compost-msg – 12/1/09
A medieval pickled food composed of mixed fruits and vegetables. Also called compote. "Compost is a mixed pickle, usually, but not always, made from mixed fruits, vegetables, and sometimes immature nuts, usually in a sauce made from honey, white wine, vinegar, mustard and other spices."
NOTE: See also the files: campfood-msg, food-storage-msg, canning-msg, drying-foods-msg, meat-smoked-msg, stockfish-msg, vinegar-msg, eggs-msg,
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This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 00:57:03 -0400
Subject: Re: SC - Pickles
linneah at erols.com wrote:
> Why haven't I seen more pickled things (veggies and meats) served at feasts?
> Is it because it takes too much planning or is there something else?
>
> Linneah
It might be just that people don't want to store the food for long
enough in advance for the process to be completed. I've had good sucess
with the composte recipe from The Forme of Cury. It's a sort of cooked
pickle/jam/chutney. A bit like Italian mustard fruits.
Adamantius
From: "James L. Matterer" <jmattere at weir.net>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 11:49:41 -0700
Subject: Re: SC - SC Pickels
Cossette wrote:
>Why haven't I seen more pickled things (veggies and meats) served at
>feasts? Is it because it takes too much planning or is there something
>else?
>
>Linneah
Well, I've been making pickled dishes an integral part of every feast
I've done for the past several years. The most popular seems to be
English-style pickled eggs (which I usually make as part of a
Ploughman's Lunch, with pickled onions, bread, & cheese), but one of my
favorites is a dish called "Compost" which contains raisins, pears,
cabbage, walnuts, mustard seeds, anise seeds, white radishes... all
pickled together in white wine and honey. Here's the original recipe
with
my redaction:
Compost
redaction by Master Ian Damebrigge of Wychwood
"Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scape hem and waische
hem clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthen
panne with clene water & set it on the fire; cast alle thise therinne.
Whan they buth boiled cast therto peeres, & parboile hem wel. Take alle
thise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do therto salt; whan it
is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vyneger & powdour & safroun & do
therto, & lat alle thise thynges lye therin al nyyt, other al day. Take
wyne greke & hony, clarified togider; take lumbarde mustard & raisons
coraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel, powdour douce & aneys
hole, & fenell seed. Take alle thise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of
erthe, & take therof whan thou wilt & serue forth."
- -Curye on Inglish, p. 120-121
The following is a modified (but just as tasty) version of the
medieval recipe, containing only the "pasternak" (carrots- from the
botanical "pastinaca"), "caboches" (cabbage), "peeres" (pears) and
"raisons of courace" (currants). The other medieval ingredients are
"rote of persel" (parsley root), "rafens" (radishes), and "rapes" (white
turnip).
2 lbs. carrots, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, in small pieces
3-4 pears, sliced thin
1 tsp. salt
6 tblsp. vinegar
2 tsp. ginger
few threads saffron
1 bottle (750 ml.) white wine
1/2 c. honey
1 tblsp. mustard seed
3/4 c. currants
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tblsp. each anise seed & fennel seed
Boil the carrots and cabbage for several minutes, then add the pears.
Cook until tender; drain well. Lay vegetables and pears in a large,
flat, non-metallic dish. Sprinkle on the salt. Let cool, then sprinkle
on the vinegar, ginger, and saffron. Cover with a cloth and let stand
for several hours or overnight. When ready, mix the vegetables with the
currants and the seeds. Place in a sealable container and set aside. In
a separate pot, bring the honey, cinnamon, and wine to a boil, skimming
off the scum until clear. Remove from heat and pour over the vegetable
mixture. Let cool and seal. May be stored for a week or more. Serves 12
- - 15.
Bibliography: Hieatt, Constance B. and Butler, Sharon. Curye on
Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth Century
(Including the Forme of Cury). London: For the Early English Text
Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985.
From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 14:10:02 -0400
Subject: Re: SC - SC Pickels
James L. Matterer wrote:
>
> Well, I've been making pickled dishes an integral part of every feast
> I've done for the past several years. The most popular seems to be
> English-style pickled eggs (which I usually make as part of a
> Ploughman's Lunch, with pickled onions, bread, & cheese), but one of my
> favorites is a dish called "Compost" which contains raisins, pears,
> cabbage, walnuts, mustard seeds, anise seeds, white radishes... all
> pickled together in white wine and honey. Here's the original recipe
> with my redaction:
<Original recipe snipped for space>
I've loved this dish for several years. I'm interested in your mention
of walnuts above. The source you cite doesn't mention them, but the
recipe in Le Menagier for a similar dish does mention green, immature
nuts, probably walnuts although no specific type is mentioned. I've
tried this with immature almonds, which I can get at Middle Eastern
markets near me about once a year. When cooked they resemble those large
"Italian" string beans.
> The following is a modified (but just as tasty) version of the
> medieval recipe, containing only the "pasternak" (carrots- from the
> botanical "pastinaca"), "caboches" (cabbage), "peeres" (pears) and
> "raisons of courace" (currants). The other medieval ingredients are
> "rote of persel" (parsley root), "rafens" (radishes), and "rapes" (white
> turnip).
Pretty similar to what I make. One trick I've been using is to put the
mixture into sterile canning jars. You could argue that this defeats the
period purpose of pickling, but it does prolong the shelf life by quite
a bit, and any unopened jars can actually be saved for the next time you
might want them (including another event, if you're of a mind).
Actually, if sealed jars are refrigerated, the compost will keep for
upwards of a year with no serious diminution of quality.
This is a wonderful Pennsic food and is especially good with cold meats
or sausage.
Adamantius
From: "Sue Wensel" <swensel at brandegee.lm.com>
Date: 22 Apr 1997 14:57:55 -0500
Subject: Re(2): SC - SC Pickels
> > Compost
> > redaction by Master Ian Damebrigge of Wychwood
> <snip!>
> > 1 bottle (750 ml.) white wine
> <snip!>
>
> This sounds really good. Can anyone suggest something I could
> substitute for the wine? (or am I out of luck on this one?)
>
> Claricia Nyetgale
> Canton of Caldrithig
> Barony of Skraeling Althing
> Ealdormere (still mostly in the Middle Kingdom)
Option 1: Try to get non-alcoholic white wine.
Option 2: Increase the amount of vinegar and water to approximate the amount
of white wine. I think the ratio may be 1 part vinegar to 3 (or 4?) parts of
water. You may also need to increase the sugar to account for the increased
tartness of the vinegar.
Derdriu
From: "James L. Matterer" <jmattere at weir.net>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 20:35:32 -0700
Subject: Re: Re(2): SC - SC Pickels
> This sounds really good. Can anyone suggest something I could
> substitute for the wine? (or am I out of luck on this one?)
I would suggest using white grape juice that has been tempered with
cider vinegar or malt vinegar - just enough to sour the juice and
increase the acidity level to a close approximation of wine.
Master Ian
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 02:11:30 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Compost: was SC - bird or bay?
<snip>
It's a mixed pickle/chutney similar to Italian mustard fruits. Recipes
for it appear in le Menagier and in the Forme of Cury. The French
version calls for clove-and-ginger studded, immature nuts (probably
walnuts, but possibly hazels or some other type) to be pickled, along
with several other fruits and vegetables, each separately processed and
added to the mixture when their peak harvest date arrives (How's that
for thinking medievally, Aoife ; ) ) The English version is much more
straightforward, with the various ingredients being parboiled, diced,
salted overnight, and added to a hot vinegar pickle / honey-mustard
syrup.
As I say, I have a recipe for making something like 50 pounds or more of
the stuff, and have not yet had the opportunity to reduce it to more
managable quantities...unless...
waitaminnit. Go to (those of you who can) these URL's:
http://www.adelphi.edu/~sbloch/sca/cooking/ppb.html#compot
and
http://www.adelphi.edu/~sbloch/sca/cooking/twelfth.night.html#Sauseges
The first URL has a recipe for a reasonable amount of compost made from
green almonds, in a synthesis of the French and English versions.
The second has a recipe for an ungodly huge amount of strictly English
compost. You can ignore the accompanying sausage recipe, which isn't
period anyway. Or not, as you wish.
Adamantius
Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 18:36:59 +1000
From: Robyn Probert <robyn.probert at lawpoint.com.au>
Subject: Re: SC - Compost recipe
Ras wrote:
>Yep, it's mine. :-) Problem was I call it something else entirely in my modern
>kitchen. :-) Sorry. The liquid measurements are accurate for the way I do it
>because as the harvest season progresses I add more of the fruits and veggies
>to it as the season progresses. I don't exactly know what the reduced amounts
>of liquid would be. The consistency should be like a relish (maybe slightly
>more liquidy so the main ingredients are submersed). Hope this helps.
Here is a redaction of the same recipie from "The Medieval Cookbook" by
Maggie Black, published by British Museum Press. This is a nice book which
*does* include the original with the redaction.
COMPOST
900g/2 lb mixed parsley roots, carrots, turnip and radishes
450g/1 lb white cabbage
450g/1 lb hard eating pears
6 Tbsp salt
1 Tsp ground ginger
1/2 Tsp saffron threads
2 cups white wine vinegar
50g/2oz currants
2 1/2 cups fruity white wine
6 Tbsp clear honey
1 Tsp french mustard
1/8 Tsp each cinnamon and pepper
1/4 Tsp each anise and fennel seed
50g/2oz white sugar
Prepare the root vegetables and slice them thinly. Core and shred the
cabbage. Put these vegetables into a large pan of water and bring slowly to
the boil. Peel, core and cut up the pears and add them to the pan. Cook
until they start to soften. Drain the contents of the pan and spread in a
5cm/2in layer in a shallow non-metallic dish. Sprinkle with the salt,
saffron, ginger and 4 Tbsp of vinegar. Leave covered for 12 hours. Rinse
well, then add the currants. Pack into sterilised storage jars, with at
least 2.5cm/1in headspace.
