Kildonan Times issue 9 December 2000

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NEW PAGES ON CLOVENSTONE'S WEBSITE!

Clovenstone's website is getting a facelift, with more interesting things to come. The art work on the home page has been changed to match the art work on the cover of the book. It is the crest of Kildonan (see issue 7, September 2000, for description of the crest). Down near the bottom of the page are new navigation graphics. As you read through them, you'll find two new pages.

One page is a glossary. It has in it all the words that have been in Kildonan Times, plus many, many more. I think you will find it a handy reference when you read the book.

The other new feature is an art gallery of pictures from Kildonan. It is set up as a "slide show" that you can move through at your own pace. One picture at a time is shown on the screen, and you can move backward or forward from that picture as you wish.

Come on over to http://www.clovenstone.com and enjoy the new art and features.

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Medieval foods:

Here's a holiday sort of recipe.

RYSSHEWS OF FRUYT

The original recipe from Forme of Cury: recipe 190

Rysshews of fruyt: Take fyges and raisouns; pyke hem and waisshe hem in wyne. Grynde hem with apples and peeres ypared and ypiked clene. Do therto gode powdours and hole spices; make balles therof, frye in oile, and serue hem forth.

Translation:
Rissoles of fruit. Take figs and raisins; pick them and wash them in wine. Grind them with apples and pears pared and picked clean.
Do there-to good powders and whole spices; make balls there-of, fry in oil, and serve them forth.

A modern translation:

Ingredients:

Figs
Raisins
Red wine - slightly sweet.
Apples - peeled, cored, and diced.
Pears - peeled, cored, and diced.
Good powders - use spices appropriate for fruit: sugar, cinnamon, clove, mace, nutmeg, ginger, etc.
Whole spices - this would probably have been such spices as anise, grains of paradise, etc.

Directions:
Soak the figs and raisins in wine until the fruit begins to plump; remove from wine. Pass the figs, raisins, apples, & pears through a
food grinder or food processor. In a bowl, combine the fruits and the spices into a thick, malleable mixture; roll this mixture into small
balls. Fry the rissoles in the hot oil; remove and drain. Serve it forth while warm!

note: A similar "fruit paste" was made by my grandmother. But it was not fried, and was served chilled or at room temperation. Also, it had nuts in it — a lot of nuts. Grandma rolled hers in powdered sugar. My friend Jane makes the unfried kind of "fruit paste" balls, but she rolls hers in shredded coconut.

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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.

glaive (or glave): broadsword

glen: (Celtic) secluded narrow valley

gnome: (French) short men who live underground, mine jewels

gobbet: (Old French) chunk (usually of meat or fat)

golden bough: mistletoe

gowan: (Scottish) white or yellow field flowers, particularly daisies

gowany, gowaned: (Scottish) covered with gowans (white flowers, such as daisies)

gowpen (Scottish) (1) two hands held together to form a bowl (2) the amount that can be held thus (3) a large quantity

greensward: (green + Old English sward ) grass-covered area

gremalkin: (British dialect. obsolete) old female cat

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Literary Notes:

WATTLE AND DAUB

"After only a short walk Fiona was at the thatched-roof cottage. The thick walls of the cottage were whitewashed wattled branches and daub that filled in a cruk frame of heavy curved beams. In some places stones were used for fill, large stones and small pebbles, plastered in with the clay and lime." Clovenstone, Chapter 2

Wattle and Daub has been a common building practice from the times of very primitive man into modern times. It is still used in parts of the world where other building materials are scarce or expensive. Very early man made huts by weaving together flexible branches, then covering them with leaves, straw, and mud. The weave of flexible branches is the "wattle." The "daub" is any material that fills or covers the mat of woven branches.

Hazel, in this month's herbal section, was a favorite wood for wattle. Willow was another. As time went on, frames of heavier wood supported a larger inner space, and these frames were then filled with wattle and daub.

Olwen's house is described as a "cruk" frame house. This meant that two long timbers were tied together at the top and set into the ground in an forming a triangle shape for the front of the house. This formed a "cruck," or "crook" or "crotch" reminiscent of the crotch in tree branches. Two more timbers were tied together for the back frame. They were joined by a ridgepole, and then then other supporting timbers were tacked between them for more strength. The spaces between these timbers were then filled with wattle and daub. The upper part of the frame would be thatched to encourage water runoff. Sod roofs were also used on wattle and daub structures when the frame was sturdy enough to support the weight.

The daub could be any mixture of mud, straw, cow hair, pebbles, and cow dung, depending on what was available. The walls were then coated with white lime to keep the cows and sheep from licking them for the salt. These structures were surprisingly durable. There are some in England that are over 300 years old.

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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.

hazel:

quote from Clovenstone: "The old, gnarled beechwood had a polished glow to it; the dents and splinters of hard use were gone. Hanging from the sheep’s neck at the top of the staff was a nosegay of betony and hazel leaves, tied with a blue riband. Fiona touched them. Herbs of magic powers and immortality! Surely symbols of Clovenstone."

