Activities through 12-20-20 Potluck

Only a food-focused week this time, not just because of the potluck, but the holiday coming up behind. We tried some dishes that worked and one that kinda didn’t, but overall ate well. We have a couple of people who’ve asked to be added to the Facebook group. We welcome folks who are interested in what we do! Some other things went on during the week as you can see below and lots posted for Project Day and the Potluck!

This week is going to be all holiday stuff. No clue how that’s going to play out with getting House stuff done. If you don’t see a report this coming week, it’s ok.

Got a question this week about “What is a “graeca doctrina servus“? It literally means, “greek teaching slave” and was a joke when we first started the House. It’s as good a term for what I do as I’ve found, since I publish this each week, keep records and teach when folks need it!

Done. but it kinda didn’t work…. Gonna try again this week.

All meetings are on hold for the moment, although Project Day and the Monthly Potluck are being held in the Virtual Realm. We’re also doing mini-potlucks, just Anja & Loren and one other “pod” at a time. Let us know if you’re interested!

Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 11am-1pm
Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, Noon to 6pm
Cheese and Wine happens irregularly, usually announced with little notice on our Facebook group.
Next Virtual Potluck – 10/18
No Winter Feast in 2021. We’ll revisit for one in 2022 next spring.

Here is the direct Portfolio link which has all the past Project Day reports and various projects, original here: https://housecapuchin.wordpress.com/portfolio/ and new one here: https://housecapuchin2.wordpress.com/portfolio/ and number three is here: https://housecapuchin3.wordpress.com/portfolio/

Educational Events

A Master List for finding classes, webinars and other things – https://moas.eastkingdom.org/list-of-online-webinars/?fbclid=IwAR20OE8b6vvYKvmwrqwpule27szarZ7EPV-8R72F1eV2CxcdmOXQhZf9ayk
36th Annual Clothiers Seminar, February 6, 2021 – https://shirecai.calontir.org/clothiers2021/

Dance Vids

Classes – (apparently everyone is busy with the holidays!)

Real Royalty – The King Who Ruined England | Edward II | Real Royalty – In this episode, Edward II’s obsession with revenge tears England apart. The Plantagenet story is more shocking, more brutal and more astonishing than anything you’ll find in Game of Thrones.

Early Week – Anja was embroidering, but also did some cookery research, and started a few dishes for the potluck. We also took delivery of some ground lamb and both beef and lamb bones.

Cookery – We started the chicken with root vegetables and greens early in the week and fridged the main part of it on Wednesday. The sauces waited until later in the week. After setting up and photographing the nibblements plates (Cheese plate, fruit and veg plate, olives) on Friday, we tried the Spoon Dish of Nuts. It didn’t work as well as we would have liked, so we did another run at it on…. Saturday morning we started the lamb bones going and strained and put the broth by Saturday evening and fridged the useable bones, because they’re going to have to be degreased and boiled. At that point we started the beef bones, which are also being cooked for the marrow.

Because we lost Saturday evening to a different problem, nothing more happened until Sunday, where we started in at one end and finished around 8pm. Pasties filling was first, then the vegetables, then forming and baking pasties, then making up the chicken dish with the sauces.

Pasties

Starting to cook meat, added salt and caraway

Meat is cooked – 4 sets to freeze, one to use

Added egg, breadcrumbs and craisins (I grabbed the wrong box!)

In 4 stages (clkws from top left) Ready, folding over, filling and honey added, plain shee

Filled, brushed with beef broth and crimped

Other foods

Chicken with root veg and greens, plus garlic sauce and creamy mushroom sauce

L-R – Bean pottage (made with black-eyed peas) Honey/Ginger carrots, buttered beets

Celebrating Saturnalia with Cato’s Globi – Tasting History with Max Miller

The History of English Gingerbread – https://atasteofhistorywithjoycewhite.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-history-of-gingerbread-there-really.html

How to cook a medieval feast: 11 recipes from the Middle Ages – https://blog.britishmuseum.org/how-to-cook-a-medieval-feast/

Sewing – Working on the snip case in the early week, because the pouch disappeared…. …and then I figured out where I put it. Only a few stitches done, though.

