[Sca-cooks] Re: Barberries (was "Just a Feast")

[Kirrily Robert]

> It is
> quite possible that folks in your SCA group might locate some for you
> though.

Doubt it.  There are some very good cooks here, but I am pretty sure
they substitute more available ingredients at least as much as I do, if
not more.

> The berries persist on the leafless bush usually through the winter
> to my experience naturally dried among the numerous thorns.  The thorns
> make it rather hard for birds to strip them all.  I assume they could be
> re hydrated.   They retain their very bright and shiny red outer skins
> (that is one of the reasons that they are a popular landscaping plant).
> The red of cranberries is very dull by comparison.  I would think that
> they could still be easily found in major parks and campuses
> so perhaps someone on the list could gather you a pound or so and
> send it up if you have six weeks leeway.  Can some of y'all check out maybe
> Central Park for Katherine.  I would but I am in a very rural area where
> folks don't do much in fancy landscaping shrubs (except me and I don't have
> any).  Now if you wanted soybeans or cedar berries..... that's easier.

I don't think it's permitted to transport fruit across the Canadian
border just like that.  At least, you do have to declare plant-sourced
foods on your customs form when you fly in, so I imagine that that's
what they're trying to stop.  A website I found last night indicated
that barberries had, until quite recently, been very restricted in
Canada due to association with some kind of disease of wheat.  The
article I read was saying about how the newly-lifted restrictions would
provide people with an interesting new landscaping plant.  So I don't
think we'll find as many cluttering up public parks and campuses as you
might in the US, and even if we did I don't think I'd be very
comfortable using them as (as someone else pointed out) they might have
been sprayed with anything.  I will, however, consider planting a couple
in my garden if/when I get a house.

Yours,

Katherine

--
Lady Katherine Rowberd (mka Kirrily "Skud" Robert)
katherine at infotrope.net  http://infotrope.net/sca/
Caldrithig, Skraeling Althing, Ealdormere
"The rose is red, the leaves are grene, God save Elizabeth our Queene"