Put the wine and honey in a pan. Bring to simmering point and skim. Add the
rest of the vinegar and all the remaining spices and sugar. Reduce the heat
and stir without boiling until the sugar dissolves. Bring back to the boil.
Pour over the vegetables, covering them with 1cm/ 1/2in linquid. Cover with
vinegar proof seals and store.
Rowan
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Robyn Probert
Customer Service Manager Phone +61 2 9239 4999
Services Development Manager Fax +61 2 9221 8671
Lawpoint Pty Limited Sydney NSW Australia
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 09:03:06 -0400
From: Phil & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - pickled vegetables and fruits
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Looking through the pickled-food-msg file in my Florilegium, I find that
> a number of the recipes don't seem to name specific vegetables. However,
> I did find the following ones mentioned:
>
> Lemons, oranges, raisins, pears, cabbage, walnuts, white radishes,
> currants, carrots, turnips, mushrooms, onions, cucumbers, lentils, chard.
>
> Many of these appear to be a mix of vegetables at once called compost
> and not just a single vegetable at a time.
Well, you know, it's an interesting thing. There's an English recipe for
compost in The Forme of Cury, which appears to make a product pretty similar
to the pickled nut recipe in Le Menagier de Paris, except it uses a slightly
smaller variety of fruits and vegetables, all more or less in season at the
same time.
The recipe in Le Menagier is, well, disguised, I think, as several recipes in
sequence, but it is, I think, one long, complex recipe. How closely it is
expected to be followed is in question, but basically the process seems to
call for making a nut pickle, then when something else on the list, that is
ready for harvest or market two weeks later, is available, it is cooked and
added to the original pickle, and so on. It seems likely the pickle is stored
in a stone crock with a lid, and items would be dipped out of it about as
frequently as they are added, but as autumn progresses the variety of the
pickle grows.
And, BTW, this stuff really does keep well, especially refrigerated. Of
course, before we worry too much about the fact that Le Menagier's bride
wouldn't have had refrigeration, we should consider the effects of storing a
wet pickle in a porous stone or earthenware jar in a larder or cellar, in
autmn. Maybe not 35 - 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but possibly not too far from
it, either.
Adamantius
¯stgardr, East
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 15:33:35 -0600
From: Melissa Martines <mmartines at brighthorizons.com>
Subject: SC - Vegetable Names
Help! I am trying to redact the following recipe for compost:
Compost from Curye on Inglysch pp. 120-21
"Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem and waishe hem
clene. Take rapes and caboches, ypared and icone. Take an erthen panne
with clene water and set it on the fire; cast alle thise perinne. When they
both boiled cast therto peeres, and perboil hem well. Take alle thise
thynges and lat it kele on a faire clothe. Do therto salt; when it is cold,
do hit in a vessal; take vynegar and powdour and safroun and do therto, and
lat alle thise thynges lye there all night, other all day. Take wyne greke
and hony, clarified together; take lumbards mustard and raisouns coraunce.
All hoole, and gryne powder of canel, powder douce and aneys hole and fennel
seed. Take all thise thynges and cast togyder in a pot of erthe, and take
therof when thou wilt and serve it forth.
I have a redaction by a Master Iain, but he leaves out some of the
ingredients, and I also don't agree with him on all his interpretations of
what is what.
If anyone has any documentation or educated guesses about what the following
items are, please let me know. Thanks in advance!!
Rote of persel
Rafens
Rapes
Caboches
Also, did we ever determine if raisin of courance were currents or raisins?
Morgan MacBride
Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 22:41:06 GMT
From: kerric at pobox.alaska.net (Kerri Canepa)
Subject: SC - Need help with "Compost"
And I don't mean that stuff you put in your garden...
I'm looking at Form of Cury and specifically at Compost. I'm having more trouble
than I'd like figuring out the ingredients and cooking process. Here's the
recipe as best that I can type it, considering I don't have the special
characters or superscripts.
Note: ? are the funny "p" character for the hard "th" sound, I'm guessing.
Take rote of psel (parsley root?), pasternak of rasens (carrots? parsnips?),
scrape hem and waisthe he clene, take rap (turnips) & caboch (cabbage) ypared
and icorne. take an erthen pane w clene wat & set it on the fire. cast all ?ise
?inne. when ?ey buth boiled cast ?to peer (pears?) & pboile hem wel. take ?ise
thyng up & lat it kele on a fair cloth, do ?to salt whan it is colde in a vessel
tkae vineg (vinegar) & powdo & safron & do ?to, & lat all ?ise thing lye ?in al
nyzt o? al day, take wyne greke and hony clarified togid lumbarde mustard
&raisons corance al hoo. & gyne powdo of canel powdo douce & ancys (anise) hole.
& fenell seed. take alle ?ise thing & cast togyd i apot of erthe. and tkae ?of
whan ? wilt & sue forth.
My guess is you take all the parsley root, carrots or parsnips, turnips and
cabbage, chunk them up and boil them in water. Then I'm not so sure. Looks like
pears are parboiled and added or just added and parboiled, the whole thing is
taken out of the cooking water and let cool. When cool it's put back in a pan
with salt, vinegar, and saffron where it's allowed to sit for a period of time.
Then greek wine and clarified honey along with lombard mustard, dried currents,
powdered cinnamon, powder douce, whole aniseed (?) and fennel seed are added.
It's served at room temperature.
Can anyone tell me if I'm on track or way out in left field?
Anyone want to take a guess on Greek wine and Lombard mustard?
Last question, it appears this is a "have it around just in case" dish; would it
have been served at dinner?
Kerri
Cedrin Etainnighean, OL
Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 03:13:14 EDT
From: Korrin S DaArdain <korrin.daardain at juno.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Need help with "Compost"
On Fri, 01 Oct 1999 22:41:06 GMT kerric at pobox.alaska.net (Kerri Canepa)
writes:
>And I don't mean that stuff you put in your garden...
>
>I'm looking at Form of Cury and specifically at Compost. I'm having
>more trouble
>than I'd like figuring out the ingredients and cooking process. Here's
>the
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Compost
Forme of Cury 103. Copyright 1997 by L. J. Spencer, Jr. (a.k.a.
Lord Ras al Zib) Posted by Lord Ras (LrdRas at aol.com). Reposted by
Bronwynmgn (Bronwynmgn at aol.com)
Take rote of parsel, of pasternak, rafens, scrape hem and waische
hem clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthen panne
with clene water & set it on the fire; cast all (th)ise (th)erinne. When
(th)ey buth boiled cast (th)erto peeres, & perboile hem wel. Take alle
(th)ise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do (th)erto salt; whan
it is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vinegar & powdour & safroun & and
do (th)erto, & lat alle (th)ise thynges lye (th)erin al ny(gh)t, o(th)er
al day. Take wyne greke & honey, clarified togider; take lumbarde mustard
& raisouns coraunce, al hoole, & gynde powdour of canel, powdour douce,
anys hole, & fenell seed. Take alle (th)ise thynges & castt togyder in a
pot of erthe, & take (th)erof whan (th)oui wilt & serue forth.
There is a redaction in 'Pleyn Delit which, IMHO, deviates away
from the original in very significant ways so I am not posting it. My
translation and redaction follows:
Take parsley root, parsnips, radishes, scrape them and wash them
clean. Take turnips and cabbages, pared and cored. Take an earthen pan
with clean water and set it on the fire; cast all this therein. When they
both boiled cast therein pears, and parboil them well. Take all these
things up and let it cool on a fair cloth. Do thereto salt; when it is
cold, do it in a vessel; take vinegar and powder and saffron and do
thereto, and let all these things lie therein all night, other(wise) all
day. Take Greek wine and honey, clarified together; take Lumbard mustard
and raisins of Corinth (currants ?), all whole, and grind powder of
cinnamon, powder douce, anys whole, & fennel seed. Take alle these things
and cast together in a pot of earth, & take thereof when thou wilt and
serve it forth.
1/2 cup parsley root, peeled and diced
6 parsnips, peeled and diced
1 medium black radish, peeled and diced
1 lb. turnips, peeled and diced
1 gallon cabbage, cored and chopped
2 quarts winter pears, peeled, cored and chopped
Salt
1 bottle Retsina (Greek wine)
2 cups honey
2 quarts cider vinegar
........................................
Powder:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. ground cloves
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. ground ginger)
........................................
1 tsp. saffron
1/2 cup ground white mustard (the supermarket variety)
1 lb. dried currants
1 tsp. cinnamon
.......................................
Powder douce:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbs. ground cubebs (opt.)
2 tsp. ground galingal (opt.)
1 Tbs. grains of Paradise (opt.)
........................................
1 tsp. aniseed
1 tsp. fennel seed
Place parsley root, parsnips, radishes, turnips and cabbage in a
non-reactive kettle (e.g. enamel, glass, or Teflon. Cover with water.
