Culinary
It’s Tea (Gathering) Time!
It's wildling season! Time to fill your herbal tea cabinet! The wildlings are growing happily in my yard right now so I'm spending as much time as I can soaking up summer and gathering the teas that I use to help me stay happy and healthy when the Winter Hag romps outside, knocking on my windows looking for a way ...
Through the Bottleneck
In general, I prefer not to directly address issues but I feel so strongly about this recent panic caused by a shortage of baby formula that I feel that I must do so. It's unthinkable to me that one company's failure should cause so much distress. How did we allow ourselves to become so dependent on a fragile supply chain ...
When the Bite Isn’t Pepper
The radish has a very long history in the kitchen. Its characteristic bite can be played up or down, depending on your taste and how you prepare it. Its use was first documented in the third century BCE and it was probably around before that. In the manuscript Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome, written in the 4th or 5th ...
Spring Greens
Nettles have been in the cook's pot far longer than the cook has been in the kitchen. This recipe is one of the earliest recipes humankind was using. Nettle Pudding From about 6,000BC. Gather your greens. Wash them carefully. Ingredients:
- 1 handful of sorrel
- 1 handful of watercress
- 1 handful of dandelion leaves
- 2 handfuls of young nettle leaves ...
Finders, Eaters
Linden cannot be bought for the kitchen but must be foraged for. So the first step you must take in order to sample the delights offered here is to find your linden tree. First things first, here's a really excellent video on identifying the linden. It was done in the winter which is the hardest time of the year to ...
A Sweet Harvest
Elderberry has long been as comfortable in the kitchen as it is in the stillroom. It is versatile enough that there is a recipe for every palate. From Apicius; [135] ELDERBERRY CUSTARD OR PIE PATINA DE SAMBUCO [1]
A DISH OF ELDERBERRIES, EITHER HOT OR COLD, IS MADE IN THIS MANNER [2] TAKE
ELDERBERRIES [3] WASH THEM; COOK IN WATER, SKIM AND ...
A DISH OF ELDERBERRIES, EITHER HOT OR COLD, IS MADE IN THIS MANNER [2] TAKE
ELDERBERRIES [3] WASH THEM; COOK IN WATER, SKIM AND ...
More Than A Salad To Me
Lettuce was very popular in Ancient Rome. It is said that it was often served twice in a meal although I was unable to find a lettuce dessert from any time period. Have you got anything for me there? Post it in the comments below so I can give it a try. Other than dessert though, there are plenty of ...
Sweet Flowers and Pink Cakes
Before we start cooking, I would like to point out that this is one of those cases where parts of a plant are edible and parts are toxic. It is not uncommon. Just please be aware that the leaves of Dianthus are mildly toxic. Eat only the flowers. You might want to try only a small amount of those to ...
True Blue Treats
Blueberries are and their relatives are very popular in the kitchen. My problem wasn't finding enough good recipes, it was narrowing it down to a few. I gave up. The first mention of the bilberry in Europe was in the sixteenth century and of the blueberry in America in the late eighteenth. The closest thing I found to an early ...
A Feast To Cry For
Onion recipes abound. They are used in every type of recipe imaginable and in combination with every foodstuff imaginable. From Apicius: FRIED [1] PUMPKIN, SEASONED WITH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CUMIN, ORIGANY, ONION, WINE BROTH AND OIL: STEW THE PUMPKIN [in this] IN A BAKING DISH, TIE THE LIQUID WITH ROUX [mash] AND SERVE IN THE DISH. COOK THE LETTUCE LEAVES WITH ONION ...
A Hopping Good Meal
There are a fair number of uses for hops in the kitchen. I must state that I have spent the better part of a day trying to find older recipes (medieval and before) and have been utterly unable to do so. I am quite certain that it's because I don't know what the plant was called at those times. I ...