Still not very many people coming to in-person. We may shut those down again, except for Herbs. This surge of the Plague is worrying. Lots of links this week. The little slavic traditional doll is finished. The bean trellis is partway up. …and Duchess Lao’s Tales of the Monkey King have been digitized! They found some old tapes and they’re starting to put them up on Youtube!

We have a volunteer to be “‘crat” for the Feast, so we’re working on a theme. So far it’s 5 votes for Norse, two for Italian, one for German Renn and one for Anglo-Saxon.

  • Herb Bunch – At Ancient Light, Thursdays, 6am-9pm, starts this week!
  • Sewing Time – At Ancient Light, Saturdays, 3-5pm
  • Project Day – At Ancient Light, Sundays, 1 to 5pm
  • Cheese and Wine happens irregularly, usually announced with little notice on our Facebook group.
  • Next Virtual Potluck – 9/19, 10/17, 11/21, 12/19, 1/16
  • Winter Feast 2022 is looking to happen. Updates soon!

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/

Misc – Duchess Lao! – Tales of the Monkey King: Part 1 – Heather Daveno – In the mid 1980s, Heather Daveno presented a seven hour, One Monkey Show in the style of a pre-Chinese opera. Portions of the live performance were later recreated at KLTV Public Access in Longview WA. In May-June 2021, the tapes were discovered and remastered into digital.

Online Education

Pennsic University – Links are only up through August! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcPqyAoBz-iFNF3T-kQt0eQ/videos

Other Educational Events

A Master List for finding classes, webinars and other things – https://moas.eastkingdom.org/list-of-online-webinars/?fbclid=IwAR20OE8b6vvYKvmwrqwpule27szarZ7EPV-8R72F1eV2CxcdmOXQhZf9ayk

10/1-10/3 2021 – Daigaku-Ryo: Pan-Asia University = Constantinople to Heiankyō 2021 – October 1, 2021 — October 3, 2021 – http://daigaku-ryou.org/

 Other Good Stuff

KWAS – The Known World Arts and Sciences Display is now live! Go to https://sites.google.com/view/kwasdisplay/home and click on “Display Hall” in the upper right corner to see the contributions.

Knowne Worlde Entertainment Guide – KWEG – Entertainment List – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xEZAwCca4IQham3TpxfWnonQscG668mmYgIMA18YZ-E/edit

SCA Iberia put out a whole bunch of videos from their most recent event! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2RmLGx_KiNzoFiM6GAu5Hg/videos

Dance Vids – Medieval dance teaching – Saltus Gladii – Medieval dance in medieval castle performed by Saltus Gladii.

Classes – “It is a little Book, as you see, of no great bulk, yet a brief of the whole world, and a whole language: full of Pictures, Names, and Descriptions of things. The Pictures are the representation of all visible things, (to which also things invisible are reduced after their fashion) of the whole world. Which such Book, and in such a dress may (I hope) serve To entice witty children to it, that they may not conceit a torment to be in the school, but dainty fare. For it is apparent, that children (even from their infancy almost) are delighted with Pictures, and willingly please their eyes with these lights: And it will be very well worth the pains to have once brought it to pass, that scare-crows may be taken away out of Wisdom’s Gardens.” – Bohemian church bishop Jan Komensky (Comenius), “Orbis Pictus” (1658).

The History of 14th – 16th Century Complex Shields & How to Use Them – Lynne Fairchild – This was a virtual class taught by THL Reinhold von Glier on medieval and Renaissance complex shields, teaching both the history as well as demonstrating how to use them. These shields may be used in either fencing and/or heavy fighting (aka heavy weapons or heavy combat).

Early Week – Cleaning up from all the cookery was a big thing for a couple of days. Eating up leftovers, too!

Cookery – Farmer’s Market on Wednesday!

Tuesday was all starts and putting things together. (below in Herbs) Wednesday we hit up the farmer’s market for fruit and vegetables….and a cookie. 🙂 On Sunday peach jam and baked eggplant…

Farmer’s Market stuff (some is with what it ended up as)

Friday and Saturday we processed some of what we weren’t going to eat. On Friday the pickling cukes and one lemon cuke got turned into pickle, but we didn’t have onion to push them down into the brine. That had to wait until Sunday. On Saturday the golden plums were starting to go, so the ones that were going off got made into a plum nuker jam with the addition of a little tapioca and the subtraction of skins, stems and seeds and on Sunday a couple of the peaches got the same treatment. 

Sunday cookery – This ended up being an eggplant and eggs from the Farmer’s Market, I didn’t get a picture of the casserole with the eggs, just skipped from the topping through to the finished meal. 

