SC - Creating a period garden

[Mark.S Harris]

Orlaith of Storvik asked:
> I just agreed to do my first stint as head cook at
> Storvik's Novice tourney on June 30.  It is a one day
> event and we are planning a lunch about 2 hours after
> site opens (no feast).  We are including the light
> lunch in the cost of the site and since there is a
> Kingdom War Practice after the tourney I was just told
> that I should plan for about 100 people (but it might
> be more at the last minute) at $2/head.  There is no
> kitchen, just a picnic pavillion.  

Here are a few files in the Florilegium FEAST section which
might be useful:
picnic-feasts-msg  (8K)  3/ 6/01    Ideas for light, picnic style
feasts.
prim-sit-fsts-msg  (8K)  4/ 6/01    Preparing feasts at primative sites

> What I am thinking off the top of my head is
> individual meat pasties (with some veggie ones cooked
> for those who don't want meat), a piece of fruit,
> maybe a hunk of cheese, and some sort of desserty
> thing (cookie like?).

For the meat pasties, check this file in the FOOD section:
meat-pies-msg     (97K)  4/12/00    Period meat pies. Recipes.
pies-msg          (51K)  7/31/00    Period pie crusts, meat and fruit
pies.

It would be nice to use something other than the ubiquous yellow,
cheddar cheese, but your budget is pretty tight. There is some 
discussion on period cheeses in this file:
cheese-msg       (152K)  1/ 8/01    Medieval cheese. Recipes.

In the FOOD-SWEETS section:
cookies-msg       (84K) 11/ 8/00    Period cookies. Recipes.
desserts-msg     (112K)  1/12/01    Medieval and SCA dessert recipes.
Sweets.
14C-Sweets-art    (17K)  9/14/00    "Sweets and Treats of the 14C" 
                                       by Lady Hauviette d'Anjou.
3-Span-Sweets-art (13K)  4/26/01    Three Spanish sweet dishes from de
Nola by 
                                       Vicente.

> I am also planning on making
> lemonade and some sort of syrup drink - the baroness
> has requested not straight sekanjabin since she does
> not like mint.  

There are some sekanjabin-like beverages which don't use
mint. Check this file in the BEVERAGES section:
jalabs-msg        (51K)  1/23/01    Drinks with a sugar or honey-syrup
base such 
                                       as Sekanjabin (Persian Mint
Drink).

> I have basically 2 months to freak out and then plan
> this thing and I have confidence based on 2 years of
> reading all your good advice to other new cooks.  Does
> anyone have any advice that would work here?
  
Well, I don't think you actually have the time to freak out
for two months and then plan this thing. Maybe you can cut your
freak-out time to a day or two. :-)

If you've been on the list for two years, you've probably already
seen much of this information, but perhaps having it grouped this
way will help. The Florilegium is at: http://www.florilegium.org

Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net