Sundials, etc. – Tempus got to show off one of his bone needles to the lady who delivered the lamb and the bones.

Herb Bunch – The stew ended up with a number of veg ends to be planted. Anja went to do them on Friday and the rain was a bit much, so that happened on Sunday, instead, after Tempus brought the bucket in.

…and covered. In about 2 weeks we’ll see more green

Project Day – Bones cooked all day Saturday and Sunday. They only got finished Sunday night, late, but we still have to degrease them and boil them clean. The internet connections kept fading in and out for the first couple of hours, which makes it all the better to keep it to typing and photos and maybe messenger chat.

Peggy said, “I won’t make it today, but I wanted to share that my son has suggested twice now that I make “farts of Portugal” again. Told him he’ll have to wait until we get moved.”

Anja was online most of the afternoon, talking to folks and working on embroidery.

Isabeau said, early on, “Today was spent delivering projects. Tomorrow is for making holiday yumminess!” Then Anja and Isabeau both made tries at burning chocolate, one in a double boiler, one in the nuker, but Isabeau went on to create these awesome bead spiders!

Helen, new person, just joining us for a Project Day, “I was going to join while sewing new garb but couldn’t find the link and got side- tracked by teen demanding food… LOL… maybe next time…”

Claire says, “Yesterday I made copycat Starbucks gingerbread loaf and used my Disney Frozen cakelet pan for the first time rather nicely. I also made eggnog Jell-O shots, which was rather a process because I didn’t use store bought eggnog. This was a mold I borrowed from a neighbor and not a good shape. Getting round ones soon this week from Amazon. Recipes in comments when I get to the desktop. Also made magic square bars the other day. Those and the gingerbread loaf are my two fave holiday desserts.”

“https://thecafesucrefarine.com/starbucks-gingerbread-loaf/ (I also added some candied peel and some stem ginger) https://www.seriouseats.com/…/eggnog-jello-shot-recipe… (one of the candy molds I have coming looks just like what they probably used for the ones pictured on the website) and the good ol’ classic https://www.allrecipes.com/…/magic-cookie-bars-from…/ (no nuts, I always forget WHY the coconut layer is on top, and I won’t ever use mini chocolate chips again, they shed like crazy)”

Poor Arlys was stuck in meetings all day. 😦

Potluck – Cooking had been going on all day, but by 6pm everything was finished but the pasties. We got those done and ate. Well, Tempus ate. Anja had been chowing all day! (Pix up in cookery, above)

Potluck Menu

Nibbles

Cheese plate
Grapes
Veg plate
Olives (black and green)
Bread

Main

Onion Soup
Black-eyed pea pottage
Chicken with root vegetables and greens and two sauces
- Garlic sauce – can
- Mushroom Cream Sauce – can
Ginger Carrots
Buttered Beets
Pasties, Anna Wecker cookbook, lamb/pork/berry

Veg plate – apple, carrot, turnip (it got pickled brussels sprout, too)

Sweets

Spoon dish of nuts
Marzipan
Fudge
Comfits
Seed cakes

Recipes

Pasties

Pasties filling – Pasties filling has blackberries, huckleberries and craisins as well as lamb, pork, egg, bread crumbs and powder douce.

Crust was puff pastry, filled and crimped like a turnover. Brushed with egg. Baked in oven at 350 for 20 minutes

These were really good! Adding the frozen berries made a big difference.

Anna Wecker’s cookbook – 225 Krapffen von dem ubergebliebnen Fleisch – Pastries of leftover meat

Take of such (meat) as you have that is no longer suitable for the table , it is good for these things. Cut the meat off the bones and chop it well. Make a dough of fine flour and eggs, a little fat, salt it well, or the way you make it for tarts, as you please.

Take two thin sheets, one as big as the other, shape it as you would like it and as you can, round, triangular, or rectangular, into hearts, roses, or stars. Then add good spices to the meat, raisins, and what you like to have sweet or sour, as you please. (Add) enough fat from what is skimmed off soups (Suppenschmalz) or beef marrow, according to how fat or lean the meat itself is. If you wish, you can also add good herbs, with or without spices, or eggs as though you wanted to make sausages that go into the fat-lined part of the large intestine (Klobwürste). You may also take coarsely ground almonds, (but) they are better grated, especially if you also add eggs, and grate a little bit of hard white bread if you please. Always add a little meat broth.

