food-seasons-msg - 5/3/08 Info. on when various foods were in season in period times. NOTE: See also the files: fruits-msg, fd-paintings-msg, sausages-msg, pickled-foods-msg, food-storage-msg, stockfish-msg, meat-smoked-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - 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. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 02:06:35 +0100 From: Thomas Gloning Subject: SC - Manger en Chine / Dietary of health (1542) etc./ pheasant Item: about 16th century English texts: Andrew Borde's 'dyetary of Health' (1542) was published in 1870 by F. Furnivall in the Early English Text Society's Extra Series X, pages 223-304. Furnivall edited several other (a.o. 16th century) food texts in 'Manners and Meals in Olden Time' (1868). In addition, there is 'The good huswifes handmaide for the kitchen' (1594?), published by Stuart Peachey in 1992. -- In this text, before the recipes, there is a section about the seasons, in which pheasants are mentioned twice: <<< [4] To knowe the due seasons for the use of al maner of meats throughout the yeare. Brawn is best from the holy Rood day til Lent, and at no other time commonlie used for service. Bacon, Beefe and Mutton, is good at all tymes, but the woorst tyme for Mutton is from Easter to Midsommer. A fatte yoong Pig is never out of season. A Goose is worst at Midsommer, + best in stubble tyme, but they be best of all when they be young green Geese. Veale is all tymes good, but best in Januarie and Februarie. Kidde and young Lambe is best between Christmasse + Lent, + good from Easter to Whitsontide, but Kid is ever good. Hennes be all times good, but best from Alhallowntyde to Lent. fatte Capons be ever good. Peacocks bee ever in season, but when they be yoong and of a good stature, they be as good as Feasants, + so be yoong Grouces. Sinets be best betweene Alhallowen day and Lent. A Mallard is good after a frost, til Candlemas, so is a Teal and other wild foule that swimmeth. A Woodcocke is best from October to Lent, and so be all other birdes, as Ousels, Thrushes and Robins, and such other. Herons, Curlewes, Crane, Bittour, Bustard, be at all times good, but best in Winter. Feasant, Partridge and Raile, be ever good, but best when they bee taken with a Hawke, Quaile + Larks be ever good Connies be ever in season, but best from October to Lent A gelded Deare, whether he be fallow or red, is ever good. A Pollard is speciallie good in May, at Midsommer he is a Bucke, and verie good till Holy Rood day before Michaelmas, so like wise is a stagge, but he is principal in Maie. A barren Doe is best in Winter. A Pricket and a Sorell syster is ever in season. Chickens bee ever good: and so be yoong Pigeons. <<< Thomas Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 21:10:05 -0400 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - Manger en Chine / Dietary of health (1542) etc./ pheasant Thomas Gloning wrote: > In addition, there is 'The good huswifes handmaide for the kitchen' > (1594?), published by Stuart Peachey in 1992. -- In this text, before > the recipes, there is a section about the seasons, in which pheasants > are mentioned twice: > > <<< > [4] To knowe the due > seasons for the use of al maner of > meats throughout the yeare. > > Brawn is best from the holy Rood day til Lent, and at no > other time commonlie used for service. Bacon, Beefe and > Mutton, is good at all tymes, but the woorst tyme for > Mutton is from Easter to Midsommer. A fatte yoong Pig is > Michaelmas, so like wise is a stagge, but he is principal > in Maie. A barren Doe is best in Winter. A Pricket and a > Sorell syster is ever in season. Chickens bee ever good: > and so be yoong Pigeons. > <<< Compare the above to this, from "A proper Newe Booke of Cokerye", c.~1545 C.E. : "THE BOOKE OF COKERYE "Brawne is beste from a fortenyghte before Mychalmas tyll lente. Beife and BAcon is good at all times in the yere. Mutton is good at all tymes, but from Easter to myd Sommer is worste. A fatte pygge is ever in season. A goose is worste in midsomer mone and beste in stubble tyme, but when they be yong grene geese, then they be beste. Veale is beste in Januarye, and February, and all other times good. Lamb and yonge kydde is beste between Christmas and lente, and good from Easter to Witsontyde. Kyd is ever good. Hennes be good at all tymes but best from November to lente. Fat Capons be ever in season. Pecockes be euer good but when they be yong and of a good stature, they be as good as fesantes, and so be yonge grouces. Sinettes be beste between All Hallowen daye and Lente. A mallarde is good after a froste, tyll Candelmas, so is a Teile and other wilde foule that swymmeth. A Wodcocke is best from Octobre to Lente; and so be all other byrds as Ousels and Thrysselles, Robins and such other. Herons, Curlus, Crane, Bitture, Bustarde, be at all times good; but best in wynter. Fesauntes, Partriche and Rayle be euer good but beste when they be taken with a hauke. Quayle and Larkes be euer in season. Connies be ever good and so is a doo. A hare is euer