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Mead Lovers Digest #0346
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #346, 6 September 1994
From: mead-lovers-request@eklektix.com
Mead Lover's Digest #346 6 September 1994
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Digbie herbs (Joyce Miller)
first batch questions (John Harres)
Digby recipes (Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu)
Re: Tun of Methlegin, ingredients (Steve E. Mercer)
Mr. Webbes Meath, Pt. 1 (Joyce Miller)
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------------------------------
Subject: Digbie herbs
From: jmiller@genome.wi.mit.edu (Joyce Miller)
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 09:39:20 -0400
>> Take two handfuls of Dock (alias wild Carrot) a reasonable burthen
>>of Saxifrage, Wild sage, Blew-button, Scabious, Bettony, Agrimony,
>
>and the listing goes on...
>
>Joyce: Unless something has changed since Digbies time, wild carrot
>is not dock. They are two very different herbs.
>
>I was going to take the list of herbs you posted earlier and do a
>brief history of each, uses, etc. Maybe it is a good time to do such
>a thing. Most of the herbs listed for this metheglin are probably
>being used for medicinal. Many of them have little to contribute as
>far as aroma or flavor or color. Interesting...
Hey, I just types what's I sees.....
Seriously, though, nobody should go out and start adding handfuls of wild
vegetation to their fermenters. That could be very dangerous. What was
called "wild carrot" in England could be the same thing as what we
Americans call "wild carrot", but probably not. Heavily-used plants were
imported, but a lot of stuff here was just named after something it
resembled back in England. And "dock" -- do you have any idea how many
different plants were called by that name? It's just incredible.
Everything from salad herbs to stinging nettles. Common names for plants
were exactly that -- names commonly in use at that time and place, and
these change over time and geography, just like language. If I find some
sources for identifying medieval pot-herbs, I'll let you know.
-- Joyce
------------------------------
From: Richard B. Webb <rbw1271@appenine.ca.boeing.com>
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 07:52:00 -0700
Subject: History almost as old as Digbie
Roger Grow asks about a recipe for an elderberry wine.
As is well known, I have a reputation for fermenting on the edge, a
little outside the normal. It turns out that this rather nasty
habit is genetic in nature, as I seem to have gotten it from my
parents. They visited this last weekend, leaving behind a steno
note pad of recipes that they had collected. Caviat #1: I don't
remember them ever using this list, or ever actually making any
of the stuff listed. Maybe it was kept around for novelty, or
for scaring the neighbors. In truth, reading this little tome
makes me think of the Digbie stuff. Interesting historically,
but does anyone actually want to make this stuff?
A listing of subjects and recipes in order:
Banana Wine
Creme de Menthe
Creme de Frarses
Cherry Wine
Sangria
Grape Wine
Bailey's Irish Cream
Orange Wine
Plum Wine
Potato Wine
Rice Wine
Clove Wine
Apricot Wine (2)
Date Wine
Peach Wine
Pear Wine
Pineapple Wine
Rhubarb Wine
Barley Wine
Beetroot Wine
Celery Wine
Onion Wine
Spinach Wine
Tomato Wine
Caraway Wine
Dill Wine
Blackberry Wine
Blueberry Wine
Cranberry Wine
Currant Wine
Elderberry Wine (2)
Gooseberry Wine
Raspberry Wine
Rye Bread Wine
Sweet Mead or Honey Wine
Tea Wine
Ginger Liqueur
Orange Liqueur
Raspberry Brandy
Strawberry Cordial
Strawberry Brandy
Coffee Liqueur
Bainnecor Liqueur (Milk Liqueur)
Hot Buttered Rum Mix
Quite a list, huh?
To get to Roger's query, here are the Elderberry recipes:
Elderberry Wine #1
2 gal water
8 qts Elderberries
6 lbs sugar
1/2 oz yeast
Elderberry Wine #2
2 gal water
8 qts Elderberries
6 lbs sugar
1 lb raisins
1 oz ginger root
6 cloves
3 lemons
3/4 oz yeast
1. Wash berries and add boiling water
2. Mash & steep for 24 hours
3. Strain
4. Add sugar, raisins (cut up), spices & lemon rinds
5. Boil & simmer for 1 hour
6. Add lemon juice
7. Add yeast
Age for at least 2 years
Like everything else about my parents, you have to read between the
lines and throw away what doesn't make sense. These techniques were
collected over 20 years ago, and are not tried and tested. In fact,
like Digbie, it's more humorus than practical.
Just larkin,
Rich Webb
------------------------------
Subject: first batch questions
From: John Harres <Harres@uwyo.edu>
Date: Thu, 01 Sep 1994 09:07:02 -0600
I'm about to embark upon my first batch of mead, but after reading the two
books I was able to find, I'm a little unclear of how much/many campden
tablets to add. I have neither of the books handy right now, but I remember
that one added around 5tsp. of the stuff, the other calls for 1 tablet be
added to the wort/must and let sit 24 hours before pitching. How much should
I use?