If you want to make them, prepare it (the meat) and put a little of it on part of the abovementioned sheets (shaped) according to whatever you want of animals, birds, hounds , hares, as described above. Shape it with the prepared stuff (meat mixture) and then place the second sheet on top. Press it together according to its shape and close it as artfully as you can.

Give each its form: to the sow, bristles with a pastry wheel, give each one eyes from black dried cherries or juniper berries, (arrange) the skin of an egg around it or of red apples or rose petals, each after its kind. As to what else belongs to them, I have kept the little sheep’s trotters and such things as well as the young hares’ feet, those who are artful do not need much description, to those who aren’t it is in vain. Roughly done does not improve them or detract from them. Close them, brush them with egg as is always done, bake them quickly and serve them warm. They are best without egg, but to each as they like it. Almonds and a little bread makes them good.

White Spoon Dish of nuts – This wasn’t successful. We’re going to do another run. It was tasty enough, but not cooked down the way it should have been. Looking up recipes after, it didn’t have enough liquid

Meister Hans 1460 Cookbook – Recipe #207 Von einem weissen gemuess von nussen – Of a white spoon dish of nuts

½ cup nut flour (used almond)
¼ cup semolina
½ cream
1 cup milk (needs 1 1/2 more cups)
1/8 tsp salt
sugar to taste

Method

Mix nut flour and cream in heat-proof dish.
Zap 1 minute.
Stir and let stand for ½ an hour or so.
Add semolina and salt.
Stir well.
Zap, first for two minutes, then one minute at a time, stirring between.
Porridge is done when semolina “puffs” and it thickens.
Add sugar, on top at least. You may want to add 1/4 cup when you add the salt.

Original, translation by Volker Bach – Item take a white nut spoon dish in a pot, that is made from nuts. He shall pound them but so that they do not pass through (but not pass them through a cloth?) and you should have a thick milk with that and manchet flour (semlein mel), it becomes thick from that. You may serve it warm or cold, and make it sweet with sugar.

French onion soup (modern recipe) – Effortless onion carmelising. Easy soup.

Ingredients

3 pounds onions
1 stick butter
1 qt beef broth
Herbs de provence or other as you like

Method

Set butter in the bottom of crockpot and turn on.
Wait for it to melt and swirl to coat, or melt in nuker, pour in and swirl.
Peel and thinly slice onions.
Toss into crock set to low.
Stir every couple of hours.
After 8-12 depending on your crockpot, they will be perfectly caramelized.
Add broth and seasonings and let sit another hour. (Can stand for 3, total).
Serve hot topped with cheese.

Original recipe – Started them last night in the crock pot – one stick of butter and three pounds of sliced onions, set the pot on low. Stirred periodically. By late afternoon, they were perfect! Added beef stock and herbs de Provence, topped with cheese. Thanks, Beth, for the great idea for the onions!!

Herbs de provence

3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 tablespoons dried savory
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
1/8 teaspoon dried, crushed rosemary
½ tsp lavender blossoms (optional)

Miscellaneous pix

Merry Christmas from DGB Conservation Studio by Dana & Marie – From – https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=e9c4682fec304b6e770a7fee780eb0a9&fbclid=IwAR2xIeT7WIyFNVS9Rf5-5wAFKg7jd98Q-VtPLteKiklKuYYIZ7aQ8AR7L98

Not only did we have fabulous large glass cremation vessels from several Roman sites in Kent in recent years – this one had a smaller glass vessel placed along with the bones, inside. The large square glass vessel was used for importing food/oil originally. We have not yet analysed the contents of the smaller vessel. Excavated by SWAT, from a housing development in Aylesham, Kent.

