Kildonan Times issue 21 December 2001

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Soon t'will be the Holiday giving time! A copy of Clovenstone would be a perfect holiday gift for whatever December holiday you celebrate. I just heard from a fan who bought six copies of Clovenstone for gifts to all of her immediate family. If you email (clovenstone@aol.com) me the name of the recipient, I will be happy to postal mail you an autographed photo you can include with your gift. Be sure to give me the address to which to send the autograph!

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MEDIEVAL FOODS

Stewed Rump of Beefe (Irish medieval)

a small rump roast or pot roast
a small head of green cabbage
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon each of:
basil
savory
thyme
mint
marjoram
1/2 teaspoon each of:
nutmeg
mace

1. Shred cabbage with a knife.
2. Put half the cabbage into a pot.
3. Salt and pepper the roast liberally on all sides and place on the cabbage.
4. Combine the wine and vinegar with all the spices
5. Pour over the roast. If the liquid doesn’t come at least 1/4 way over the roast, add more wine/vinegar combination.
6. Dab the butter on top.
7. Sprinkle the cheese on and around the roast.
8. Add the rest of the cabbage.
9. Cover the pan tightly.
10. Roast at 350 degrees at least 4 hours. Longer won’t hurt. It should be fork tender.

And here's a bonus holiday recipe for you!

Figgy Pudding with Hard Sauce

The Pudding

2 cups chopped dried figs
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
some milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten

1. Combine dry ingredients and stir well.
2. Add eggs and enough milk to moisten.
3. Pour into a greased casserole.
4. Set casserole in a pan with water in it.
5. Bake 350 degrees about 2 hours, adding more milk if necessary. Pudding should have the consistency of soft bread pudding.

The Sauce

1/2 lb unsalted butter
5 T rum or brandy
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Sir in rum. Add nutmeg. Beat thoroughly. Cover dish and let it set until it “hardens.” No cooking required!!

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GLOSSARY

I have had requests for definitions of some of the words I use in the text. The identification behind each word in parentheses indicates either the word is derived from a similar word in an older language, or that the word is used today in that language. Also, there are some words in the book that I just plain made up out of my head- (identified as "mine.") If you want to know about a certain word, please email me at clovenstone@aol.com, or look it up in your dictionary.

scrog: (Middle English skrogg) used in Scottish and related dialects: stunted bush, a branch

sleeproom: (mine) bedroom or dormitory

smoor: to bank or cover a fire for the night, sometimes a ritual act

solitary: a witch who practices the religion alone, as opposed to coven (group) worship

sorcerer: (Old French) person who practices magic with the aid of evil spirits

sough: (vi) (suf, sou) and (vt) (n): (Scottish) sigh, rustling, murmur, rushing sound.

spectre: (Latin) ghost

sprite: (Old French) a spirit of earth or air, a fairy , elf, or goblin

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HERBS

In my discussions of herbs in all the issues of Kildonan Times, I present only general information. It is not intended to be a guide for the use of the herbs. If you wish to use any of the herbs described in Kildonan Times, consult an herbalist or a definitive guide book to using herbs.

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echinacea: As I was walking around my daughter's neighborhood pushing the grandbaby and admiring the fall trees, I came upon an unusual yard. Across the front of the yard near the road they had made a strip garden bed and filled it with mostly herbs. The tall purple coneflowers, from which echinacea is derived, were the centerpiece of the bed. Purple coneflowers have long been a popular garden flower for years, and I suspect most people don't know that they are a source for echinacea.

Echinacea, available in your favorite supermarket, is probably one of the most popular herbs these days. It is taken in order to build up the immune system so ward off colds, flu, etc. It needs to be taken two weeks before it becomes effective. Do not take it more than 8 weeks continually, or it looses that effectiveness. After 8 weeks, stop the herb for at least 2 weeks, a month is better, before starting it again.

The jury is out as to the actual usefulness of the herb. However, most articles I have read feel it is an effective means of avoiding colds. Personally, we (my family) have found it to be helpful. Even if we get a cold while on the echinacea, the duration and severity is noticeably less.

If you wish to do it yourself, chop up some of the root. Use 1 tablespoon of coneflower root to a cup of water, and make a tea. Take a tablespoon of it three to six times a day. (Lust)

note: Do not take echinacea if you: are taking Nizoral or cyclosporine, or if you have lupus, multiple sclerosis, TB, or AIDS. Always check with your doctor before taking any unprescribed medications.

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ginseng: Ginseng is another herb that extremely popular and has been for years, particularly in the Orient. Ginseng used to grow wild in the Eastern United States, but they say now it is gone from the wild, though it is cultivated. In fact, American ginseng is imported to the Orient to supplement their supply. There is a book by Gene Stratton Porter (I mentioned her books last month) called The Harvester. It is the tale of a young man who lives in a cabin in the woods and harvests herbs for a living. Ginseng brings him the best price.