good, but beste from October to Lente. A gelded deer whether he be falowe or readde, is euer in season. A Pollarde is speciall good in maye, at Midsommer he is a Bucke, and is verye good tyll holye Rood day before Mighelmas so lykewyse is a stagge, but he is principal in Maye. A barren doo is best in wynter. A Pricked and a sorrell syster is euer in season. Chekins be euer good, and so bee Pigions yf they be younge." Adamantius Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 18:58:10 -0500 From: Christine A Seelye-King Subject: SC - Fruit and Vegetable Availability Below is the information off of a graph I was given in my apprentice classes many years ago. It is much easier to read as a graph, but I have transposed it for a text-based format. The information is courtesy of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, Washington, DC. The graph lists common fruits and vegetable supplies in 4 stages: Scarce or Nonexistent, Moderate, Plentiful, and Abundant. In most cases, I have not listed the Scarce times. I must emphasize that this is a graph for the mid U.S., and for MODERN availablility, and should not be used as a guide as to when these items were available in the MA. Still, it is a pretty good guide as far as when prices are likely to be at their cheapest. (Obviously, areas like California, Texas and Florida will have better availability than this.) Christianna Apples - plentiful Sept. - May, moderate June - August Apricots - moderate in May, abundant in June- July Artichokes - moderate June - Feb, plentiful March - May Asparagus - moderate in Feb, abundant March - April, plentiful in May, moderate in June Beets - moderate Nov - May, plentiful June - Oct. Berries (blackberries, dewberries, raspberries) abundant June - July, moderate in August Blueberries - abundant June-July, plenitful in August, moderate in Sept. Broccoli - plentiful Oct. - April, moderate May - Sept. Brussels Sprouts - plentiful Oct. - Feb, moderate March, April, May and Sept. Cabbage - plentiful year-round Cantaloupes - plentiful in May, Sept. & Oct, abundant June - August Carrots - plentiful year-round Cauliflower - moderate Dec. - August, plentiful Sept - Nov. Celery - plentiful year-round Cherries - moderate in May & August, abundant June - July Cranberries - moderate in Sept. & Jan, plentiful in Oct. & Dec, abundant in Nov. Cucumbers - plentiful year - round Eggplant - moderate Nov - July, plentiful August - Oct. Grapes - moderate May, June & Dec, plentiful July & Nov., abundant Aug - Oct. Grapefruit - moderate June - Oct, plentiful Nov - May Greens - plentiful year - round Honeydew - moderate May & Nov., plentiful June, July & Oct., abundant August - Sept. Lemons - plentiful year-round Lettuce - plentiful year-round Limes - moderate Sept - May, plentiful June - August Mushrooms - moderate year-round Nectarines - moderate in June & Sept, abundant July - August Okra - moderate March - Oct. Onions, Dry - plentiful year-round Onions, green - moderate Oct. - Feb., plentiful March - Sept. Oranges - moderate July - Sept., plentiful Oct. - June Parsley & Herbs (includes parsley root, anise, basil, chives, dill, horseradish & others) - moderate Jan - Oct, plentiful Nov & Dec. Parsnips - moderate Sept - May Peaches - moderate in May, plentiful in June & Sept, abundant July - August Pears - moderate Dec - May & July, plentiful Aug - Nov. (listed as scarce in June) Pineapples - moderate July - Feb., plentiful March - June Plums-Prunes - moderate in June & Oct., plentiful in Sept., abundant July - - August Radishes - plentiful year-round Rhubarb - moderate Jan - April & June, abundant in May Spinach - moderate June - Dec, plentiful Jan - May Squash - plentiful year-round Strawberries - moderate Aug - Feb., plentiful in March & July, abundant April - June Sweet Potatoes - moderate May - August, plentiful in Sept, Oct, & Dec - April, abundant in November Tangerines - moderate in Nov., abundant in Dec., plentiful in Jan. Turnips & Rutabegas - moderate year-round Watermelons - moderate in April, Sept & Oct., plentiful in May & Aug, abundant June - July Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 18:32:52 -0500 (EST) From: Jenne Heise Subject: SC - Local Harvest search engine thought this site reviewed on the Librarians Index to the Internet might be of interest to cooks & feast planners: " Local Harvest - http://www.localharvest.org/ This is the retail face of sustainable agriculture! Search by zip code for locally grown foods from small farms. Database includes farmers' markets, U-Pick farms, farm stands, meat/dairy/egg producers, and CSAs (community supported agriculture) offering regular delivery of seasonal produce to local depots. Also searchable by state, crop type, name, or key words from the description. Listings include locations, contact information, and lists of available products by season. - pf " - -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise jenne at tulgey.browser.net Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 08:53:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Kathleen Madsen