Kildonan Times issue 3 June 2000

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medieval foods (Britain):

FURMENTE (furmenty, frumenty, furmity)

Furmenty has been a staple food from very early feudal times until
recently. It was a basic food that everyone made, thus the local
variations in the spelling, some of which I show above. An old woman who
sells furmenty is a colorful character in Thomas Hardy's classic English
novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge.

Old recipes tell you to pound wheat in a mortar until the husk is comes
off. Put the cracked wheat in a kettle with milk, and boil it until
thick. Stir in a pinch of saffron at the end for color. The result is
furmenty.

Much more often than cow's milk, the medieval recipes for furmenty call
for almond milk. Since milk from cows spoiled quickly, it was usually made
immediately into butter or cheeses and was seldom available for household
dishes. Almond milk did not spoil like cow's milk, and was therefore often
a staple in the medieval kitchen. It was made by pounding almonds (or
walnuts) with a little water in a mortar until they were puréed into a
milky liquid. Using almond milk probably made a more flavorful furmenty,
too.

Later, raisins or dried currents were sometimes added to the mix.

Furmenty should be the consistency of a thick soup. It was originally used
as an accompaniment for meat. Later it became more of a delicacy to be
served for a sweet or to be sold at fairs and markets as we sell ice cream
now.

If you want to give furmenty a try, here's a modern version of the recipe:

1 cup cracked or bulgar wheat
3 cups Almond Milk (available in many supermarkets)
1 pinch saffron
1/4 tsp salt

Mix. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until thick. This takes about
45 minutes. It should be stirred often so it doesn't scorch.

If you can't find almond milk:
Mix one and one half cups of ground almonds with three cups of hot water.
Let sit for five or ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Purée in blender
until liquified.

modern recipe from http://www.godecookery.com

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GLOSSARY

I have had requests for definitions of some of the Scottish, Gaelic, and
Middle English words I use in the text. Also, there are some words in the
book that I just plain made up out of my head- (identified as "mine.") So
here are a few of the words for starters. I will put more in each issue of
Kildonan Times. If you want to know about a certain word, please email me
at clovenstone@aol.com

billet head: a relatively simple scrollwork ornament at a ship's bow,
believed to be of Celtic origin, to have come back to English from Old
French billete.

brae: (Scottish) hillside along a river, brow of a hill, a steep road, a
mountain district, uplands

brake: (Anglo-Saxon) rough or wet land heavily overgrown with thickets or
reeds

brindled: (Provincial English and Scottish) tawny or grayish, with streaks
and spots (such as a cow or dog color)

brogue (Irish Gaelic): a coarse shoe of untanned hide

brome (German): coarse, bearded grasses

carraig or corraig: (Celtic) high cliff or outcropping.

cresset (Old English) lamp: a depression in a piece/block of stone or
clay filled with oil and having a wick. Lamp can be carried by hand or
suspended from a stick or pole.

cryptic (Latin): having a secret meaning

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Literary Notes

KILDONAN'S CALENDAR

There are nine "monthes" in the Kildonan calendar year. The year begins
with the beginning of winter. Traditionally, before the Christian-based
calendar, the passing of days was divided by seasons, and marked by
natural events such as the first appearance of a migratory bird or the
skim of ice on the river. I borrowed from several sources and used my
imagination in making up the Kildonan calendar. It is based on seasonal
events, but is divided into sets of days like our modern months. The
"year" is listed below, with the sources and annual festivals.

Wyntre-Monthe: (name-mine) (approximately November) First monthe of the
Kildonian year, the beginning of winter. It marks the time when the
animals are brought in from the open pastures and housed for winter. The
first day of the month is the first day of winter, a festival called
Byre-Daye. A byre is an enclosure or barn for livestock.

Deorc-Monthe (name-mine) (approximately December/January) The time of dead
winter. The time of the longest night of the year (winter solstice).
Feill-Deorc is the festival of the longest night. Candles are lit to drive
away the darkness as part of the celebration. (Feill means evening. Most
of the festivals run from sunset to sunset.)

Erthe-Monthe (name-mine) (approximately February) This period is
dedicated to Gwyan (a sort of Mother Nature), highest of the Erthe
gods/goddesses. (See Kildonan Times Issue 2 for description of Erthe.) It
is a time of looking toward the end of winter and clearing the fields for
plowing and planting.

Ebral-Monthe (name-mine) (approximately March-April) The time of lambing
and planting.

Bealltainn-Monthe (name-old Celtic/Wiccan) (May) The first of May is
Bealltainn, the first day of summer. The name and day are still used by
today by some religions and cultures.

Wyllen-Monthe (name-mine) (late May, June) This is the time of shearing
and wool preparation.

Sonne-Monthe (name-mine) (summer months) The time of SeumorFest, the
festival of High Summer, when appeals are made to the Erthe gods for a
good harvest. Bonfires are lit, and offerings of seeds, wool, milk and
other harvest fruits are set out in fields and farmyards for the gods. In
the northwest of Kildonan, the Erthe goddess Woman in White is reputed to
appear to chosen supplicants on SeumorFest.

Gaedrian-Monthe (name-old Celtic) (approximately August) Gaedrian is
gathering. This is a time of gathering nuts, berries, and wild herbs to
dry for winter.

Hydref-Monthe (name-old Gaelic)(approximately September and October) The
last time of the dying year. It is the time of Feill-Haerfest, the Harvest
Festival. The festival is celebrated when the most of the harvest is
successfully reaped, and varies from area to area.