Bring to a boil. Add pears. Reduce heat to medium and cook until pears
are barely tender. Drain; spread on a cloth. Sprinkle with a substantial
amount of salt and leave until cold. While mixture is cooling, bring wine
and honey to a boil, removing the scum as needed. When the scum stops
rising remove from heat. Put cooled cabbage mixture into a non-reactive
kettle. Add vinegar, powder and saffron. Let sit in a cool place for 12
hours. Add remaining ingredients to the wine/honey mixture, stirring well
to make sure that the sugar is dissolved. Add wine/honey spice mixture to
cabbage/pear mixture and blend carefully. Store in a cool place and use
as needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Compost
From Hieatt, Constance B. and Butler, Sharon. Curye on Inglish:
English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth Century (Including the
Forme of Cury). London: For the Early English Text Society by the Oxford
University Press, 1985. Redaction by Master Ian Damebrigge of Wychwood.
Posted by James L. Matterer (jmattere at weir.net)
Curye on Inglish, p. 120-121: "Take rote of persel, of pasternak,
of rafens, scape hem and waische hem clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared
and icorue. Take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire;
cast alle thise therinne. Whan they buth boiled cast therto peeres, &
parboile hem wel. Take alle thise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire
cloth. Do therto salt; whan it is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vyneger
& powdour & safroun & do therto, & lat alle thise thynges lye therin al
nyyt, other al day. Take wyne greke & hony, clarified togider; take
lumbarde mustard & raisons coraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel,
powdour douce & aneys hole, & fenell seed. Take alle thise thynges & cast
togyder in a pot of erthe, & take therof whan thou wilt & serue forth."
The following is a modified (but just as tasty) version of the
medieval recipe, containing only the "pasternak" (carrots- from the
botanical "pastinaca"), "caboches" (cabbage), "peeres" (pears) and
"raisons of courace" (currants). The other medieval ingredients are "rote
of persel" (parsley root), "rafens" (radishes), and "rapes" (white
turnip).
2 lbs. carrots, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, in small pieces
3-4 pears, sliced thin
1 tsp. salt
6 tblsp. vinegar
2 tsp. ginger
few threads saffron
1 bottle (750 ml.) white wine
1/2 c. honey
1 tblsp. mustard seed
3/4 c. currants
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tblsp. each anise seed & fennel seed
Boil the carrots and cabbage for several minutes, then add the
pears. Cook until tender; drain well. Lay vegetables and pears in a
large, flat, non-metallic dish. Sprinkle on the salt. Let cool, then
sprinkle on the vinegar, ginger, and saffron. Cover with a cloth and let
stand for several hours or overnight. When ready, mix the vegetables with
the currants and the seeds. Place in a sealable container and set aside.
In a separate pot, bring the honey, cinnamon, and wine to a boil,
skimming off the scum until clear. Remove from heat and pour over the
vegetable mixture. Let cool and seal. May be stored for a week or more.
Serves 12.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Korrin S. DaArdain
Kitchen Steward of Household Port Karr
Kingdom of An Tir in the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Korrin.DaArdain at Juno.com
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 17:41:19 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Need help with "Compost"
korrin.daardain at juno.com writes:
<< 3/4 c. currants >>
The currants specified in the recipe are NOT regular currants (Ribes) but
rather Zante raisins, otherwise known as raisins of Corinth (raysons of
courance). They are marketed in grocery stores as 'Dried Currants-Zante' or
some such. Their flavor is distinctively different from the acidic fruit of
the genus Ribes.
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 21:51:31 -0500
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: Re: SC - "Old Food"
Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> writes:
> Christianna commented:
> > Then there's the compost we made last November...
[ie: Over a year old -Stefan]
>
> I, for one, would be interested in hearing how well the compost
> has held up or tastes when you get around to trying it. The reports
> that I have in the Florilegium on composts have been from folks who
> ate it much sooner than this.
Well, it has held up its original flavor pretty well. I actually think
that it was not crisp enough at the beginning, but it certainly isn't
anything like mush now, just not what I'd want from pickles. My lord has
been eating it right along, and feels that it is getting better as it
ages. He is gone for one more week (I feel like I'm the only person in
the Nation waiting for Christmas Day to actually start Christmas) and I
will have him taste-test it when he gets home and give you a report. I
have kept pickled vegetables (both home-made and commercial) for years,
in fact my roommate and I had the most intense pickle experience either
one of us has ever had, with a whole, Kosher Vlassic Dill with garlic.
It was slap-your-mama good, we both stood in the kitchen and made hooting
noises for about 5 minutes. It was the last one left in the jar, and had
been sitting in the refrigerator for years. It was just a shame that it
was the last one left.
Christianna
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 07:07:29 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - 12th C Irish Feast- Notes and recipes
Compost is a mixed pickle, usually, but not always, made from mixed
fruits, vegetables, and sometimes immature nuts, usually in a sauce made
from honey, white wine, vinegar, mustard and other spices. Think of Italian mustard-fruits.
Recipes for this, or something similar to it, occur in Apicius and
several 14th-century English, French, and German sources, among others.
Adamantius
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 06:53:04 EDT
From: ChannonM at aol.com
Subject: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #2090
<< The feast sounds fabulous....but I have one concern regarding the third
dish in the second course....How long had this been sitting around?
Balthazar of Blackmoor >>
I preserved it using modern canning methods, I'm not worried about it's shelf
life if that's what you mean.
If you are playing with the name then, here see for yourself the recipe and
know that eventually, you can add it to your garden if you like! :)
Compost
Curye on Inglish, p. 120-121
"Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scape hem and waischehem
clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthenpanne with
clene water & set it on the fire; cast alle thise therinne.Whan they buth
boiled cast therto peeres, & parboile hem wel. Take alle thise thynges vp &
lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do therto salt; whan itis colde, do hit in a
vessel; take vyneger & powdour & safroun & dotherto, & lat alle thise thynges
lye therin al nyyt, other al day. Takewyne greke & hony, clarified togider;
take lumbarde mustard & raisonscoraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel,
powdour douce & aneyshole, & fenell seed. Take alle thise thynges & cast
togyder in a pot oferthe, & take therof whan thou wilt & serue forth."- -
My own composition of 'Compost' was devised based on the original recipes,
however I considered the location and incorporated a more Irish flavour by
using a honey mead and a cider vinegar in the pickle.
Compost in Ireland
1 .50 lb carrots
.50 lb parsley root
1 lb turnips
.50 of white cabbage
Soaking brine
.25 cup sea salt
.5 cups cider vinegar
Pickle
1 quart --mead
1 cup honey
1 Tbsp crushed mustard seed
1 tsp anise seed
2 tsp fennel seed
Peel wash and core vegetables. Slice thinly.
Place in non reactive container and add the soaking brine. Let sit overnight
or several hours.
Mix mead, honey and spices. Bring the pickle to a boil and add vegetables.
Put vegetables in sterilized jars and pour over hot pickle juice. Seal and
store in a cool place. Makes about 6 pints.
Hauviette
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 13:29:19 -0400
From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #2090
ChannonM at aol.com wrote:
> << The feast sounds fabulous....but I have one concern regarding the third
> dish in the second course....How long had this been sitting around?
>
> Balthazar of Blackmoor
> >>
> I preserved it using modern canning methods, I'm not worried about it's shelf
> life if that's what you mean.
>
> If you are playing with the name then, here see for yourself the recipe and
> know that eventually, you can add it to your garden if you like! :)
>
> Compost
> Curye on Inglish, p. 120-121
> "Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scape hem and waischehem
> clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthenpanne with
> clene water & set it on the fire; cast alle thise therinne.Whan they buth
> boiled cast therto peeres, & parboile hem wel. Take alle thise thynges vp &
> lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do therto salt; whan itis colde, do hit in a
> vessel; take vyneger & powdour & safroun & dotherto, & lat alle thise thynges
> lye therin al nyyt, other al day. Takewyne greke & hony, clarified togider;
> take lumbarde mustard & raisonscoraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel,
> powdour douce & aneyshole, & fenell seed. Take alle thise thynges & cast
> togyder in a pot oferthe, & take therof whan thou wilt & serue forth."- -
>
> My own composition of 'Compost' was devised based on the original recipes,
> however I considered the location and incorporated a more Irish flavour by
> using a honey mead and a cider vinegar in the pickle.
> Hauviette
I have redacted the same recipe, but came up with something a little different...
(makes about 4 cups)
6 radishes 4 cabbage leaves 1 parsnip
2 turnips 1 pear 1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 pinch saffron
1 1/2 C. Sweet Wine 4 tbsp. honey 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
(Marsala)
1 tsp. fresh ginger root 1/4 tsp. mace 1/4 tsp. cloves
finely diced
1/2 tsp. fennel seed 1/4 cup currants 1 T. Lumbard Mustard
(made from another recipe)
1/2 tsp. whole anise seed
1. Chop root veggies and pear into chunks, cabbage into 2" strips.
2. Parboil root vegetables and cabbage in water until almost tender
3. Add pear to vegetables and continue parboiling until tender. Drain & cool.
4. Marinate in a cool place overnight. Drain liquid from mixture.
5. Heat wine and honey together until clarified.
6. Add spices and currants to wine/honey mixture, mix thoroughly, then cool.
7. Gently mix with vegetable/fruit mixture. Store, refrigerated, then serve
chilled.
Notes:
1. Recipe calls for "wyne greke" or Greek Wine, which the glossary in Curye on
Inglysch defines as "...a sweet type of wine which actually came from Italy..."
Marsala fit this description nicely.