One of the most exciting activities for us is getting the call out to site to assist a team of archaeologists with getting a particularly fragile find or groups of associated finds out of the ground as a ‘block lift’ – then transport it back to the lab, via a stop for X-radiography, and then ‘microexcavating’ the block… These blocks came from a site in Charing, Kent where several high status Roman cremation burials were excavated by SWAT. Photos from the CSI Lab show the process of excavating yesterday’s glass bottles and other finds from SWAT’s Aylesham excavations: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2478528405508946&id=247290788632730

Another place we like to get out and about to is setting up our lab ‘on the high street’ and talking to colleagues and the general public about our work investigating, conserving, and experimenting with making ancient artefacts – here are some photos from our week based at Folkestone Museum (the last week before the 1st Covid-19 Lockdown!!). https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3288689944492784&id=247290788632730

Here’s the very mineralised smaller Anglo-Saxon iron fragments from the X-ray image on Day 2 – after investigative cleaning by micro-blasting with compressed air and fine grit.

This is the x-radiograph of the block, front right of photo with block lifts travelling back to lab from site (DEC.15th). The bright white features are copper alloy studs, finials, handle and key to what we think is a box. There is a very small glass vessel too. The bowls in this grouping are ceramic, but we have worked on similar grave groupings with fabulous glass and copper alloy vessels from SWAT sites in Kent (currently from Faversham, Charing and Aylesham) – https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157199396461320&set=a.10152361566841320 And the most special of all, were the ones excavated by Oxford Archaeology during the widening of the A2/M2 – motorway a decorative bronze cauldron, pateras and ewers, multi-studded mystery furniture, gaming board and a mirror that was still reflective !! : https://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art47448 and https://oxfordarchaeology.com/articles/216-a2-pepperhill-to-cobham-roadscheme-kent

This is a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photo of mainly the cross section of a corrosion layer over a Roman copper alloy box fitting from a grave in Canterbury. The white area is the metal, the grey smoother surface at the bottom is top surface of the corrosion layer, and bubbly central area – with a bit of an insect, can you spot it? – is the cross section of strange perhaps metal-organic corrosion, or perhaps mineralised lacquer coating? (insects were used to make shellac, but perhaps this is just from a bug that was caught up in the coating or corrosion/burial soil milieu?) A sample has been taken and given to a colleague doing her PhD at the Oxford Research Lab on organic residues preserved in corrosion products… We are particularly interested in discovering what kinds of evidence/stories might be bound up in corrosion layers, and are careful in making decisions about how much to clean away and/or sample when investigatively cleaning archaeological finds.

Historical Textiles – Lots more pictures on each days’ posts! Look at the right-hand column to access the rest of the calendar (up to today’s date….) – https://historicaltextiles.org/advent-calendar-december-1-2020/?fbclid=IwAR0mT0x7ZHAhN-vc9RXSdG7AyLRmQKb6Gma6vs_UaVI2cf6SV3G5tpubKXo

Today we give you a close up on an embroidery that have something that is pretty unusual. Glass beads and something that could possibly be coral pearls. Pretty often old embroideries have been stripped of their pearls and beads. So it’s rare to have an embroidery with some left. The beads and pearls are threaded on a silk or linen thread and then the thread have been sewn down in between every bead. The corals are threaded on a red silk and the glass beads on a blue silk or linen thread. The embroidery is dated to 15th century. And it’s a mitre from Linköping cathedral, Sweden. The mitre is covered with embroidery and enamelled plates with different saint on them. But the mitre is also covered with small pearls. The mitre is dated to 1350- 1490 AD. Now in collections of Historiska museet, Sweden.

Today’s post is a very basic but very important item, a band or a ribbon. This small band in linen have served it’s owner well. Today it’s very little of it left. Woven in single spun linen thread. Most likely in a rigid heddle. Just 8 mm wide. It’s a small find from the Secret Italian collection. Dated 1470-1530

Down. A material that we know was used a lot during the Middle Ages. Not very many down filled items are still around. But luckily we have a few cushions in Sweden, still filled with down. Or at least what we believe is down. They have not been opened… yet. The weight and the fluffiness feels like down. And sometimes even a small down find it’s way out though the cushion fabric. As in this case with the lovely gilded leather embroidery cushion from Aspö church. Dated to late 15th century. Possibly also early 16th century. Now in the collections of The Swedish History museum. (another pic on the page)

