Historical Interpreter, author and integrative medicine consultant creating digital content about the history of healthcare in W. Europe.
I am retiring from active practice to create digital content focused on a historically accurate depiction of the Western popular healthcare culture and its modern relevance. I have 30 years of experience as an herbal practitioner during which time I was also an associate academy educator with The Herbal Academy, presented at numerous conferences, and worked for seven years as the staff historian f
or Natural Herbal Living Magazine and wrote for other herbal publications. My historical volunteer projects include working on various transcription projects including the Szathmary Manuscript Collection, the 𝑀𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑢́𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑠 digitization project and most recently the Early modern recipe books on From the Page which is a collaboration between the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Wellcome Library.
This is not quite my recipe I will share the link in the comments but good instructions for properly canning lemon curd. It is not necessary to refrigerate when properly canned but if you store the canned lemon curd in the refrigerator, you will not see the darkening that this article mentions.
Learn how to the traditional British dessert of lemon curd. Canned, it has a shelf life of 3 to 4 months. If you don't mind the darkening that occurs, it can last up to 1 year.
I think most of us could use a bit of soothing right now so this is the perfect time to talk about cordial preparations...Cordials were meant for soothing an overactive nervous system.
In the 15th century the term “cordiall” meant something that was soothing to the heart or spirit. The term was frequently used for medicines, but there were even devotional books named The Soul’s C…
When we read actual primary sources we almost always find that marriage in ancient societies was more of a partnership than 19th century historians would have liked us to believe.
"Through their letters, it becomes clear that the women of Assur acted as business partners to their husbands, fathers, and brothers, sometimes debating profit margins and strategizing over which types of textiles would perform best in the marketplace."
4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets illuminate the personal lives of Mesopotamian businesswomen
In yesterday's post, I mentioned that a British Pint and an American Pint were not the same size. This surprised some people.
Most Americans aren't aware of this but we do not use the Imperial system of measurement. It was adopted in the UK in 1824. We use the system that is sometimes referred to as Queen Anne's because despite being in use since the 1300s it wasn't codified until 1707.
That is why a ton is 2,000 pounds (907.18 kg) in the US and 2,240 pounds (1,016.05 kg) in Britain. and while a US pint is 16 oz, a British pint is 20.
One of the goals of this blog is that I want to set people up with enough knowledge to safely and accurately recreate receipts from manuscripts, so I thought I would share what I found here. I really wanted to just give you a list to make this easy for you but it's just not. You have to read everything for context. You need to know the year that your manuscript was written so you know if a pound was 12 ounces or 16 ounces. You have to know where the recipe was written...
That’s one of the goals of this blog is that I want to set people up with enough knowledge to safely and accurately recreate receipts from manuscripts. I really wanted to just give you a list…
Thought this was an interesting plan. It's always fascinating to see how people put food up for the winter.
Today, we visited Braidwood, IL, to lay Grandma Hoffelt to rest. I couldn't resist a historical society visit. So lucky we stopped because they helped us find a picture of Grandma as a little girl!
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Today's post is going to take a look at how we apply modern science to an old receipt to achieve a safer final product. Since I harvested my black currants last week I thought I would cover that. People who kept receipt books often assumed that everyone had a sort of base knowledge that very few people today have. This very sparse receipt for making black currant jelly is an example of that....
Today’s post is going to take a look at how we apply modern science to an old receipt to achieve a safer final product. Since I harvested my black currants last week I thought I would cover t…
Here's another transcription tip since someone asked about this!
Bill of Rights Day is December 15. Visit the National Archives website for more information. Today’s post comes from Rachel Bartgis, conservator technician at the National Archives at College Park,…
In honor of the day, I thought I would share the rice pudding recipes from Amelia Simmons' American Cookery published in 1796 which is often cited as the first American cookbook.
I personally prefer to make it with rice I have cooked and cooled, the benefit being resistant starch.