Diana Shell Wertz – The girdle or griddle is one of the oldest utensils, common to all the Celtic countries, from Brittany to Ireland. The word probably comes from the Old French, gre’dil, meaning grid-iron, although the hot stones used for baking by the early Gaels were called greadeal. It is used for ccoking bread, bannocks or scones, and is sprinkled only with flour before cooking; if a batter is used, the griddle is slightly greased. In some cottages the griddle is rested on a tripod over the peat embers not suspended.

Froissart, the fourteenth-century chronicler, writes that the Scottish soldier always carried a flat piece of metal and a wallet of oatmeal, as part of his equipment. With a little water he could always make himself an oatcake over a wood fire, which contributed to his remarkable stamina.

Oatcakes are very good with fish, especially herrings, either smoked or fresh, with onions and butter : also served with soups, buttermilk, , or with jam, honey or marmalade for breakfast.
It’s easier to make 1 large oatcake at a time, and cut it into quarters (or farls) for cooking, as the mixture stiffens if left too long. After cooking they can be stored in a tin, and either be lightly toasted, or heated in a slow oven to crisp them.
A heavy skillet (cast iron) can be used instead of a girdle, or they can be baked in a moderate oven (325 f. ) for about 20 monutes. This quantity makes a large Bannock the size of a dinner plate (or 4-8 smaller ones) The girdle must be heated before baking.
4 oz. (2/3 cup) medium oatmeal
2 teaspoons melted fat, (Bacon drippings are good)
a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
additional oatmeal for the kneading
pinch of Salt
about 1/4 cup of Hot Water,..
Mix the Oatmeal with the salt and bicarbonate of soda in a basin (bowl of some sort) then make a well in the middle (my mother used to use her knuckles to do this while making her buttermilk pancakes,… lowering her knuckles into the center peak of the flower mound (she sifted it into her wooden bread bowl, and spun them (at the wrist) down into the mound of flour in a clockwise direction to create a ‘well’) and pour in the melted fat and stir it around (My mother would have used her fingertips but since this is Melted fat and not cold lard/shortening,… I’d use a wooden spatula) then add enough water to make a stiff paste.
Scatter a board or table thickly with Oatmeal, turn out the oatmeal (i.e. Dump it onto the table/board and roll it into a ball. Knead well with the hands well-covered in oatmeal. (professional bakers tend to just ‘strew’ oatmeal across the dough,.. but ‘strewing’ is difficult to explain) (so just keep dipping your hands into dry oatmeal to keep the dough from sticking to them (resulting in a yuck mess) Press down a little and keep the edges as regular as possible (Ok,.. on That, I’m baffled) Then roll out to 1/4 inch in thickness, and shape by putting a dinner plate on top and cutting around the edges (this is what makes no sense,
…why trim off perfectly edible food just to end up with a perfect roundel if all you’re planning to do is cut it in quarters and eat it anyway,… You waste the trimmed dough. Granted, my Grandma Shell used a teacup to cut out her teacakes and a teacup saucer to trim around to make her fried peach pie crust,.. but she took up all the ‘trimmings’ and re-kneaded and re-rolled them and kept using the dough till none was left) Sprinkle finally with a little meal (oatmeal) , then cut in quarters or less (eighths ?) Place on a warmed griddle (with a pancake-turner) or pan and cook until the edges curl slightly. In Scotland they were finished on a toasting stone, but a medium hot griddle to crisp the other side is adequate. Mix another bannock while the oatcake is finishing.
(Hmmmm,… this does not sound like there is an intention of using the plate-trimmed dough from the first one) So y’all are gonna have to experiment with it,…. I actually have one griddle that’s somewhat larger the others, I just work out a round that will be smaller than it.
~~ Recipe from a 1970 cookbook called “A Taste of Scotland”

 

Strawberry The Medici Archive Project
Strawberries were something of a delicacy in the seventeenth-century and in June 1618 it looked as though the Medici court in Florence might have found a way to ensure a supply. The Medici diplomat, Alessandro Senesi, wrote from Mantua, “we have here at Palazzo Te, a sort of strawberry, a few of which I am sending to show you. If they travel well (which I don’t believe they will) we can also ask for the plants.” Along with the strawberries, the Duchess of Mantua and Montferrat, Caterina de’ Medici, was sending “many things” to her brother, Grand Duke Cosimo II, all packed in labelled cases.
Doc ID: 5520
ASF, Mediceo del Principato, Vol. 2951. @archiviodistatofirenze
Transcribed by Molly Bourne (2002)
**All of the documents we share can be found on MIA or BIA When referencing them please also include the scholar who first published them to BIA/MIA as well as the permalink to the document.**
To learn more about us, support our work and become a Friend of the Medici click on the link in our bio.
The Medici Archive Project is an independent research institute specialising in the digital preservation and study of the archival collection of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany.
Follow us to see more documents from the Medici Archival collection.
Wild Strawberries and a Carnation in a Wan-Li Bowl, c. 1620, Jacob van Hulsdonck @ngadc

Veal with Fennel Flower Sauce – Medieval  – Historical Italian Cooking

OOP, but oh, yum! – The Sweet History of Lemonade – Tasting History with Max Miller – Includes some historical bits…. they had powdered lemonade in ancient Egypt? 