2. I omitted the parsley root as it was unavailable at the time.
3. I define "poudre" here to mean pepper.
4. The "...lumbarde mustard..." is taken from another recipe in Forme of Curye.
5. I have found numerous descriptions of "powdre douce" which vary widely, often containing sugar, cinnamon, ginger, mace and cloves. I have omitted the sugar as I feel the dish is sweet enough with the honey and sweet wine. I have also used fresh ginger as has Terence Scully in his Early French Cooking in recipes which call for this mixture. I also believe that it adds more to the sweet-sour contrast that was popular in this period.
So you see, mine is a different...but yours is so much simpler. The result of
what I did is, as noted by others, similar to a chutney.
Kiri
From: Philip Troy <troy at asan.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] COMPOST
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 00:59:05 -0400
On Monday 22 October 2001 12:00, Mark.S Harris wrote:
> On the other hand, I'm now familar with compost having even made
> some myself. But what are "Italian mustard-fruits"? And are they
> period?
There's an Italian preparation nearly identical to compost made and sold
commercially under a name that translates into English as Mustard Fruits
(more or less). I seem to recall small baby pears being involved, maybe
grapes, etc.., all in a sort of honey-mustard sauce.
Adamantius
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 17:14:32 -0400
From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Please post:::Compost??
Here is the recipe I used for a Coronation a couple of years ago. Everyone turned up their noses at the name, not to mention when I described the ingredients. But once it was made, it was VERY popular!! I hope you enjoy it:
103. Compost. Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem andwaische hem clene. Take rapes and caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthenpanne with clene water & set it on the fire; cast alle thise therinne. Whan they buth boiled cast thereto peeres, & perboile hem wel. Take all thise thynges upand lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do thereto salt; whan it is colde, do hit in avessel; take vyneger & powdour & safroun & & do thereto, & lat alle thise thyngeslye therein al nyght, other al day. Take wyne greke and hony, clarified togider;take lumbarde mustard & raisouns coraunce, al hoole, & trynde powdour of canel,powdour douce & aneys hole, & fenell seed. Take alle thise thynges & cast togyderin a pot of erthe, & take thereof whan thou wilt & serue forthe.
103. Compost. Take parsley root, parsnips, radish, scrape them and wash themclean. Take turnips and cabbages, pared and cleaned. Take an pottery pan withclean water and set it on the fire. Put all of these in the pot. . When theyhave boiled, add pears and parboil them well. Take all these things up and let itcool on a fair cloth. Add salt; when it is cold, put it in a vessel; take vinegarand poudre and saffron and add it, and let all these things lie therein all nightor all day. Take Greek wine (sweet) and honey, clarified together; take Lumbardmustard and currents all whole, and grind cinnamon, poudre douce and anise wholeand fennel seed. Take all these things and cast together in an earthen pot andtake thereof when you will and serve it forth. (Forme of Cury from Curye onInglysch)
Redaction: (Makes about 4 cups)
6 radishes 4 T. Honey
4 cabbage leaves 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 parsnip 1 tsp. fresh ginger root,
diced finely
2 turnips 1/4 tsp. mace
1 pear 1/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. Salt 1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1 1/2 C. red wine vinegar 1/4 cup currants
1/2 tsp. Pepper 1 Tbsp. Lumbard mustard
1 pinch saffron 1/2 tsp whole anise seed
1 1/2 C. Sweet wine (Marsala)
1. Parboil root vegetables, cabbage in water until almost tender
2. Add to vegetables and continue parboiling until tender. Drain and cool.
3. Marinate in a cool place overnight. Then drain liquid from mixture
4. Heat wine and honey together until clarified.
5. Add to wine/honey mixture, mix thoroughly, then cool.
6. Gently mix with vegetable/fruit mixture. Store, refrigerated, then serve
chilled.
Notes:
1. Recipe calls for =93wyne greke=94 or Greek Wine, which the glossary in Curye onInglysch defines as =93=85a sweet type of wine which actually came from Italy=85=94Marsala seemed to fit this description nicely. However, upon researching theissue further (i.e., asking this list), I discovered that Marsala isn't period, soI would try to find a sweet Greek wine to use.
2. I omitted the parsley root, as it was unavailable in the small town where I
live, but I understand that it is available elsewhere.
3. I define =93poudre=94 here to mean pepper.
4. The =93=85lumbarde mustard=85=94 is taken from a recipe further on in Forme of Cury, which I have redacted below.
5. I have found numerous descriptions of =93powdour douce=94 which vary widely, often containing sugar, cinnamon, ginger, mace and cloves. I have omitted the sugar as I feel it is sweet enough with the honey and sweet wine. I have also used fresh ginger, as have the authors of Early French Cooking (Terence Scully) and To the KingÕs Taste (Lorna J. Sass) in other recipes which called for powdour douce. I believe that it adds more to the sweet-sour contrast that was so popular in this
period.
Kiri
From: "Vincent Cuenca" <bootkiller at hotmail.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 23:04:28 +0000
Subject: [Sca-cooks] New compost recipe (long)
Ya know, I had mentioned that I was fooling around with compost, but I never
actually posted the recipe.
The original is from a 1947 article by Faraudo de Saint-Germain entitled
"Llibre de Totes Maneres de Confits: Un Tratado cuatrocentista de Dulceria".
Most of the article is a transcription of the manuscript, which dates to
1380 or thereabouts. The transcription can also be found on Thomas
Gloning's website.
Here's the original:
CAPITOL .XVIJ.e PER FER LA RASEPTA DE LA COMPOSTA DE L AXEROP E DELS CONFITS
Resepta per fer lo axerop per .xvij. llr. de confits compres en aquesta
manera, so es, .j.a llr. de prunes seques e .j.a llr. e mige de orallanes e
.j.a llr. de panses e mige liura de rave galesch e .xiij. llr. de tots
confits sens axerop, pendrets les cosses saguents. Primerament pendreu .ij.
dines de mostalla fina molta e destrempar l eu ab vinagre un poch e un poch
de vin grech solament per trempar lo vinagre e fer l eu estar .ij. o .iij.
jorns axi. Apres pendreu los confits e metreu los en una ger[r]a o holla e
fareu .j. onz. de
canyella fina picada e ben pessada; metreu primer un poch de canyella dins
la ger[r]a e apres un sostro de tots confits e altre de canyella fins tots
los confits sien composts ab la dita canyella, e estigua axi compost .ij. o
.iij. jorns. Apres pendreu tots los axerops dels dits confits e metreu ho
tot dins un perol e dar li eu un perel de buyls. E ab un altro peroll metreu
la dita mostalla detras dita axi com s esta, e aureu una liura e mige de rop
e un diner de vi de megranes e .ij. tasses de clareya o .iiij. dines de
pimentes si de la dita clarea no podeu aver, e mige tassa de grech fi e les
espisies saguents ben picades e ben pessades ab un sedas, so es, .j.a oz.
canyella e .j.a oz. gingebre, e .iiij. dines de flor de massis, e .iiij.
dines de nous noscades, e .iiij. dines girofla, e .vj. diners sandils
blanchs, e .ij. dines de sandils vermeyls, e .iiij. dines de grana e mescla
ho
<<114>>tot be. E, com sera tot be mesclat, pendreu l autre perol ab la mel
bulenta e metreu ho tot mesclant be dins l autro perol on son les dites
espicies, e axi calt lansar [h]o eu dins la ger[r]a o olla sobre los dits
confits.
Here's my translation:
Chapter Seventeen To Prepare the Recipe for Compot of Syrup and Confits
A recipe to make the syrup for seventeen pounds of mixed confits in this
manner, which is: one pound of dried plums and one and a half pounds of
hazelnuts and a pound of raisins and half a pound of horseradish and
thirteen pounds of all confits without syrup, taking the following things.
Firstly take two dineros of fine ground mustard and temper it with a little
vinegar and a little Greek wine just to temper the vinegar and let it rest
thus two or three days. Afterwards take the confits and put them in an
amphora or pot and prepare an ounce of fine cinnamon ground and well sifted;
add first a little cinnamon to the amphora and then a layer of all the
confits and another of cinnamon until all the confits are all together with
the aforementioned cinnamon, and they should rest all together for two or
three days. Afterwards take all the syrups from the aforementioned
confits and put them all in a pot and boil them a couple of times. And in
another pot add the aforementioned mustard just as it is, and add a pound
and a half of grape syrup and a dinero of pomegranate wine and two cupfuls
of clary or four dineros of spices if the aforementioned clary is not
available, and half a cupful of fine Greek {wine} and the following spices,
well ground and passed carefully through a sieve, which are: one ounce of
cinnamon and an ounce of ginger, and four dineros of mace, and four dineros
of nutmeg, and four dineros of cloves, and six dineros of white sandalwood,
and two dineros of red sandalwood, and four dineros of grains of paradise
and mix them all well. And, being all well mixed, take the other pot with
the boiling honey and add it all to the other pot where the other spices
are, mixing it well, and once it is cool toss it all in the amphora or pot
over the aforementioned confits.
So as not to overload the list, I'll post my version of the recipe later. I
had to fudge some, as this recipe seems to involve mixing other preserved
fruits and vegetables rather than working from scratch. I've borrowed from
the Menagier and the Forme of Cury recipes as far as the mix of ingredients,
and used this one for spicing and so forth. Any input you can provide would
be most appreciated.