Who is out there experimenting with making these non-alcoholic spirits? I've been messing around a little and I have a bigger glass retort on the way, to play with things that I don't want to go through copper tubing.
For those of you who don't know, they are just hydrosols. They are so easy to make at home.
During my time trying to organize a mutual aid group here locally, I became very much aware that most people in my area are not equipped with this kind of knowledge. It's time to get equipped to handle an economic downturn or any other nonsense that gets thrown at us... So I have a lot to say about alternatives that are grounded in actual historic precedent, but I don't want to limit myself. Frankly I have a lot of the sort of knowledge that makes one resilient. That happens when you grow up in a dilapidated farmhouse with a woodstove as your only heat and lived a lot of your adult life under the poverty line. I survived it once and I will survive it again and I am inviting you to learn how to survive it, too....
During my time trying to organize a mutual aid group here locally, I become very much aware that most people in my area are not equipped with this kind of knowledge. It’s time to get equipped…
Throwing up another source backing up my contention that historically we did not give raw milk to children. That is nonsense made up in the 1990s. Even this person who thought kids could live on bread and milk knew it had to be scalded.
Source: Corson, Juliet Fifteen cent dinners for families of six 1877
Some days I don't have time to do more than post some pictures.
A while back I surprised some people by talking about the fact that monks often had serfs, slaves and tenant farmers doing the really heavy lifting for them. This is another look at that.
"So over the medieval period suddenly these holy guys who were meant to be away from the rest of the world are incredibly rich and major power brokers and landlords. They do be working still, but it’s a lot more “I make beer and books” and a lot less “I do my own ploughing.” They are taking in rents. They have their own serfs. It’s not a great look for a bunch of supposedly religious people."
So over at my cute little podcast We’re Not So Different we are currently running a book club for patrons. As a part of this I am rereading the classic The Name of the Rose, which has made me reali…
Use up some of that sorrel with this receipt from 1591!
In an attempt to use up some of my overly-abundant sorrel, I came across this post by my good friend Michelle. The original recipe comes from A Book of Cookrye, by A. W., London, 1591. …
Black currants!
Transcription Tip: Baking powder was sometimes marketed as yeast powder during the time right before dried yeast was sold on the market
Here's a novel idea for working with your elderflowers. I might have to go foraging.
I’ve just made a new version of my medieval-inspired baked cheesecake. It’s delicious!
I thought this was appropriate for the day as I am getting back to working after my break
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC.
I have been hearing from a lot of people asking me what I think of the mushroom coffees on the market, and you know questions always lead me down rabbit holes, so here's what I found......
I have been hearing from a lot of people asking me what I think of the mushroom coffees on the market, and you know questions always lead me down rabbit holes, so here’s what I found…
I truly thought about having my bone fire tonight, but it's just too hot.
Edited: It's worth pointing out that McGarry's summary contains a little more "fancy" than the Schools' Collection documents. I've never read of account of modern people running the cattle through the fires unless they are recreating the Iron Age festival. I've posted some below.
The sight of St John's Eve bonfires on hilltops still provides quite a spectacle and reminds us of a pivotal time in the calendar
You all had to know I was going to give it a shot. Using old methodology to work with new ideas is actually my jam. I have just begun the process of making the decoction for drying. I promise a full report when I'm done.
This excellent reel shows you how ice was harvested and stored for summer use as well as how to make homemade icecream.
My 19th century research continues...
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I base my premise on the fact that this is the way that I was taught to garble plants.
Spent some time today improving the sustainability of my distillation process. I sometimes hesitate to get my pot out still due to the amount of water I waste when using it. This will work much better. When actually making a hydrosol I will have ice in the cooler to cool the water as it returns. You can read more about home distillation on this post: https://domestic-medicine.com/2020/01/15/making-distillates-at-home/
Making another oil today. I think I accidentally said mallow the first time when I meant malva, or at least it was garbled.
I thought I would share how I am making St. John's Wort oil this year.
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