[Darkwood-SCA] Purg Taxes - more ideas

[Laurie Hupman]

I mentioned before that Her Majesty is very fond of roses; here are  
some period recipes to make with roses.  I'm sure I don't have to  
remind you that, if you intend to make something *edible* you should  
use roses that you know are free of pesticides and other nasty, toxic  
chemicals, right?

A Bag to Smell Unto, or to Cause One to Sleep

Take drie Rose leaves, keep them close in a glasse which will keep  
them sweet, then take powder of Mints, powder of Cloves in a grosse  
powder.  Put the same to the Rose leaves, then put all these together  
in a bag, and take that to bed with you, and it will cause you to  
sleepe, and it is good to smell unto at other time.  -- Ram's "Little  
Dodoen," 1606

Conserve of Roses

Take buds of red Roses somewhat they be ready to spread; cut the red  
part of the leaves from the white, and beate and grinde them in a  
stone mortar with a pestle of wood and to every ounce of roses, put  
three ounces of sugar in the grinding (after the leaves are well  
beaten) and grinde them together till they be perfectly incorporated,  
then put in a glass made of purpose, or else into an earthen pot, stop  
it close and so keep it.  Thus you may make conserves of all kindes of  
flowers commonly used for conserves.  -- John Partridge, "Treasurey of  
Hidden Secrets & Commodious Conceits," 1586

To Make Sugar of Roses

Take the deepest-colored red Roses, pick them, cut off the white  
buttons and dry your red leaves in an oven, till they be as dry as  
possible:  then beat them to powder and searse them, then take halfe a  
pound of sugar beaten fine, put it into your pan with as much fair  
water as will wet it, then set it in a chafing dish of coals and let  
it boyle till it be sugar again; then put as much powder of the Roses  
as will make it look very red, stir them well together, and when it is  
thoroughly cold, put in boxes.  -- Sir Hugh Platt, "Delights for  
Ladies," 1594

Rose-Water and Rose-Vinegar of the Colour of the Rose, and of the  
Cowslip and Violet Vinegar

If you would make your Rose-water and Rose-vinegar of a rubie coloru  
then make choice of the crimson-velvet coloured leaves, clipping away  
the whites with a pair of sheares:  and being thorow dryed, put a good  
large handfull of them into a pint of Damask or red Rose-water; stop  
your glasse well, and set it in the sunne, till you see that the  
leaves have lost their colour or for more expedition, you may performe  
this worke "in balneo" in a few houres; and when you take out the old  
leaves you may put in fresh, till you find the colour to please you.   
Keepe this Rose-water in the glasses very well stopt; the fuller the  
better.  What I have said of Rose-water, the same may also be intended  
of Rose-vinegar, violet, marigold and cowslip vinegar; but the whiter  
vinegar chuse for this purpose, the colour thereof will be the  
brighter, and therefore distilled vinegar is best for this purpose.   
-- Sir Hugh Platt, "Delights for Ladies," 1594

To Make Vinegar of Roses

In summer time when roses blow, gather them, ere they be full sized or  
blown out, and in dry weather plucke the leaves, let them lie halfe a  
daye upon a faire boord, then have a vessell with vinegar of one or  
two gallons (if you will make so much rose) put there in a great  
quantity of the said leaves, stop the vessell close after that ye have  
stirred them well eogether; let it stand  day and a night, then divide  
your vinegar and rose leaves together in two parts, put them in two  
great glasses, and put in rose-leaves enough; stop the glasses close,  
set them upon a shelfe under a wall side on the sough side without  
your house where the sunne may come to them the most part of the day;  
let them stand there the whole summer long, and then straine the  
vinegar from the Roses, and keep the leaves and put in new leaves of  
halfe a daies gathering, the vinegar will have the more odour of the  
Rose.  You may use instead of vinegar, wine, that it may wax eager and  
receive the virtue of the Roses both at once.  Moreover, you may make  
your vinegar of wine, white, red, or claret; but the red rose is  
astringent, and the white is laxative.  Also the Damask Rose is not so  
great a binder as the red Rose and the white looseth most of all:  
Hereof you may make Vinegar roset.  Then also you may make vinegar of  
violets or of elderne flowers but you must first gather and use your  
flowers of elderne, as they shall be shewed hereafter, when we speak  
of making conserve of elderneflowers.  -- John Partridge, "The  
Treasurie of Hidden Secrets & Commodious Conceits," 1586

How to Preserve Whole Roses, Gillyflowers, Marigolds, etc.

Dip a rose that is neither in the bud, nor overblowne in a sirup,  
consisting of sugar, double refined, and Rose-water boiled to his full  
height, then open the leaves one by one with a fine smooth bodkin  
either of bone or wood; and presently if it be a hot sunny day, and  
whilest the sunne is in some good height, lay them on papers in the  
sunne, or else dry them with some gentle heat in a close roome,  
heating the room before you set them in, or in an oven upon papers, in  
pewter dishes, and then put them up in glasses; and keepe them in dry  
cupboards neere the fire:  you must take out the seeds, if you meane  
to eat them.  You may proove this preserving with sugar-candy instead  
of sugar if you please.  -- Sir Hugh Platt, "Delights for Ladies," 1594

To Make Oyle of Roses

Take of oyle eighteen ounces, the buds of Roses (the white ends of  
them cut away) three ounces, lay the Roses abroad in the shadow four  
and twenty hours, then put them in a glasse to the oyle, and stop the  
glass close; and set it in the sunne at least forty days.  -- John  
Partridge, "The Treasurie of Hidden Secrets and Commodious Conceits,"  
1586

To Make a Sirop of Roses or Violets

Take of violets or roses a pounde, steepe them in three pints of warme  
water, put it in an earthen pot with a narrow mouth the space of seven  
houres or more, AFTER straine it and warme the water againe and put in  
againe so many Roses or Violets, and likewise let them lye in steepe  
eight hours, and thus do at the least five times, the oftener the  
better, in especiall the roses, and after take to every pint a pounde  
of sugar and steepe them together, till the sugar be molten, then  
seethe them together with a soft sweet fire to the height of a  
/Sirrup; if you have more Roses or Violets, or fewer and let so much  
be the proportion of the water, according to the proportion before.   
-- "The Good Housewife's Handmaid," 1585

A Singular Manner of Making the Sirup of Roses

Fill a silver bason three quarters full of rain water or Rose water,  
put therein a convenient proportion of Rose leaves; cover the bason  
and set it upon a pot of hot water (as we usually bake a custard) in  
three quarters of an houre, or one whole houre at the most, you shall  
purchase the whole strength and tincture of the Roses; then take those  
leaves wringing out all their liquor gently, and steepe more fresh  
leaves in the same water:  continue this iteration seven times, and  
then make it up in a sirup; and this sirup worketh more kindley that  
that which is made meerly of the juice of the Rose.  You may make  
sundry other sirups in this manner.  -- Sir Hugh Platt, "Delights for  
Ladies," 1594