Medieval Cool Aid

Medieval cool aid is what I have heard sekanjabin called. It is a medieval drink that is still made in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It is usually made with mint but I wanted to try some with fruit as I have had it at events.  Drinking vinegars are now available in stores but they are easy to make at home with a little time. Small prep times and long wait times are the way I make them. Last week, I started two different ones, cranberry and peach. I had some peaches that weren't getting eaten and I hate to waste food. I also had a large bag of frozen cranberries that I wanted to use up. The photos are of the cranberries. 

The items you will need for the first part of this project are:

Vinegar, not distilled. I used cider vinegar but white or red wine vinegars are fine.

A sealable container. I used a mason jar. I trust the seal and the glass does not react with anything I put into it.

Fruit to fill the container, usually 1 to 2 cups

space in the fridge to put the container for several days.

 Fill the jar with the fruit

 Fill the jar with the vinegar and leave a head space at the top.

 Seal the top and put in the fridge for several days.

I'll post part two later in the week.

Sweet Times in the Kitchen

Making your own simple syrup is easy and fast. Simple syrup is used to sweeten cool beverages like iced tea or coffee, fruity drinks or cocktails. My local coffee shop calls it liquid sugar but I've seen that they get the same effect from the same amount as my syrup.

So here is the recipe:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan.

Heat over medium high heat until the sugar disolves and the mixture is clear and simmering. 

 Remove from the heat and wait for the mixture to cool. Then put it into a vessel for storage. I use a glass bottle that I cleaned well.

 Label and store in the fridge. I like having my drinks the same temperature when I mix things up.

I love having this available for my iced coffee in the morning. This will keep in the fridge for about two weeks in a closed vessel. I make what I need for that time which for our house is about 700 mL, or double this recipe. That's the amount you see in my 2 quart pan in the photos.

Have a sweet day!

Flowers

I have been obsessed with hair flowers lately. When summer hits I like to take the outdoors with me everywhere. Last week, I convinced my favorite Queen Bee, my awesome sister-in-law, to part with the centerpieces from her wedding. Her price: having a "few" made into pieces for her gorgeous, but long and very thick, hair. I'll post some pics of those as soon as locate findings for them. She didn't like the bobby pins so I have to find another way. But the great part is that I get to use the rest! I spent a couple of happy hours taking the arrangements apart and harvesting the blooms. Now, I have lots of new flowers to create with! I can't get very good pics after dark so I'll post pics after I make something!

First Fire of the Season

The fire pit is an old dryer  tub. It has a lot of air flow,
sometimes too much. 

The great weather yesterday inspired me to get outdoors. We cooked dinner over our first outdoor fire of the season; fresh asparagus and hot italian sausages. I had to jury rig the set up but dinner came out great! We ate with our fingers. Grease everywhere! The asparagus came right out of the garden into the pot. It tasted so green and fresh. I was able to find some my camping cookware and it was even ready to use. It was a success, if how quickly it disappeared was any indication. I am ready for a wonderful summer getting my open fire cooking skills back. It had been years since I cooked anything more than a s'more over a flame so I am looking forward to it.

I used the rotisserie spit from a grill we got rid of
to hang the pot over the fire

Dinner is on the fire.

Grease flare ups get high.

Working Hard?

Well, here I go again. I'm going to try to blog more often. I have some great ideas for going forward. More articles and book reviews on topics related to both my medieval and modern interests.

I started work this weekend on a series about medieval drinks and modern equivalents. I'll be finding out more about the medieval and tasting the modern. This should start this week. Weekends as beautiful as this past one was perfect to sit in the yard and have a tasting! I'll need some beer and wine drinkers to help out as I go, so my friends, feel free to volunteer!

I'm also working on pilgrim's bags for the store. I'll post some pics here as I work on a medieval looking design for modern and reenacting use.

Today is too beautiful to stay inside, so off I go to the garden!

Experiments in blogging

Lately, I've been trying out new types of posts. Book reviews, pointing to interesting things on the web, this stuff is new to me.  I'm trying to find the voice I want to write and you want to read. If there is something specific you want to hear more about, let me know. If you have some feedback, I'd love to hear it!

Medieval Bartertown Rocks!

I have been a member of the Facebook group Medieval Bartertown for a while now. I never had the nerve to join in until just recently. I have finished my first barter and am just waiting for the US postal service to deliver my new goodies for the other. 

I bartered Sara this silver necklace for the lovely rust/burnt orange linen. I also bartered Helaine a Scottish themed knife for some natural colored linen. The post office still has the natural linen.

I am thrilled with how this all went and am looking forward to bartering again. Its nice to know that I can get great stuff for other great stuff I'm just not using!

Medieval Bartertown is a closed group. If you are interested in medieval reenactment, its a wonderful resource for gear, inspiration and camaraderie.

Silver Celtic Seahorse Necklace

Rust/ Burnt Orange Fabric

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Scottish Themed Knife (photo by Helaine)