[Sca-cooks] trenchers and the "mini Ice Age"

[Jeff Gedney]

>Is this the posited hemispheric change that could 
>have been caused by a catastrophic volcanic eruption 
>on a Pacific island in the very rough neighborhood 
>of 1200 AD?  

I had heard that it was mainly seafloor volcanism by 
the nature of the chemical profiles of the dust in the 
relevant ice cores, but scientits dont seem to have a 
handle on the actual volcano involved.

Here is a VERY interesting paper on the subject
http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2000/2000_Stothers1.pdf

Also of note is that the Hekla volcano came back to "life" 
around 1200 as well (and it is to this day one of the most 
active volcanoes in the world), destroying what had to that 
time been fairly lush and fertile farmland, and it is not 
the only one to be so active at that time. 
IIRC the various Italian volcanoes (Stromboli, Etna, 
Vesuvius) had a surge in activity in that century as 
well.  So there does seem to be evidence for a general 
rise in global vulcanism at that time. 
There is certainly a lot of evidence for famine and other 
environmental woes coincident with this apparent rise in 
global vulcanism.

As for how that related with eating your trenchers and 
crusts? I am not sure. I think most of our recipes for 
pie and trencher crusts that aren't "for eating" are from
well into the faminous era.

Personally, I think it has more to do with increased 
mechanization and the adoption of more efficient 
production techniques, in milling and farming, along 
with an increase of wheat farming as decrease in hard 
rye making soft white flours cheaper and more widely 
available in the 15th and 16th centuries.

But that's just me, as a technologist, I tend to look 
for technological reasons for things.

Capt Elias
Dragonship Haven, East
(Stratford, CT, USA)
Apprentice in the House of Silverwing

-Renaissance Geek of the Cyber Seas
- Help! I am being pecked to death by the Ducks of Dilletanteism! 
There are SO damn many more things I want to try in 
the SCA than I can possibly have time for. 
It's killing me!!!

-----------------------------------------------------
Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;
Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give
To sounds confused; behold the threaden sails,
Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea,
Breasting the lofty surge: O, do but think
You stand upon the ravage and behold
A city on the inconstant billows dancing;
For so appears this fleet majestical,
Holding due course to Harfleur. 
  - Shakespeare - Henry V, Act III, Prologue