Today we will show something rare. A undershirt for a solider in Hälsinge regiment anno 1757. This shirt was sewn as a model copy for the regiment. It is one of few surviving examples in the world. The shirt is sewn in hand woven linen. A very coarse fabric. Very fabric efficient model. Not much have happend since the shirts from the Middle Ages. Today this shirt can be found in the collections of the Swedish Army museum. (several more pix, close-ups, on the page)

Today we have some items from the world famous Oseberg ship burial. Viking age. Norway. The excavation is exceptional in many ways. It’s a woman’s grave and it contains a lot of items that she might need in her afterlife. Amongst some of the things a lot of textile tools. This pic includes tablets for tablet weaving Today in the collections of Vikingskipshuset, Olso. (Distaff and spindle sticks and whorl and Niddy noddy pix on their page. )

Today we go early 19th century with an empire dress from the house hold after Carl von Linné. The famous Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the “father of modern taxonomy”. The dress is made in a lovely thin checked silk fabric and have a blue linen lining in the bodice. Today in the collections of Linnaeus Museum in Uppsala, Sweden. (another pic on their page)

Music – Medieval Carols, Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly

1 Ave Maria (English, 15th century) – 00:00
2 What tidings bringest thou? (English, 15th century) – 2:53
3 O viridissima virga (Hildegard of Bingen) – 7:01
4 Alma redemptoris mater (English, 15th century) – 11:47
5 Deo gracias Anglia (English, 15th century) – 18:13
6 Be merry be merry (English, 15th century) – 22:11 7 Riu riu chiu (Spanish traditional) – 24:45
8 There is no rose (English, 15th century) – 27:08
9 Planctus Guillelmus (Anonymous French, ca. 1090) – 31:44
10 Eya mater Stephane (English, 15th century) – 38:32
11 Gaudete Christus est natus (English traditional) – 41:09
12 Hail Mary full of grace (English, 15th century) – 42:52
13 Now may we singen (English, 15th century) – 46:36
14 Nowell sing we (English, 15th century) – 50:59
15 Planctus David (Abelard) – 54:20

Links

Christmas Dinner – York Archaeological Trust – https://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/volunteer-case-studies/2020/christmas-dinner

The Footprint of a Roman Toddler Has Been Preserved on this Tile for 2000 Years – https://twistedsifter.com/2020/08/rare-2000-year-old-roman-toddler-footprint/

Llys Llywelyn – Medieval Court – https://museum.wales/stfagans/buildings/llys-llywellyn/?fbclid=IwAR3mLOrKZT_yTELVfAbTPlw-n4BRK3ENYLN3clYN7VmfMOLMbCelqkW7Hx0

Hidden in the Landscape: The Unique Architectural Heritage of Icelandic Turf Houses – https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/turf-houses-0011004

The Galloway Hoard: Viking-age Treasure – https://www.nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/national-museum-of-scotland/the-galloway-hoard-viking-age-treasure/

Video Links

Debunking Norse Pagan Yule Myths – Or how to ruin Yule for everybody – Annoyed Kitten

vikinghomecompanion – Torvaldr is a Verb Wargy

vikinghomecompanion – Viking Raid doo doo

Funnies

Largesse Item Count – (includes gifts, prizes, auction items, etc.)

ASXLVII = 24
ASXLVIII = 88
ASXLIX = 794
ASL = 2138
ASLI = 731
ASLII = 304
ASLIII – 146
ASLIV – 227 (included 3 balls) plus 4 puppets, 3 hippocras mix, 4 powder fort, 8 cheese spice and 9 powder douce packets, 1 kiss-lock pouch, 9 tiny bobs, 7 pincushions, 3 pins, 3 snip case w/snips, lucet cords, 25 pouches for block-printing, 1 medium pouch, 4 small pouches, 12 bookmarkers, 14 unfinished pincushions, 1 sewing kit (except for bone needle), varnished stuff (124), 2 emery strawberries, 1 woolen spool-knit cord

Total as a Household = 4058 handed off

In ministerio autem Somnium! Anja, graeca doctrina servus to House Capuchin
Page Created 12/14/20 & published 12/21/20 (C)M. Bartlett
Last updated 12/18/20

House Capuchin 3

An historical recreation household centered on the Central Oregon Coast (households are not official groups of the Society for Creative Anachronism and do not represent the views or policies of SCA, Inc. )