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On the website (webmaster talk)

BANNERS AND POP-UPS

Those ads that show in long narrow boxes on the web pages are called
"banners." They are the most popular advertising medium of the Internet.
As you can guess, the companies pay the websites to show their
advertisements.

However, there is another system at work that you may not know about. This
is the "Free Banner Exchange" programs. I made up a banner ad for
Clovenstone website, but I don't have the budget to pay for
advertisements. So I joined a Free Banner Exchange program run by some
other website company. I show banners ads from other website owners and my
banner ad is shown on other websites, all managed by the owner of the Free
Banner Exchange program—who, of course, also show their own ads all over
the net this way as well as putting their name on every ad that appears
anywhere they manage. Also, I sometimes arrange personal one-on-one banner
exchanges with other websites. I show their banner, they show mine.

Pop-up ads are those ads that literally pop up on your screen without
warning. Every time you move from page to page in Clovenstone website,
you're greeted by a pop-up ad. That is the price I pay for having
Angelfire host my website. The website is free as long as I am willing to
have Angelfire's choice of ads on each page of my site. This is a policy
of most of the free web hosts. You can close pop-up ads as soon as they
appear, if you don't want to read them, and go on and enjoy the
Clovenstone website.

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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.

In Maeve's overgrown garden, Fiona gathered calendula, fenugreek, sage,
and mint. These herbs are traditionally cultivated in pots and gardens.

calendula: Calendula flowers and leaves are made into teas and salves. As
a tea, calendula is good for ulcers, cramps, diarrhea, and other internal
problems. As a salve, it heals wounds, bruises, and abcesses. Calendula
is a popular herb.

fenugreek: Fenugreek is an ancient medicinal herb, dating back to the
Egyptians. It is used primarily for colds and fever. It is also considered
a good restorative after a long illness. The seed is the part of the plant
that is used. It is soaked and boiled to make a tea. Fenugreek has a
rather unusual flavor, which can be improved by adding mint. Fenugreek
seeds are also used for seasoning fish and in soups.

sage: Sage leaves, gathered before flowering, dried, are used as a tea or
a dry powder. It is a powerful astringent that can reduce perspiration,
dry mucous, slow bleeding, and stop diarrhea. It is also used for nervous
conditions and depression. It must be used with caution, as too much can
be poisonous. In foods, sage is a familiar and delicious spice with fowl.

mint: There are many mints, both wild and cultivated. They are known by
square stems and a characteristic minty smell. The leaves are the part of
the plant that is used. Peppermint, particularly, is popular for digestive
and stomach problems. It is also used for coughs, heartburn, and headache.
All mints are considered good for nervous disorders that affect the
stomach. The flavor makes mints popular seasonings and pleasant teas.

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)

Hello from a north Chicago suburb, where a steady rain is falling for the
fourth day in a row. The stream across my sister's back yard runs over its
banks, and a family of Canadian geese huddle under the tree outside the
window gobbling the seed that has fallen from the bird feeder. We've
gathered our rain gear, and are going to brave the weather to rummage in
some antique shops. From there we're going "down town" into Chicago for
supper to meet all the family at our favorite neighborhood Greek
restaurant. No, we're not Greek. We're Celts and Italians who love Greek
wine and foods.

That's one of the richnesses of our travels. Our friends and families. I'm
not talking about the obvious warmth that interaction with close others
inspires—though that is basic to one's well-being. I'm talking about the
varied "cultural" experiences we have while visiting people in their
homes.

To this point in our summer travels, we've spent time on the back porch of
a country home of friends in northern Florida, drinking red wine and
talking about planting herbs and tomatoes, and about canning pears from
the trees across the garden from where we sat. Birds fluttered to feeders
under a bent, leafy pecan tree just a few feet from our chairs. From there
we traveled to the mountains of Tennessee where we hiked and learned with
naturalist friends and ate bagels with tangy hummus and smooth Havarti
from their vegetarian cuisine. In the evening, we sipped herbal teas,
watched the sun set behind misty mountains, and learned about capturing
insects in the forest.

Now we're in a suburban home of mixed heritage, volatile Italians and
stubborn Celts, plus a Welsh Corgi. Family is all-important and the
driving force of the social life. Ninety-year old Italian grandma watches
TV and plays with the dog, my sister and her husband are in and out of the
house doing household jobs, and if the rest of the extended family isn't
at the house, they're on the telephone. There's leftover mostaccioli and
hot dogs on the counter from lunch. And, as I said, it's lamb and gyros
meat with a generous splash of a roditis wine for a family dinner tonight
"downtown."

We leave here for a home on the sandy beach of Lake Michigan, to an
apartment in a New York village, to a "camp" on a lake in Maine, among
other stops. Each place has its own customs and scenery painted by the
personalities of the people we visit. At each stop, we get ideas,
feelings, experiences that enrich and enlarge our lives and our
understanding of the society that surrounds us.

In Clovenstone, I have tried to create local cultures by describing
details of every day life; homes, foods, clothing, mannerisms of talking
and acting. Fantasies like Clovenstone are basically legends, tales of
heroes and adventures. They are two-dimensional until you build a society
around them and paint it with the colors of life. Our lives would be
equally two-dimensional if we didn't go out among those who share this
world with us. Hooray for people!

R
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WEBSITES TO EXPLORE

Here's a fun website of things Irish and more.

http://dobhran.snap.com/greetings/GRirishrecipes.htm

http://dobhran.snap.com (for the site's other offerings)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This website sells fascinating books on things medieval and about
medieval. It's a fun site to rummage around in.

http://www.poisonpenpress.com

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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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