Another question I have involves starters. I have previously taken a pouch
of liquid yeast, popped it, once it swelled pitched into a pint of wort, then
added another pint of wort a day later, then pitched it into the carboy of
wort the next day. Finally, the question: what should I use as a starter for
mead yeast?
John
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Harres | "The light works," he said, indicating the window, "the
| gravity works," he said, dropping a pencil on the floor.
harres@uwyo.edu | "Anything else we have to take our chances with."
| -- Dirk Gently (by Douglas Adams)
------------------------------
Subject: Digby recipes
From: Spencer.W.Thomas@med.umich.edu
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 94 11:39:31 EDT
Just FYI: I am compiling the "Digby" recipes on-line at my WWW Beer
Page. There's a link in the menu at the beginning of the page. Or
you can get there directly at
http://guraldi.hgp.med.umich.edu/Beer/Digby-recipes/
=Spencer in Ann Arbor, MI
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Tun of Methlegin, ingredients
From: mercese@anubis.network.com (Steve E. Mercer)
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 94 11:50:44 CDT
>>A Receipt to make a Tun of Metheglin.
>>
>> Take two handfuls of Dock (alias wild Carrot) a reasonable burthen
>Joyce: Unless something has changed since Digbies time, wild carrot
>is not dock. They are two very different herbs.
>I was going to take the list of herbs you posted earlier and do a
>brief history of each, uses, etc. Maybe it is a good time to do such
>a thing. Most of the herbs listed for this metheglin are probably
>being used for medicinal. Many of them have little to contribute as
>far as aroma or flavor or color. Interesting...
>Oh, and thanks for transcribing Digbie. It is very interesting and
>soon I will have an electronic copy :-)
>Brian Ehlert
The "(alias wild carrot)" comment is taken directly from
the recipe in the book, presumably it was written by Digby
himself. Perhaps in his time both wild carrot and dock were
called wild carrot.
I have heard that METHLEGINS were made for medicinal purposes.
Most ingredients were added for their virtues, and only a few were
added to make the taste more pleasant.
-------
List of ingredients, from Digby (1910 reprint)
(note: some of these are from the cooking section)
Notes:
I maintained the line breaks as they are found in the book.
4-fruits -- bon che'tien -- the accent is over the e
5-Barks, woods -- cassiae -- the ae at the end is one letter
11- other liquors -- aqua vitae -- ae at end is one letter
The following words appear in Italic text:
The Closet Opened; Roots; Seeds; Fruits; Barks, woods;
Juices; Distilled waters; Wines; Other liquors; Vinegars;
Verjuice; Other notable seasonings and ingredients.
---
<START>
APPENDIX III
A LIST OF THE HERBS, FLOWERS, FRUITS, ETC., REFERRED
TO IN The Closet Opened:-
1. Agrimony; alexander; angelica; avens, leaves & flow-
ers; balm; bay-leaves; beetleaves; bettony, wild; bettony,
Paul's; bistort; bloodwort; bluebottles; blue-button;
borage, leaves & flowers; bramble, red, tops of; broom-
buds; bugle; bugloss, leaves & flowers; burnet; car-
duus benedictus; carrot, wild; celandine; cersevril;
chicory; chives; clove gilly-flowers; clown's all-heal;
coltsfoot; comfrey; cowslip & french cowslip flowers;
dragons; elder flowers; endive; eyebright; fennel; fever-
few; garlic; ground-ivy; groundsel; hart's tongue, leaves;
hops, flowers; horehound; hypericum, tops & flowers;
hyssop; ladies' mantle; lettuce, leaves & stalks; lily of
the valley; liquorice; liverwort; maidenhair; marigold,
flowers & leaves; marjoram, sweet; marjoram, wild;
marshmallow, leaves, flowers, & stalks; may-weed,
brown; meadowsweet; mellilot, flowers; mint; spear-
mint; mouse-ear; mugwort; muscovy; nettle, red; oak
of Jerusalem; organ; origanum [wild marjoram]; oseille;
parietary; peas (chick); pellitory-of-the-wall; penny-
royal; philipendula; pimpernel; pourpier; primrose,
flowers; purslane; ribwort; rocket; rosemary, tops,
flowers, & sprigs; rose; rue; sage, (red & wild), leaves
& flowers; saxifrage; sanicle; scabious; scurvy grass;
self-heal; shallots; sibboulets; skirrets; smallage; sor-
rel (wood); spike [spignel?]; spleenwort; spinach; St.
John's wort; strawberry leaves; sweetbriar, leaves, tops,
buds; sweet oak; sweetwort; tamarisk; tansy; thyme
(broad, lemon, mother, & wild); violet, leaves &
flowers; wallflowers (yellow); wall rue; watercress;
wheat (green); white-wort; winter savoury; woodbine;
wormwood (sea & Roman); yarrow. (From this list I
have omitted the commoner vegetables.)
2. Roots.- Alexander; angelica; asparagus; beet;
betony, bittersweet; bluebottle; borage; coltsfoot;
elecampane; eringo; fennel; fern; galingale; horse-
radish; marshmallow; nettle (red); orris; parsley;
scabious; sorrel; strawberry; succory; thyme (wild);
tormentilla.