Vicente
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:56:06 -0500
From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] New compost recipe (long)
Actually OED lists it as:
compost compost ko.mpost, sb.1 Also (sense 3)
6 compest. [a. OFr. compost, cumpost:-L. compositum
later compostum) neuter of pa. pple.: see compost pa. pple. ]
1. A composition, combination, compound.
b. A literary composition, compendium.
2. Cookery. == compote. Obs.
a. A stew of various ingredients.
C. 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 18 For
to make a compost [with chickens, herbs, spices, etc.].
b. spec. A preparation of fruit or spice preserved in
wine, sugar, vinegar, or the like.
C. 1430 Two Cookery-bks. (1888) 59 Le ij cours,
Compost, Brode canelle, Potage.
C. 1450 Two Cookery-bks. 87 Peris in compost,
take pere Wardones..pare hem, and seth hem..and
cast hem to the Syryppe..And then pare clene
rasinges of ginger..and caste hem to the peres in composte.
1513 Bk. Keruynge in Babees Bk. (1868)
268 Loke your composte be fayre and clene.
1601 Holland Pliny II. 159 White oliues..before
they be put vp in their compost or pickle.
3. A mixture of various ingredients for
fertilizing or enriching land, a prepared manure or mould.
MED (Middle English Dictionary) lists:
compost(e (n.)
[OF; cp. F compote.]
(a) A mixture of stewed fruit and/or vegetables;
a preserve; in compost, stewed or preserved; (b) a stew.
(a) (a1399) Form Cury (Add 5016) p.49: Compost.
Take rote of persel, pasternak..rapes & caboches.
c1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(2) (Hrl 4016) 87: Peris in compost.
Take Wyne, canell, Sugur..dates..pere Wardones..cast hem
to the Syryppe..with Gynger..ley hem in clarefied hony.
a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011) 79: Aftur mete
..blawnderelles, pepyns, careawey in comfyte, Compostes
ar like to =FEese. c1475 Gregory's Chron.(Eg 1995) 141: Datys in
composte.
(b) a1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(1) (Hrl 279)
59: Le ij cours: Compost..Codlyng.
a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sln 1986) p.18:
For to make a compost. Take =FEo chekyns and
hew hom..chekyns =FEou put =FEerto, And =FEen of =FEe herbz
..And tendurly seyth hit.
?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)
111: To mak composte tak chekins and..saige,
parsly, lekes..and boille it.
a1486(c1429) Menu Banquet Hen.VI in Archaeol.57 (Mrg M 775)
58: Le iij Course: Compost..Venison rost, Egrettz.
Johnnae llyn Lewis Johnna Holloway
From: "Vincent Cuenca" <bootkiller at hotmail.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:58:03 +0000
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Compost recipe
Muirdeach scripsit:
>In the original language, you use "Composta", then in your translation you
>use "compot". Neither of those ring like Compost to me. Compost and
>compote are two different things... Or am I completely out the left field?
Actually, no you're not. Compot is the term used in the Menagier de Paris
for a mixed pickle of nuts, vegetables, and so forth. IIRC, a similar mixed
pickle appears in Forme of Cury under the name Compost. Since "compost" to
most folks means that smoking pile of vegetable gunk crazy Aunt Ella keeps
in the garden, and "compote" means gently cooked mixed fruit, I used compot.
I may be completely wacked out, but it seems to me that the various names
(composta, compost, compot) seem to have the same root as "compose",
possibly "componere" or something like that. Basically, "to put (things)
together". Ergo, a compot, or composta, is "(things) put together", in this
case, pickled in vinegar, wine, and syrup.
I've had some aging in my refrigerator for a week, and it's dandy stuff.
Here's my version, which is an amalgam of the Menagier, Forme of Cury and
Confits recipes.
1/2 head Savoy cabbage
3 small turnips, peeled
4 medium carrots, peeled
5 parsnips, peeled and cored
1 small fennel root, cored
4 Bosc pears, peeled and cored
1 cup (approximately) raisins
1 cup prunes
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 T prepared Dijon mustard
1 bottle white wine
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup grape molasses (betmez)
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1 t ginger
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t mace
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t grains of paradise
1/4 t red sandalwood
Chop the cabbage, dice the other vegetables and fruits except for the
raisins. Cook gently in salted water until tender but still firm. Leave out
the dried fruit. Drain, and put into broad roasting pan or dish and allow to
cool. Grind spices finely and mix together. In a pot, add wine, honey,
vinegar, and fruit molasses and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, then add
the spices and the mustard. Transfer the vegetables to a large container,
stir in the raisins and chopped prunes, and pour the hot liquid over them.
The fruit will plump up as it ages. It's good after a couple of days, even
better after a week. I served some at one of the two Thanksgiving dinners I
went to, and people were scarfing it down like there was no tomorrow.
Boy that makes me feel good!
Vicente
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:02:33 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] New compost recipe (long)
Nicolas Steenhout wrote:
> Compost: An organic material used in gardening, made of all kind of
> rotten materials.
com-POST, n., [OFr. composte, compote, condiment, pickle < L.
compositus; see COMPOSITE], 1. a composition; compound. 2. a mixture of
decomposing vegetable refuse, manure, etc., for fertilizing the soil.
> Compote: Usualy fruits cooked slowly with a sweetener added. (though it
> can be done with onions and such :-) )
com-POTE, n., [F., see COMPOST]
It's probably worth noting that the first version, spoken in French,
would end up with either a silent or absent "s", as in hospital/hopital,
hostel/hotel, etc.
They are pretty obviously the same word. The fact that American
gardeners are unaware of the etymology really changes nothing.
Adamantius
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] New compost recipe (long)
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:08:08 -0600
I believe your compositus should be compositum. "Compositum" is the neuter
past participle of "componere." "Composita" is the feminine past participle
of "componere." According to the quick ref, both appear as "composte" in
Old French and "compote" in Middle English; however, Johnna's reference to
the Middle English Dictionary reverses these. It may be that the type of
mixture is originally defined by gender and required the use of two related
words in English, which is essentially genderless.
Bear
>Compost: [English word, from ancient french Compost, from the latin
>compositus]. Mixture of dirt, organic garbage and lie, which transform
>itself little by little into dirt.
>
>Compote: [from Latin composita, from componere, to put together] Fruits,
>whole or cut in parts, cooked with sugar.
>
>Gorgeous Muiredach
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:23:06 -0600
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
From: Gorgeous Muiredach <muiredach at bmee.net>
Subject: Definitions (was Re: [Sca-cooks] New compost recipe (long))
>I believe your compositus should be compositum.
My 5 years of Latin in high school being really way forgotten, you might be
very right Bear.
In this case though, and I just checked, I merely typed what I found in the
dictionary... :-)
Gorgeous Muiredach
Rokkehealden Shire
Middle Kingdom
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 10:18:52 -0400
From: Daniel Myers <doc at medievalcookery.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sca-cooks Help with documenting pickles
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On Saturday, July 12, 2003, at 11:09 AM, UrthMomma at aol.com wrote:
Well, the recipe for "Compost" [Curye on Inglish, Constance B. Hieatt &
Sharon Butler (eds.)] is sort of a pickled vegetable recipe. There are
a bunch of related recipes from the 13th and 14th centuries. The
version I've done is a bunch of parboiled root vegetables, salted and
mixed with wine, vinegar, and honey.
My version, along with the source, is online at -
http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/compost.html
- Doc
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Edouard Halidai (Daniel Myers)
http://www.medievalcookery.com/
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 11:16:22 -0400
From: Daniel Myers <doc at medievalcookery.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Getting the most use out of a particular food
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On Monday, July 21, 2003, at 11:11 AM, <jeanne at atasteofcreole.com>
wrote:
I should have said garden compost to distinguish it from the
edible compost!
No I gotta ask! Eidble compost?!?!?
Yup. It's a sort of pickled root vegetable recipe, and probably is the
origin of the modern word "compote".
Source [Curye on Inglish, Constance B. Hieatt & Sharon Butler (eds.)]:
103 Compost. Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem
and waische hem clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take
an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire; cast alle þise
þerinne. Whan þey buth boiled cast þereto peeres, & perboile hem wel.
Take alle þise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire cloth. Do þereto
salt; whan it is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vyneger & powdour &
safroun & do þerto, & lat alle þise thynges lye þerin al nyght, oþer al
day. Take wyne greke & hony, clarified togider; take lumbarde mustard &
raisouns coraunce, al hoole, & grynde powdour of canel, powdour douce &
aneys hole, & fenell seed. Take alle þise thynges & cast togyder in a
pot of erthe, & take þereof whan þou wilt & serue forthe.
There are many redactions of this recipe available online - mine can be
found at
http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/compost.html
- Doc
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Edouard Halidai (Daniel Myers)
http://www.medievalcookery.com/
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 12:21:49 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Getting the most use out of a particular food
To: "'sca-cooks at ansteorra.org'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
"compost" is Old French for "mixture" and does not specify of what the mixture consists. In Medieval cookbooks, compost normally refers to a mixture of fruits or vegetables in a pickle or syrup. This usage of compost has since evolved into compote.
Bear
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 14:09:57 -0700
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Getting the most use out of a particular food
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Compost - the sweetened, pickled, spiced, preserved mixture of
vegetables, fruit, and nuts - is both English and French - and
there'a a simpler German version as well - from the 14th and 15th
centuries.
My version is here:
http://witch.drak.net/lilinah/compost.html
I arrived at my recipe by comparing original recipes in Form of Curye
and Le Menagier and with much assistance from a number of people on
this very list.