Hazel is a tree of many uses. The nuts, of course, are delicious. Have you had your cup of hazelnut flavored coffee today? Do you fish out the hazelnuts first from the mixed nut can? Hazelnuts are chopped in chocolate bars, cakes, breads, and used to flavor liqueurs.

Beyond the nuts:

Hazel is a coppice tree. It is used as a renewable source of wood. The tree is cut down, then allowed to grow saplings from the stump. When the saplings are big enough, they are cut. The tree continues to grow saplings.

Hazel has long, flexible twigs (withies) that have been used since prehistoric times for building coracles, tying bundles of twigs, weaving baskets. In early and medieval times, hazel was used to make the framework that was daubed with mud and lime for simple living huts.

Hazel was sacred during Celtic times. It was a symbol of fertility and immortality. Because of its magical qualities, it was used for sorcerer's wands and divining rods. Hazel nuts were carried to ward off evil spirits. The dried leaves were used for tobacco.

The leaves, bark, and nuts have been used for various medical purposes, most often as a remedy for poor circulation, varicose veins, and hemmorhoids.

*****
thyme: There are many varieties of thyme, some are small shrubby plants, others are low, creeping plants. They all have small leaves, and the characteristic pleasant spicey odor. Dried leaves are a basic kitchen spice for meats, soups, stews, and dressings. Benedictine liqueur is flavored with thyme. Bet you would never have guessed that. Think of it next time you order a B&B.

Medically, thyme is used often as a nerve tonic for depression, or just as a relaxant or mild sedative. It also has antiseptic properties. The oil is used for wounds, sores, and inflammations.

****
daisy: Daisies (gowans-Scottish) are so common, we really don't think of them as "herbs." But they have a lot of uses besides just being pretty. A very old use for the flowers are as a pain-relieving and healing agent in wounds and inflammations. Daisy tea is taken for stomach and liver ailments, colds, and is a gentle laxative.

Daisy leaves and white petals are used in salads. The leaves are cooked for a green, much as dandelion leaves.

From very early times on to today, the daisy has been a symbol of innocence.

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)

I'm writing this on top of a mountain in Tennessee, literally. There's 3 miles of hairpin curves and sharp grades to get up to the resort where I am staying. Then there's three floors of steps to the time-share unit. I'm in the treetops, and the trees are ablaze with color. It's the first week of November and amazingly warm. It's not our unit. My husband and I are guests. Nice to be guests in a place like this. It comes from picking one's relatives carefully.

Fall is the precursor of winter. It is a time of dying. Plants wither, trees become barren of leaves. Skies are more often gray, cold seeps in everywhere. Poets love to dandle with these images.

But most people don't think of fall as dying. Most people think of fall as a special time of quietness, of harvest bountiful, of great outdoor beauty. Campers and other who spend most of their time outdoors revel in fall. The air is fresh and cool and the bugs are gone. You can live outside in fall in the greatest of comfort.

Fall, does, however, have a way of becoming winter. Ice and snow wrap the landscape in crystalline splendor. For the most of us, winter is the death of our year.

Not so for everyone. For the Celts and other early cultures, and for many more people today than you would think, the beginning of winter is the beginning of their year. In olden times, the year began when the animals were brought in from the far pastures to warmer shelters and the tilled fields were prepared for winter. It was a lunar calendar, based on the phases of the moon and movement of the stars.

Today earth-centered cultures and religions still keep to this calendar. In fact, if you are a computer person and send your friends Blue Mountain cards, you will find cards for the celebrations of the earth (lunar) calendar. The year begins with Samhainn, (Samhain, Samhuinn and other variant spellings), celebrated on October 31 or November 1. You missed Samhainn for this year, but if you'll go to the following URL, you can find cards for all the major lunar calendar seasons. Send a friend a card for winter solstice this month! Go to:

http://www.bluemountain.com/eng3/earth/indexn.html

Winter's ice and snow gives way to spring rains. Spring is rebirth and new growth. Summer is a time of growing for both humankind and plants. Mother Nature just spills herself all over the land. Fall, of course is the harvest. The Celtic year climaxes with the harvest. The fruits of all the year's work are gathered in and festivals celebrate nature's bounty.

I like fall. I like the harvest time. I like pumpkins and corn shocks and apples. I like to shuffle through the fallen leaves. Now that I live in Florida, I have to travel to find fall. And I do. Next fall, check behind a corn shock in Michigan or Ohio or Tennessee. You might find me there, eating pumpkin pie.

R

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WEBSITES TO EXPLORE

One of the best-known modern groups who use the lunar calendar are followers of the Wiccan religion. A description of their calendar can be found at:

http://busywitch.com/wiccansabbats.htm

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Interested in herbs? Here's the website of a small herb business in Colorado. She not only sells herbs online, but she also offers free consultation about herbs.

http://www.sagewomanherbs.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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