Sewing – Tuesday evening the Adiantum A&S night was on hats. While that was going Anja finished the little rolled fabric doll that’s been on a back burner for a bit. No one was in for Sewing, so Anja did some mending.

Italian Renaissance Gown/Gamurra/Cotta // Dressing the Contessa – The Creative Contessa – How to put on the gamurra/camora/cotta, the middle layer of being properly dressed in the 15th century, specifically the Florentine variety! This video shows how to lace the gown and sleeves up and provides details on construction, materials and techniques, along with the culture and history surrounding this gown. (more on youtube)

Embroidery Frames in History | How to Dress a Slate Frame – Lynne Fairchild – Various embroidery frames have been used over the centuries, including the slate frame, scroll frame, and tambour frame. Learn how to recognize these different types of embroidery frames and when they were popular to use, from the medieval period to the Renaissance and Elizabethan times to the Edwardian and Victorian eras to the present! Also, watch a step by step demonstration on dressing a slate frame.
A slate frame is my preferred frame for blackwork embroidery, as it does not warp the linen fabric like a modern adjustable hoop does.

New series – Foundations of Late Medieval Clothing and Musical Style – Vox Vestitus 1415 – The Singer Sews – I outline what to listen for in late medieval music while I hand-stitch a pair of hose and show off my medieval foundation garments! Turn on captions for jokes and cheat codes.

Interesting history site, mostly clothing. I see this one quoted all over. Better to go back to source than keep quoting.
Stuff that applies to us….
14TH CENTURY – Aquamanile
14TH CENTURY – Bycocket
14TH CENTURY – Chaperon
14TH CENTURY – Chausses
14TH CENTURY – Crespine
14TH CENTURY – Escoffion
14TH CENTURY – Glasses
14TH CENTURY – Gorget
14TH CENTURY – Houppelande
14TH CENTURY – Wimple
15TH CENTURY – Baby Walker
15TH CENTURY – Double Apron
15TH CENTURY – Ferronnière
15TH CENTURY – Hanging Pockets
15TH CENTURY – Hennin
15TH CENTURY – Partlet
15TH CENTURY – Robe À Tassel
15TH CENTURY – Swirling Hat
15TH CENTURY – Turban
16TH CENTURY – Arcelet And Attifet
16TH CENTURY – Gable Hood
16TH CENTURY – Jerkin
16TH CENTURY – Le Chaperon À Bavolet
16TH CENTURY – Peascod Belly
16TH CENTURY – Pluderhosen
16TH CENTURY – Ruff Collar
16TH CENTURY – Toque Hat
16TH CENTURY – Vertugadin
16TH CENTURY – Zibellino
16TH CENTURY – Zimarra

Sundials, etc. – 

The Quest to Recreate a Lost and ‘Terrifying’ Medieval Mead – https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-make-medieval-mead-bochet

Natural Dyeing with Lungwort: Exploring a Magical Lichen – HistoryScienceFiber – Lungwort, aka Lobaria pulmonaria, is a large leafy-like lichen. In areas where it grows plentifully, such as the Pacific Northwest, it can be foraged from the forest floor and dyes a rich orangey brown. In some parts of the world, is it more rare and of conservation concern so please check your region before foraging. Easy to dye with as it requires no mordant, working with this lichen is a fun way to celebrate and learn about our forests as it gives your fiber an unbelievably rich forest smell. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whgr4ycHrKw

Herb Bunch – Starts and repotting starts was a big thing on Tuesday. The vivipary tomato fell in and may have destroyed the little seedlings in the process. We’re waiting to see if anything else comes up! …and Wednesday turned into a gymkana. The park where Anja and Loren live ran out of regular water, so had to switch to a well and *lots* of restrictions on water usage. They packed up the starts and some of the more delicate plants and took them in to their shop in town, which is on city water…. which is restricted somewhat, but mostly for lawn-watering and car-washing.

Anja found this on Wikipedia (referring to the eggplant in cookery….)

Wikipedia – “The aubergine (eggplant) is unrecorded in England until the 16th century. An English botany book in 1597 described the madde or raging Apple: This plant groweth in Egypt almost everywhere… bringing foorth fruite of the bignes of a great Cucumber…. We have had the same in our London gardens, where it hath borne flowers, but the winter approching before the time of ripening, it perished: notwithstanding it came to beare fruite of the bignes of a goose egge one extraordinarie temperate yeere… but never to the full ripenesse.” – The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes Archived 2014-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, by John Gerarde, year 1597 page 274.