It was a lot of work, but, then, i made a tad over 2 gallons of it.
The hardest part was paring and cutting up all 15 pounds of the
vegetables all alone. If you have even one person helping, that will
make it easier and much more pleasant. None of it is difficult, it
just takes several days to make and occupies some space in the
kitchen.
Anahita
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2003 14:56:10 -0400
From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Compost (no, not the garden stuff!)
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansterra.org>
I turned these up during a quick search this afternoon.
87. Perys in Composte is inOrdinance of Pottage, p.65.
xxxv. Perys en Composte is in Harl. 279 Austin Two 15th...pp.12-13
Peris in compost is in Har. 4016 Austin Two 15th...pp.87-88
103. Compost. Forme of Cury. Hieatt edition, pp.120-21.
Peres in Composte. is in Napier p.100. I's also in Pynson's This is
the Boke of Cokery from 1500.
To mak Compost [which is "chekins" dish] is in Napier p.111. It's also
in Pynson's This is the Boke of Cokery, 1500. (LCC includes a "For to
make a Compote" which also contains chickens. You migh ask Cindy R.
about what she has found in the LCC.)
I came across a reference in Austin to Douce MS., no 57 which I don't
find at the moment, so I suspect the entry may be wrong or it may be
included as a supplement to Pegge.
OED includes the Compote inentry 2. as compote. Obs. and defines it as
"a. A stew of various ingredients."
with this defination being given
circa 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 18 For to make a compost [with chickens,
herbs, spices, etc.].
Then it says: spec. A preparation of fruit or sice preserved in wine,
sugar, vinegar, or the like.
circa 1430 Two Cookery-bks. (1888) 59 Le ij cours, Compost, Brode
canelle, Potage.
circa. 1450 Two Cookery-bks. 87 Peris in compost, take pere
Wardones..pare hem, and seth hem..and cast hem to the Syrypp..And then
pare clene rasinges of ginger..and caste hem to the peres in composte.
1513 Bk. Keruynge in Babees Bk. (1868) 268 Loke your composte be fayre
and clene.
1601 Holland Pliny II. 159 White oliues..before they be put vp in their
compost or pickle.
Compote compote ko.mpo ut. meaning
a. Fruit preserved in syrup. with this quotation--
1693 Evelyn De La Quint. Compl. Gard. I. 91 marg., Compote, fruit stew'd
in Sugar, after a manner peculiar to the French.
Which is rather late to my way of thinking.
Th Middle English Dictionary is the place to look--
compost(e (n.)[OF; cp. F compote.]
"(a) A mixture of stewed fruit and/or vegetables; a preserve; in
compost, stewed or preserved; (b) a stew.
(a) (a1399) Form Cury (Add 5016) p.49: Compost. Take roteof persel,
pasternak..rapes & caboches. c1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(2) (Hrl 4016) 87:
Peris in compost. Take Wyne, canell, Sugur..dates..pere Wardones..cast
hem to the Syryppe..with Gynger..ley hem in clarefied hony. a1475
Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011) 79: Aftr mete..blawnderelles, pepyns,
careawey in comfyte, Compostes ar like to þese. c1475 Gregory's
Chron.(Eg 1995) 141: Datys in composte.
(b) a1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(1) (Hrl 279) 59: Le ij cours:
Compost..Codlyng. a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sln 1986) p.18: For to make a
compost. Take þo chekyns and hew hom..chekyns þou put þerto, And þen of
þe herbz..And tendurly seyth hit. ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674) 111:
To mak composte tak chekins and..saige, parsly, lekes..and boille it.
a1486(c1429) Menu Baquet Hen.VI in Archaeol.57 (Mrg M 775) 58: Le
iij Course: Compost..Venison rost, Egrettz.
------------
The Apician recipe may be the one for
How to Preserve Fresh Figs, and Apples, Plums, Pears, and Cherries.
Gather them carefully with their stalks an put them in honey, so that
they do not touch each other. First Book. sect XII recipe 4. page 53 of
the Flower and Rosenbaum edition The Roman Cookery Book. That's the
closest that I could find which would be a fruit in honey at its most
basic.
Johnnae llyn Lewis
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 20:51:31 -0700
From: "Patricia Collum" <pjc2 at cox.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Compost recipe (no, not the garden stuff!)
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
It just so happened that I made composte for the first time for the event
this weekend. It was supposed to be for Selene's vigil but I got my nights
confused, so it ended up being added to the luncheon the next day. It went
over quite well. The recipe I used was based on:
Compost from Curye on Inglysch pp. 120-21
"Take rote of persel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem and waishe hem
clene. Take rapes and caboches, ypared and icone. Take an erthen panne with
clene water and set it on the fire; cast alle thise perinne. When they both
boiled cast therto peeres, and perboil hem well. Take alle thise thynges and lat it kele on a faire clothe. Do therto salt; when it is cold, do hit in a vessal; take vynegar and powdour and safroun and do therto, and lat alle thise thynges lye there all night, other all day. Take wyne greke and hony, clarified together; take lumbards mustard and raisouns coraunce. All hoole, and gryne powder of canel, powder douce and aneys hole and fennel seed. Take all thise thynges and cast togyder in a pot of erthe, and take therof when thou wilt and serve it forth." -as posted in the composte message files at Stephan's Florilegium.
Some of the choices I made were to use what I had on hand, as in the cooking
wines and vinegars. I couldn't find my saffron (pesky stuff), and I added
carrots instead of celery root, so that there would be a recognizeable root
veggie. The lumbard mustard would be a honey mustard in period, so I used an
imported german one. Here is my recipe:
1/2 lb. pkg. baby carrots
2 bunches radishes, trimmed and larger ones cut in half crosswise
2 large parsnips, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch slices
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch chuncks
1/3 small head of cabbage, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups white cooking wine
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1/2 cup honey
1 cup dried currants
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves, fresh ground from whole
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp mace
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup honey mustard
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 -15 ounce cans lite sliced pears, drained and cut in 1 inch chunks
1 Tbsp whole anise seeds
1 Tbsp whole fennel seeds
In a large kettle, bring the carrots, radishes, parsnips and turnips to a
boil and boil til just crisp tender (about 10 mins), add the cabbage and
boil for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, drain and pour vegetables
into a large bowl and set aside to cool. In a small pan, combine wines,
honey, spices and currants and heat on medium heat, stirring, until the
honey clears and the currants have plumped some. Remove from the heat and
add the mustard vinegars and salt. Add the pears and seeds to the cooled
vegetables and gently stir them in. Pour the wine/ currant mixture over the
vegetables and pears and gently stir. Gently press the vegetables into the
mixture, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 days to allow
flavors to develope. Stir the mixture each day and recover. Then serve it
forth!
Cecily
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 01:04:42 -0400
From: ranvaig at columbus.rr.com
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Compost recipe (no, not the garden stuff!)
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> 1/3 small head of cabbage, sliced thin
I'm not sure if it would be period or not, but when I made this, I used red cabbage. The color made the whole dish a lovely bright pink.
Ranvaig
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 16:48:49 -0600
From: Robert Downie <rdownie at mb.sympatico.ca>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Pictures from my Illusion Feast
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Susan Fox-Davis wrote:
>> I loved the way the compost turned out, that's one recipe I'll
>> definitely be doing again - eve if it's just for me!
>>
> Recipe please?
>
> Selene
I sent out the whole pamphlet-that-never-was (sigh, it would have been nice to
have them ready for the Event) a couple of days ago, but here's the
compost recipe by itself::
Faerisa
Compost of Pastenak and of Peeres - Forme of Cury:
See original at
http://www.godecookery.com/alabama/alabam01.html#compost
Gode Cookery translation:
Pickled Salad. Take parsley, carrots, radishes; scrape and clean them.
Take white radishes & cabbages, pared and core. Take an earthen pan with
clean water & set it on the fire; and put all these in. When they've
boiled, add pears and parboil well. Take all these things out and let cool
on a clean cloth. Add salt. When cooled, place in a container; add
vinegar, powder and saffron, and let sit overnight. Take Greek wine &
honey, clarified together; take "lumbarde" mustard and whole currants, and
cinnamon, "powdour douce" & whole anise seed, & fennel seed. Take all
these things and place together in an earthen pot, and take from it when
you need to, and serve.
Modern recipe:
2 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped into medium sized pieces
3-4 pears, peeled, cored and chopped into medium sized pieces
1 1/2 heads cabbage
1 tsp. sal
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. ground ginger
1/2 Tbs. each anise seed & fennel seed
1 1/2 quart white wine
1/2 cup honey
1/2 Tbs. mustard seed
3 cinnamon sticks
Boil the carrots for several minutes, then add the pears, cook a little
more, then add the cabbage. Cook until tender; drain well. Lay carrots and
pears on a clean cloth. Sprinkle on the salt. Let cool, then place in a
large dish or container; sprinkle on the ginger & saffron then pour the
vinegar over all. Cover (the cloth works fine for this) and let stand for
several hours or overnight. Mix the compost with the seeds, place in a
non-metallic container that can be sealed, then set aside. In a separate
pot, bring the honey, cinnamon, and wine to a boil, skimming off any scum
until clear. Remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the liquid over the
compost mixture. Let cool and seal. May be stored for a week or more.