Subject: [Sca-cooks] Cream, has evolved to discussion about milk and dairy cattle To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Plus, you need to realize that the medieval animal is completely different that what is available today. Most of today's milking animals were bred for their "turbo" milk production and were introduced by necessity between WWI and WWII. A lot of the older breeds were phased out at that time because they just didn't make enough to meet demand of a needy country. I think there's a bit more to May milk than just the sweet spring grasses and terroir. Cows and goats give birth in late January and much of February and are weaned about 4 weeks later. Much of the commercialized dairy producers try and wean within 10-14 days so that they don't lose much of their production. The chemical makeup of the milk is shaped in a kind of skewed bellcurve with most of the butterfat and proteins being in the milk in the first third or so of the milking cycle. It tapers off over time to where there is little left at the end of the season and the animal is ready to be dried off. May milk just happens to fall at the best part of the bell curve where there is the most proteins and butterfat. This composition of milk naturally makes the best cheeses and butters. At the end of the cycle you get the not so good cheeses, the ones that the paste looks anemic and pale. This milk is really, really difficult to work with and you tend to get mixed results. The month of May is the best month for cow and goats milk, however, sheep milk is at it's best toward the end of April and into June. Why? Because sheep give birth and freshen about 6-8 weeks after cows and goats do. This improved quality of milk can't be traced back to good, sweet grasses and herbage. Rather, it's because of where their freshening cycle lands and what the lamb needs nutritionally from the mother. Now don't get me wrong, a lot of the flavor that comes through the milk is from terroir (all the environmental and physical factors that the animal experiences that day) and what it eats. It does play a role, but it doesn't affect the makeup of the milk as far as butterfat and protein content go. We have a local guy that feeds his cattle on stale bread at times and then switches over to orange peels. You can taste the change. Back to my morning cup of tea, Eibhlin Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 07:45:04 -0400 From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Harvest times To: Cooks within the SCA > I'm working on a painted casket for my stuff and found an interesting early > 13th century cycle of 'Month pictures', but I'm wondering about their > provenance. The thing is, they place haying in June, grain harvest in July, > threshing in August, which seems a bit early for Northern Europe. The vintage > is in October, which tends to be a bit cold and wet for that. Now, I'm not an > expert on Europe's microclimates, but I'm sure there will be one here. So I'm > wondering: does that generally square with Southern France or Northern Italy? > Or is it more Central France/Southern Rhineland? I know it's wrong for my > latitudes. I'm no expert, but I've been plowing through Bridget Ann Henisch's _The Medieval Calendar Year_, a study of exactly these sorts of calendar labors. She points out that the labors of the months do seem to be somewhat consistent across calendars from different parts of Europe. She places haying in June or July, grain harvest in July or August, Threshing at the same time or after. Picking grapes is usually shown in September, and vintining in October. Lammas (Loaf-mass) in England celebrated the first loaf of bread from the new harvest, which gives you a sort of date... Another important point to remember is that the 'labors of the months' were usually tied up with the Zodiac sign also. As you know, the Zodiac sign changes around the 20th of the month. So you may want to look for clues as to whether you are dealing with Gemini or Cancer when the haying begins, etc. -- -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 08:45:00 -0400 From: Johnna Holloway Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Harvest times To: Cooks within the SCA In Slovenia at the Bishop's Palace in Škofja Loka there are copies and originals of medieval panels and/or frescos featuring a medieval peasants engaged in a number of activities. These aren't arranged by the month; rather most are connected to a theme of "Things or activities that one isn't supposed to do on a Sunday." One of the scenes indicates that one shouldn't thresh wheat while naked. (The ladies harvesting were topless.) The Dominion of Skofja Loka (973-1803) was under the rule of the Freising Bishops of Bavaria so your search might extend into the Balkans. Slovenian spelling and the internet is always interesting, but I finally located a picture. http://www.slovenia.no/Museene/m_loski_muzej.htm shows a version of it. There's also a version at the National Ethnology Museum in Ljubljana too. Johnnae Edited by Mark S. Harris food-seasons-msg Page 7 of 7