A dish based on a remembered recipe happened with this fruit. (see “Cookery”)

Trellis – Got worked on all week. Loren is a perfectionist. It only got this far on Sunday. More next week!

Project Day – Started with Anja gathering Youtubes. The necessary Feast discussion got going. Anja got the eggplant dish set up for baking. Had a good chat with Claire, got onions into the pickles and peach jam going. Rafny was making blackberry syrup. Ailantha was working on pears.

Anja asked Ailantha to elaborate on the Fliedermice

“I thought I had several of the finger puppets left. Usually we have some Fliedermice boys with bycocket hats and girls with hennin, dragons, and unicorns. I found only this lonely little damsel. She’s rather bedraggled from being packed away in a chest full of cup and ball games,but you can get a bit of an idea of what they look like from her. I’m going to start with a couple of unicorns I think.. depending on what fabric bits I have handy first. As you can see, Fliedermice are field mice with very large soft floppy leather ears and tail.”

Arlys is talking about making some miniature books. 

Helen Louise finished a cloak and made banana bread.

Recipes

Baked Eggplant (from a remembered description in an herbal)

  • Small covered casserole
  • Stick butter
  • 1 small eggplant
  • shredded cheese (I think I used about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • Topping (I used Everything Bagel Topping)

Method

  1. Melt butter in casserole and swish around so it climbs the sides.
  2. Slice eggplant and layer into casserole.
  3. Salt and garlic sprinkled on the first layer.
  4. Then cheese, then eggplant, then end with cheese.
  5. Whisk eggs, then pour over casserole. (Wouldn’t you know I forgot the eggs until after I put topping on!)
  6. Sprinkle a little more cheese.
  7. Sprinkle topping on.
  8. Bake at 350 until done. (165F on a thermometer)

Miscellaneous pix

Attire’s Mind – posted by Rosemond Sherwood on Facebook on 8/15/21 – Another ring, this time one with quite a story along with it’s astonishing appearance. The ring was in the family tomb of Titus Carvilius, in Grottaferrata, Italy, but not actually on his body. Titus had died quite young, he was barely 18. It is not clear whether he perished from a fall on horseback or poison. His mother, the noble Aebutia Quarta, was devastated, and arranged for her son to have the richest funeral and burial she could afford. This gold ring carries within it a bust of young Carvillo that is a gold microfusion made upon a wax model, with a technique called “a cera persa” Since the bust is so dimensional, the polished quartz crystal that is over it creates a hologram effect, as though the face were moving within the ring. Collection of the Museo Archeologica Nazionale di Palestrina.

Jean Louis Philips – Usually, gargoyles on the facades of Gothic temples are located so that the rainwater from the roofs flows through their mouths. But one of the gargoyles of the Fribourg monastery, on the contrary, holds hands and feet behind the wall, and the water flows from behind it. According to city legend, during the construction of this cathedral, the city council increased the work of masonry without a pay increase. The stone cutters have done the job, but placed this sculpture in front of the city council windows.

Music

VZEL DABEL BABU NA PLECE (the devil carried a woman over his shoulder0 – dg4654ds64tds15tr1ds – Vzel ďábel babu na plece – Rožmberk Consort – Hudba za vlády českých králů

Fairy Dance – Saltarello (medieval dance) – Yerasimos Dimovasilis –
Fairy Dance live at Paou Monastery Festival, Pelion 4-9-2016

Medieval Music – ‘Hardcore’ Party Mix – VacnaPaul – The most rhythmic, upbeat, party medieval music out there, put together in a mix.

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Links

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Video Links

The Women in Medieval Armored Combat – Medievalists – A new documentary follows the lives of women who fight in an extreme and full-contact sport, Medieval Armored Combat. This week, Danièle talks with filmmaker Adrian Cicerone about his new film Steel Song.

Funnies 

divider black grey greek key

Largesse, Gifts and Auction items
·         ASXLVII = 24
·         ASXLVIII = 88
·         ASXLIX = 794
·         ASL = 2138
·         ASLI = 731
·         ASLII = 304
·         ASLIII = 146
·         ASLIV & ASLV = 230
·         ASLVI = 176+1doll plus 4 puppets, 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, 2 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, 48 key bottle openers
Total as a Household = 4237 handed off

moving writing pen motif
In ministerio autem Somnium! Anja, graeca doctrina servus to House Capuchin
Page Created 8/18 & published 8/24/21 (C)M. Bartlett
Last updated 8/24/21