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 12:33:26 EST
From: Bronwynmgn at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Pictures from my Illusion Feast
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
karobert at unm.edu writes:
<<how did the crowd like the compost? i keep wanting to try it but am afraid
it might not go over too well. pickles of any sort tend to be a very
personal thing for most flks.>>
We've quite sucessfully used the Forme of Cury compost recipe on several
occasions - turnips, pears, radishes, and I forget what else pickled in a sauce
with Greek wine in it. It goes over especially well at summer events, but
Jadwiga has recntly asked me to make her a batch for an event in April, for the
dayboard.
Like most veggies, those who like it will eat a lot, and there will
also be those who won't even taste it.
Brangwayna
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 07:45:50 EST
From: Bronwynmgn at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Compost
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
ranvaig at columbus.rr.com writes:
<<I have a question about compost. What size do you cut the pieces of
the various veggies? I've been served it cut into fairly big sices,
some of the recipes say to cut into chunks, some into cubes.>>
I chop it up to the same size I'd do salad pieces today - small enough
to fit several pieces easily in your mouth.
I *hate* it when someone gives me a salad with pieces of lettuce so big I
have to cut them up to get them in my mouth (the only exception to that being
lettuce hearts); in my opinion, lettuce leaves and other veggies in
salads should arrive at your table without needing further cutting!
Brangwayna
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:25:48 -0400
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Evil Science Projects: Good News/Bad News
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Hullo, the list--
The bad news is that I discovered the hard way, in the middle of
making a very mundane meatloaf sandwich, that someone had ingeniously
removed all the mayonnaise from the jar in the fridge with the
exception of a layer 1/128th of an inch thick lining the inside.
After a moderately rough day and the realization that I didn't feel
like cooking anything real or making real mayonnaise, with Spouse and
Evil Spawn already in bed, I began to root around for alternatives.
The good news is that I discovered the last (already opened) jar of
Green Almond Compost (a synthesis of the Forme of Cury and Menagier
recipes).
The bad news is that I now find, after checking various forms of
documentation, since the jar is unlabeled, that this is the last of a
batch made in June of 1995.
The good news is that it went quite well on a meatloaf sandwich. The
flavors are a little less bright than I remember them, but textures
were essentially good, with just a bit too much of the liquid having
either evaporated or absorbed by the solids, but it worked out pretty
well when I chopped a spoonful of the stuff finely, the way you
sometimes have to with the larger-cut Major Grey's Mango Chutney.
I'm posting this now so that, if I post an update in the morning,
you'll all know I lived through the night ;-)
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 08:32:34 -0400
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Evil Science Projects: Good News/Bad News
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Also sprach Sebastian Manetti:
>> Ummmmmm.....I hate to ask, but, as it sounds fascinating, do you
>> happen to have the recipe for your synthesis available to share????/
>
> Assuming he survived the night of course ...
> -Sebastian
WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT... uh... I'm fine. The pickle is, well,
a little strange in texture, as older pickles tend to be, and there's
been some degradation of the aromatic stuff in it. But it tasted
fine, all things considered. I'm not arguing that we have not clearly
passed the expiration date on this product: it's close to ten years
old. Nevertheless, it's a pretty amazing testament to the power of a
honey/vinegar/wine/salt pickle.
For those interested in trying this stuff in its green, non-vintage
state (wussies!), here's a link to what is as close to a recipe as
I've got:
http://www.ostgardr.org/cooking/ppb.html#compot
We could probably synthesize a more formal-recipe-format if needed...
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 08:51:00 -0400
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Evil Science Projects: Good News/Bad News
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Also sprach Laura C. Minnick:
> At 05:23 AM 10/13/2004, you wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm posting this now so that, if I post an update in the morning,
>>> you'll all know I lived through the night ;-)
>>>
>>> Adamantius
>>
>> Dude,
>> Don't do it!!! The last time I thought to myself 'I'll risk it - it'll
>> be fine' was some pickled lotus root I added to a thai curry. I threw
>> up so hard that I hemorrhaged in my eyes, I coughed up pick foamy sputum
>> (from hemorrhages in my throat), had petechiae all over my face and I
>> found out later that I cracked a rib...
>>
>> It's not worth it...
>>
>> Drakey.
>
> Oh gawd... leave it Drakey to have some suitable gross story, just
> to start my day off right. ;-D) At least no body parts were sawed
> off in the process, eh?
I was gonna say something like, Well, Drakey, after all, this _IS_
Drakey we're speaking of. But he's perfectly right. I can only assume
that I was extremely lucky, or that there's something about the
respective pickling processes that made the results different. But
then, I'm also a firm believer in stacking the deck against
misfortune, and in so doing, making your own luck. The seal on the
jar was good, not eaten by the various acids, the solids, mostly,
were cut up fairly small for better penetration of the pickle, and
there was no rush of gas from the jar, no sliminess, and no weird
smells. Botulism seemed virtually impossible, due to the pH. I felt a
reasonable justification for a certain degree of confidence. I
wouldn't recommend anyone else do this.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 08:05:41 -0400
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] canning compost
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On Jun 15, 2005, at 1:57 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Doc commented:
>> On a related note, I've been considering canning "compost" for this
>> Pennsic. Anyone done that - or just canned turnips? Most cookbooks
>> and such recommend against caning turnips.
>
> So, why are you wanting to can the compost? Medieval compost was a
> pickled food item and the reason for this was to preserve the
> vegetables and fruits. So, why can't you do it the same way?
Well, I'm a little leery of the word "can't" in this context, but
pickling is intended to preserve food against pathogens, and even the
best of pickling methods doesn't always preserve food in its best
condition for very long under the wrong conditions. So, for example,
y'ever take a bite of a dill pickle that has been out of
refrigeration for a while (say, a few weeks) and found it to be less
than crispy, and sort of waxy-textured? This is why the best dill
pickles (commercial ones, anyway) are still sold under refrigeration,
even though it's perfectly safe to eat them when they've been
unrefrigerated for a while.
I've canned compost a couple of times, and commented once or twice on
its apparently amazing keeping qualities. I STR there being a thread
on this list about whether I would die if I ae some compost from an
opened jar that had been in my fridge for several years and still
smelled and looked okay (I didn't die, BTW).
>> I've got a *lot* of experimenting to do before August.
>
> Perhaps some of the comments from others who have mde this, and
> various period recipes, might give you a head start.
>
> compost-msg (72K) 3/ 7/05 A pickled food of fruits and
> vegetables.
> http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/compost-msg.html
I checked the links listed in the Florithingy page, and some of them
(the Adelphi University links) may be outdated: the article which
includes some commentary on a feast-sized batch of compost (80 or 90
pounds of the English version without the nuts) is now here:
http://www.ostgardr.org/cooking/twelfthnight.html#Sauseges ,
and the one with nuts (made in much smaller quantity) is here:
http://www.ostgardr.org/cooking/ppb.html#compot
For what it's worth, the best composts I've had (and this may be as
much a matter of personal preference as of qualit control) had the
ingredients cut pretty small (no more than 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes),
with relatively little liquid, and the liquid fairly thick, somewhere
between heavy syrup and honey in density/viscosity.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:49:20 -0400
From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] canning compost
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> So, why are you wanting to can the compost? Medieval compost was a
> pickled food item and the reason for this was to preserve the
> vegetables and fruits. So, why can't you do it the same way?
You can, but you have to keep it cool for our food safety standards. If
you make compost and can it, though, it can be stored in your cupboard,
if the canning is successful.
--
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:09:31 -0400
From: "RUTH EARLAND" <rtannahill at verizon.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Pickling turnips
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
There are 2 reasons some sources advise against pickling turnips.
One is that they grow underground and are very likely to harbor pathgenic
bacteria. Sure, you're going to peel them, but you also have to be really
sure there are no cracks in the vegetables. It isn't unusual to buy pickled
turnips in an Asian or Middle Eastern market and bring them home only to
find that they've gone off.
The second is that as a low acidity vegetable, They need to be canned under
pressure.
Berelinde
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 22:13:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Introductions.. And Meat Pies
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> I believe that somewhere along the line, the meaning of the word
> compost shifted to its current gardening-related sense, and an
> offshoot (compote) took over its food related niche.
>
> - Doc
Actually, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, compost as the garden supplement came first, with compost as the cooking term coming about two hundred years later.
Huette
Compost, n.
2. Cookery. = COMPOTE. Obs. a. A stew of various ingredients.
c1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 18 For to make a compost [with chickens,
herbs, spices, etc.].
b. spec. A preparation of fruit or spice preserved in wine, sugar,
vinegar, or the like.
c1430 Two Cookery-bks. (1888) 59 Le ij cours, Compost, Brode canelle,
Potage. c1450 Ibid. 87
Peris in compost, take pere Wardones..pare hem, and seth hem..and cast
hem to the Syryppe..And
then pare clene rasinges of ginger..and caste hem to the peres in
composte. 1513 Bk. Keruynge in
Babees Bk. (1868) 268 Loke your composte be fayre and clene. 1601
HOLLAND Pliny II. 159 White
oliues..before they be put vp in their compost or pickle.
3. A mixture of various ingredients for fertilizing or enriching
land, a prepared manure or
mould.
Also composs, COMPASS n.2.
[1258 Charter St. Albans Abbey in M. Paris (Rolls) V. 668 Cum
composto..ad pr¾dictum manerium
meliorandum.] 1587 HARRISON England III. viii. (1878) II. 54 That
ground will serve well, and
without compest for barleie. 1589 PUTTENHAM Eng. Poesie III. xxv.