Ginseng is a mild stimulant to the nervous system and some glands, and is therefore touted as a rejuvenator and a source of energy. It does increase appetite and aid in digestion. I personally am fond of Arizona Tea's green tea with ginseng, which you can now buy by the gallon. I don't know how much energy I get from it, but it tastes good.

Since it is a stimulant, it can cause irritability if mixed with caffeine. It also thins the blood, so should not be taken with heart, blood pressure, or diabetes medicines.

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My basic herb reference books for the herbs I use either for food or medicine in Clovenstone and Stones Seven are: The Herb Book by John Lust (Bantam Books), Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden by Robin Whitman (Bullfinch Press) and Herbs by Lesley Bremness (DK Publishing).

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A FEW THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR (me, Ruth)

'Tis the season for all kinds of celebrations and traditional rituals, including Christmas, Winter Solstice, Yule, Hanukkah, and Cookie Day. Yup, December 17 is Cookie Day. What we haven't come up with to celebrate from our traditions, modern commerce will create for us. Go to Blue Mountain Cards.com (www3.bluemountain.com), and just look at the list of holidays for December. It will boggle your mind.

The Winter Solstice, usually December 21, the longest night of the year, has ceremonies, customs, and festivities that date back almost to cave men. One custom that seems to be common to Winter Solstice in our many diverse cultures in this world is bonfires to drive away the darkness and make the sun come back. My friend Cynthia in Maine invites her friends for a winter solstice bonfire. I would like to have a winter solstice bonfire. But I live in a highly urban deed restricted neighborhood. They frown on bonfires in the front yard, or even the back yard. And somehow a gas fire in a grill doesn't quite cut it.

In Clovenstone, Fiona decides to leave home and begin her quest on Feill-Deorc, Festival of the Dark (Winter Solstice). (Deorc is Old English for dark.). As she looks out the window at the snow and considers her future, her mother is moving around the cottage lighting candles to drive back the dark as part of the Feill-Deorc festivities in Kildonan. This is not a new idea. Lighting candles to drive away dark (or evil) has been a part of world cultures for centuries.

The Solstice has connections to the major religions. In the calendar at the time of Julius Caesar, the Winter Solstice was on December 25. Hanukkah is tied to both the lunar and solar calendars. It begins on the 25th of Kislev, three days before the new moon closest to the Winter Solstice. For celebrants of Yule, Winter Solstice is the major holiday.

For me, December bursts with customs and rituals. There are so many things to be celebrated. I used to give illustrated talks at churches about the origin of Christmas customs. Our family has our traditional holiday customs and foods. So does yours, and yours. I'm fascinated by the way different cultures and religions celebrate days and seasons that are important to them. I really enjoyed setting up a calendar and inventing rituals, social customs, foods, and holidays in Clovenstone and Stones Seven. I should have been a cultural anthropologist.

For the fun of it, I went to the search engine Google.com, and wrote in "Winter Solstice." There were 88,800 websites found having something to do with winter solstice. I didn't look at them all. I went to "Christmas customs," there were 134,000 sites. Didn't look at all of them either. Hanukkah had 114,000 websites. But the ones I did look at were most interesting! I put four of them on this month's recommended websites.

Have a happy one, wherever your holiday customs carry you! I think I'll go out in the kitchen and bake some traditional Italian honey cookies. I have a sudden yen for one, or three, with a cup of tea.

R

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WEBSITES TO EXPLORE

I put this website in last December's Kildonan Times as a source for information on the Winter Solstice. I am repeating it this year, because they have updated and added more information, including photos of the famous standing stones that are oriented to the solstices.

Ancient Origins: Solstice

http://www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html

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Though this is a commercial site, it also has a lot of information about Christmas customs around the world, including such things as music and recipes. About half way down the home page is a section on the history of Christmas customs.

WorldView! - Christmas.com Around the World!

http://www.christmas.com/worldview/

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Here is a comprehensive site about Hanukkah, including songs and recipes.

Jewish Customs

http://biblicalholidays.com/Hanukkah/jewish_customs_of_hanukkah.htm

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Modern earth-centered religions have their December/Winter Solstice traditions.

Yule

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~jboop69/yule.htm

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A GRAND OPENING (OR UPLOADING)

For the last two years two friends and myself have been researching and setting up a web site for an internet business, Our Town on the Web. Two weeks the web site went online, and we are officially in business!

The business offers an opportunity for non-profit organizations to earn money. The non-profit organization gives us photos and writes about their town. We design a website for them about their town. They sell ads to businesses that wish to have ads on the town website, and that's where they earn the money.

Also on the website is a comprehensive directory to hundreds of towns that have their own websites. If you're going to relocate, travel, or just need information about a town, city, or village, just go to Our Town on the Web Directory at

Our Town on the Web Home Page
http://www.ourtownontheweb.com.

Stop in and visit us!

Ruth
http://www.ourtownontheweb

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And, as always, tell your aunts, uncles, cousins and friends about Clovenstone. Give them an adventure!

Good Fate Be Yours —
Ruth

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