3. Seeds.- Anise; cardamom, carraway; citron;
coriander; fennel; gromwell; melon; musk grains;
mustard; nettle; parsley; saffron; tulip, seedy buds of;
wormwood.
4 Fruits.- Apples (codlings, ginet moils, pearmains,
pippins, golden pippins, red streaks); apricots; bar-
berries; bilberries; cherries (black, Kentish, Morello);
currants (dried, black, red); damsons; dates; jujubes;
juniper berries; lemons; pears (bon chre'tien & war-
dens); plums; prunes; raisins; rasps; sweetbriar ber-
ries; strawberries.
5. Barks, woods.- Ashtree bark; lignum cassiae.
6. Nuts.- Almonds; chestnuts; pine kernels; pista-
chios; walnuts (green).
7. Juices.- Balm; celandine; cherry; hop; lemon;
onion; orange; spearmint; spinach; tansy.
8.- Distilled waters of angelica; cinnamon; mallow
orange-flower; plantain; rose (red & damask).
9. Spices of all sorts; cloves; cinnamon (also oil of, &
spirit of); ginger; mace; mustard, nutmeg; pepper;
peppercorns.
10. Wines.- Canary sack; claret; Deal; elder; Ma-
laga (old); Muscat; Muscadine (Greek); red; Rhe-
nish; sack; sherry sack; Spanish; white.
11. Othor liquors.- Ale & beer; afterworts; lees of
beer & wine; aqua vitae; orangeado.
12. Vinegars of elder wine, & of white wine.
13. Verjuice of cider, & green sour grapes.
14. Other notable seasonings and ingredients:-
Ambergris; ivory; leaf gold; powder of white
amber; powder of pearl; Spanish pastilles
(ambergris, sugar, & musk).
<END>
transcribed by Steve Mercer <steve.mercer@network.com>
---
Steve Mercer
steve.mercer@network.com
------------------------------
Subject: Mr. Webbes Meath, Pt. 1
From: jmiller@genome.wi.mit.edu (Joyce Miller)
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 15:43:14 -0400
Another recipe from Kenelme Digbie, 1669:
Mr. Webbes Meath.
Master Webbe, who maketh the Kings Meathe, ordereth it thus. Take as much
of the Hyde-park water as will make a Hogshead of Meathe. Boil in it about
two Ounces of the best Hopp's for about half an hour. By that time, the
water will have drawn out the strength of the Hopp's. Then skim them clean
off, and all the froth, or whatever rifeth of the water. Then dissolve in
it warm, about one part of honey to six of water: Lave and beat it, till
all of the Honey be perfectly dissolved; Then boil it, beginning gentle,
till all the scum be risen, and scummed away. It must boil in all about
two hours. Half an hour, before you end your boiling, put into it some
Rosemary-tops, Thyme, Sweet-marjorame, one Sprig of Minth, in all about
half a handful, and as much Sweet bryar-leaves as all these; in all, about
a handful of herbs, and two Ounces of sliced Ginger, and one Ounce of
bruised Cinamon. He did use to put in a few Cloves and Mace; But the King
did not care for them. Let all these boil about half an hour, then scum
them clean away; and presently let the Liquor run through a strainer cloth
into a Kiver of wood, to cool and settle. When you see it is very clear
and settled, lade out the Liquor into another Kiver, carefully, not to
raise the settlings from the bottom. As soon as you see any dregs begin to
rise, stay your hand, and let it remain unstirred, till all be settled
down. Then lade out the Liquor again, as before; and if need be, change it
again into another Kiver: all which is done to the end that no dregs may go
along with the Liquor in running it into the vessel. When it is cold and
perfect clear, tun it into a Cask, that hath been used for Sack, and stop
it up close, having an eye to give it a little vent, if it should work. If
it cast out any foul Liquor in working, fill it up always presently with
some of the Fame liquor, that you have kept in bottles for that end. When
it hath wrought, and is well settled (which may be in about two months or
ten weeks) draw it into Glass-bottles; as long as it becomes clear; and it
will be ready to drink in a Month or two: but will keep much longer, if you
have occasion: and no dregs will be in the bottom of the bottle.
He since told me, that to this Proportion of Honey and water, to
make a Hogshead of Meathe, you should boil half a pound of Hopps in the
water, and two good handfuls of Herbs; and six Ounces of Spice of all
sorts: All which will be mellowed and rotted away quite, (as well as the
lushiousness of the Honey) in the space of a year or two. For this is to
be kept so long before it be drunk.
If you would have it sooner ready to drink, you may work it with a
little yeast, when it is almost cold in the Kiver: and Tun it up as soon as
it begins to work, doing afterwards as is said before; but leaving a little
vent to purge by, till it have done working. Or instead of yeast, you may
take the yolks of New-laid eggs, and almost half a pint of fine Wheat
flower, and some of the Liquor you have made: beat them well together, then
put them to the Liquor in the Cask, and stop it up close, till you see
itneedful, to give it a little vent.
Note, that yeast of good Beer, is better then that of Ale.
<end of first half>
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #346