(Arb.) 309 The good gardiner
seasons his soyle by sundrie sorts of compost: as mucke or marle, clay
or sande..bloud, or lees of
oyle or wine. 1602 SHAKES. Ham. III. iv. 151 Do not spred the Compost
o[e]r the Weedes, To make
them ranke. 1626 BACON Sylva ¤597. 1693 EVELYN De la Quint. Compl.
Gard. Gloss., Compost, is rich
made Mold, compounded with choice Mold, rotten Dung, and other
enriching ingredients. 1784 COWPER
Task III. 637 Turn the clod, and wheel the compost home. 1813 BINGLEY
Anim. Biog. (ed. 4) III. 70
The neighbouring farmers made them [herrings] up into composts, and
manured their ground with
them. 1861 DELAMER Fl. Gard. 30 The soil for hyacinths is a
compost..consisting of light loam,
leaf-mould, river-sand, and well-rotted dung.
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 03:02:50 -0400
From: "RUTH EARLAND" <rtannahill at verizon.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Pickling Turnips (long and slightly evasive)
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Christianna wrote:
>
> I have a hard time understanding the bit about underground pathogens,
> since
> pickled beet roots are a long-standing tradition. Beets are likewise a
> low-acidity vegetable, thus the pickling liquids being acidic. What
> sources
> are we talking about? Modern canning recommendations?
> Just curious,
> Christianna
Please excuse my incomplete response.
The statements I made were based on modern canning recommendations and
apply
to canned unpickled vegetables.
Botulism is the big culprit. The excrement of the botulism toxin is one
of
the most lethal compounds known to man, and cooking the canned food
after
the toxin is present does not make it less harmful. The bacteria
responsible
resides in the ground and, in a normal aerobic environment, lives its
life
in peaceful anomynity. When it attempts to survive in an anaerobic
environment, such as olive oil or canned food, it produces the botulism
toxin. That, by the way, is why you should never steep herbs or garlic
in
cold olive oil. Vinegar is safe, but see below.
The acidity of the pickling solution is of critical importance here. If
you
are canning turnips in an acidic solution, like beets, if the acidity
was
sufficient, the chances of contaminated pickles would be slight.
Often, though, turnips are pickled in a less acidic solution than
beets, so
care must be taken to be sure the pickles are safe. Compost is often not
particularly acidic, so I would be cautious. Sugar and salt do retard
the
growth of bacteria, but not as effectively as vinegar.
The integrity of the vegetable or fruit is also an issue. If the skin is
broken, the interior of the vegetable has been exposed to pathogens.
Which
is why preserving instructions, modern or period, often call for peeled,
unblemished (and often cooked) fruit/vegetables.
According to the canning recommendations of my aunt, who might not be
THE
authority on unusual pickles, but used to can everything that wasn't
still
breathing, low acidity fruits and vegetables, anything containing animal
protein (she canned spaghetti sauce with meat), or anything she wasn't
sure
of should be canned under pressure in a pressure cooker.
If you've been canning pickled turnips successfully for years, there's
no
reason to think your process is wrong. I've never canned anything
besides
grape jelly, dill pickles, and bread and butter pickles, so I admit I'm
no
authority on the process at all.
Having said that, there are 3 canning methods that I know: cold pack
(uncooked food, no pressure), hot pack (cooked food, no pressure),
pressure
(self-explanatory).
I do not offer any opinion on which is the correct method to use. I
simply
encourage you to read up on canning before deciding which is best for
the
food you want to can.
Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tasted the contents of a bulging can
or
one that has bubbled or squirted on opening? (I really hope the answer
to
this is 'no')
Berelinde Cynewulfdohtor
Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 14:05:40 -0400
From: Daniel Myers <eduard at medievalcookery.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] canning compost
To: jenne at fiedlerfamily.net, Cooks within the SCA
<sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On Jul 16, 2005, at 9:46 PM, Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise wrote:
> Adamantius, can you take the time to give us your thoughts on canning
> compost? We are thinking of doing a batch this summer/fall for Handy
> Period Sidedish Supplies...
Don't know about Adamantius' experiences with canning the stuff, but
I tried a batch last week and it seems to have gone well.
I cut the vegetables into small pieces - about 3/8" thick - and
cooked them briefly (not sure of the purpose of this, but the
instructions for canning carrots said to do this). Then I salted the
veggies, packed them into the jars, and poured the vinegar/honey/wine/
spice mixture (heated) in. I put the closed jars into a pressure
canner and processed them for 35 minutes.
I was a bit worried that the canning would leave the carrots mushy,
but they still kept enough of their firmness to be pleasant. The bit
that I had left over was ok, but the can I opened up a few days later
was excellent. The canning process helped to mix the flavors and
infuse them completely through the veggies.
I'm going to add some canning notes to the recipe on my site - as you
said, having this stuff canned is incredibly handy.
- Doc
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Edouard Halidai (Daniel Myers)
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:20:05 -0400
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] My two cents on canning compost...
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Jadwiga asked a while back about canning compost, because I mentioned
having done so. All I've done is what I believe is called open-kettle
canning, bringing the mixture to a good boil and ladling it into
sterilized jars and sealing it while hot, because the mixture is
rather acidic and the batch was small. It seems to have worked out
just fine, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, some of this batch was
still edible after close to ten years.
I'm sure pressure canning would be safer, and I wouldn't bet on the
stuff being good for years and years -- all I can say is the above
worked fine for me on that occasion.
I think maybe any concerns about pressure canning leading to an
overcooked, mushy product might not be taking into account the
inherent water loss if the mixture is properly salted and pickled.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:10:56 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] compost
Theadora wrote:
<<< I made some based on recipes posted on the net. Should it be sweeter or
a bit sour? >>>
Hard to say. My time machine isn't working :-(
I think it should be both sweet and sour, as well as a little hot and
a little spicy, what with the Lombard mustard and all the added
spices.
<<< I couldn't use all wine- too much $ so used half white wine
vinegar and half sweet white wine, with honey. >>>
When i made a couple gallons of the stuff, i used cheap sweet white
wine. It was affordable. I was worried about quality, but cheap stuff
was fine.
Susan Lin queried:
<<< Okay - I'm thoroughly confused - I saw compost and just assumed you were
talking about fertilizer.
Please explain, what is this "compost" of which you speak? >>>
It is a pickle that is both sweet and sour made of a variety of
fruits and vegetables (and sometimes young walnuts before the shell
hardens, if one can find them). It was used as a condiment with meat,
i believe. I think of it as a sort of Medieval chutney. Recipes
appear in a number of cookbooks.
Le Menagier's recipe must be started about 6 months before it will be
used with those baby walnuts picked around Summer Solstice.
I made the one from Forme of Curye for my first feast.
Recipe 103
Take rote of parsel, of pasternak, of rafens, scrape hem and waische
hem clene. Take rapes & caboches, ypared and icorue. Take an erthen
panne with clene water & set it on the fire; cast all (th)ise
(th)erinne. When (th)ey buth boiled cast (th)erto peeres, & perboile
hem wel. Take alle (th)ise thynges vp & lat it kele on a faire cloth.
Do (th)erto salt; whan it is colde, do hit in a vessel; take vinegar
& powdour & safroun & and do (th)erto, & lat alle (th)ise thynges lye
(th)erin al ny(gh)t, o(th)er al day. Take wyne greke & honey,
clarified togider; take lumbarde mustard & raisouns coraunce, al
hoole, & grynde powdour of canel, powdour douce, anys hole, & fenell
seed. Take alle (th)ise thynges & castt togyder in a pot of erthe, &
take (th)erof whan (th)ou wilt & serue forth.
My Modern Transcription
Take root of parsley, of parsnip, of radishes, scrape them and wash
them clean. Take white turnips & cabbages, pared and cored. Take a
ceramic pan with clean water & set it on the fire; cast all these
therein. When they have boiled cast thereto pears, & parboil them
well. Take all these things up & let it cool on a clean cloth. Do
thereto salt; when it is cold, put it in a vessel; take vinegar &
[spice] powder & saffron & and do thereto, & let all these things lie
therein all night, or all day. Take Greek wine [i.e., sweet white
wine, NOT retsina] & honey, clarified together; take Lombard mustard
& raisins of Corinth [i.e., dried currants, which are actually small
raisins], all whole, & grind powder of cinnamon, sweet powder, whole
anise, & fennel seed. Take all these things & cast together in a
ceramic pot, & take thereof when thou wilt & serve forth.
My recipe for 2 gallons of compost is on my website :
http://home.earthlink.net/~al-tabbakhah/2000_Boar_Hunt/2000-0c-compost.html
I'm planning on making a bunch of quart jars of the stuff this year
and canning them properly. I thought it was so tasty and i'm looking
forward to having some throughout 2010, as well as gifting some.
--
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:32:17 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] compost
Daniel Myer's website, Medieval Cookery, lists the following 6
compost recipes. All are webbed on his site.
-- COMPOST (Forme of Cury) (England, 1390)
-- Compast (Fourme of Curye [Rylands MS 7]) (England, 1390)
-- Liber cure cocorum (England, 1430)
-- THIS IS THE WAY TO MAKE COMPOTE (Le Menagier de Paris) (France, 1393)
-- To mak compost (A Noble Boke off Cookry) (England, 1468)
-- Compost (pickle) good and perfect (Libro di cucina / Libro per
cuoco) (Venice, late 14th or early 15th c.)
The page that lists them and links to them is:
http://www.medievalcookery.com/cgi/display.pl?lcc:36
--
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita
<the end>