give you funny looks when ask for a quart of the
> stuff.

So where did you finally find some? Or did you make your own?

> Then I found I could not afford wood casks,  a small one was $60.00.  So I
> decided to use Tupperware.

Reasonable. Certainly easier than making your own wooden cask. If
someone wants a "real" woodworking project, take a look at what
making a medieval cask involves.

> So I burred one in my backyard in a place that the sun never gets to and is
> always very cool.  I also placed one in the freezer, permafrost I thought.
>
> Our neighbors dog jumped our 6 foot fence, dug up my project and at it weay
> and all.  He lived.

I surprised he could smell it in a buried, sealed container. The
fact that he lived can be solved, however. See:
crossbows-msg     (38K) 12/ 2/98    Period and SCA crossbows.

Perhaps some research into period snares and traps might be an
interesting side exploration to this, also. I don't have much
info on these in the Florilegium, so anyone looking for an article
idea...

> So much for a cooking entree.  I guess I'll grind up
> my little bugs and make paint.

Thank you for this report. I'm still laughing. I encourage you
to try again, although I'm concerned about how you will know if
the meat is safe to eat or not.

Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net