Harvest is in.
Now that the King is come again and Yule can be kept with more cheer, folk should bring back the good old customs.
The Lord Steward sent a gift not long since of spices and since our apple trees have done well this year and I can now get beef suet and dried fruits at market I’ve thought to make some mincemeat.
Take
1lb of finely chopped suet
1lb currants
1lb raisins
1lb peeled and chopped cooking apples
1lb fine, not powdered, sugar
½ lb sultanas
2 whole oranges, peel and all, minced fine (remove seeds)
½ gill fine spirit (brandy for best and you need not be too mean with the measure)
1 small spoon each of ground nutmeg, mace and cinnamon
Turn all into a large bowl, mix well together and cover. Twice a day for three days, turn it gently. The sugar will dissolve and the juice will run to make all moist. After three days pack it firmly into clean jars, pressing down to avoid gaps, seal and store in a cool, dry place for at least a month, preferably two. If you mean to keep it longer, pour a little more brandy in every three months. In good times, provident cooks use mincemeat from the year before.
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Young Beregond stopped by so I’ve sent two jars to the city, one for the Steward’s House and one for the King and Queen, with the Season’s Greetings.
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Yuletide -
Before he went home for the feast day, I bade Redlin fetch in some branches of evergreens to deck the house and when there came a knocking at the door, I thought he had cut too many to carry and when I opened it...there was the boy, how tall he’s grown, and the Lord Boromir with a huge log in his arms and that great dog all set to sneak past me into my kitchen, although how a beast can sneak when it’s the size of a small pony.
They’d come all the way from the city to bring in our Yule. The oven was hot already and no better way to celebrate than I got out a jar of the mincemeat, made some pastry for little pies, with paste above and below, a spoonful of the mincemeat within and a small cut in the lid to let out the steam, then into the bake oven until the crust is golden brown. We sent Redlin off with half a dozen still warm for his family and sat before the fire with hot spiced ale and the mince pies.
It was grand to hear their voices about the place again and they would have brought me to the city with them to bring the New Year in, but I’d not leave Rollin at the start of another year parted. I sit with him and tell the tale of the year gone and he’s glad to hear it, but perhaps next year, with a mite of warning, I’ll go up to Minas Tirith. It’s not so fine a place as Harlond was, but young Arin has much he wants to show me.
-oo0oo-
Summary: Nan updates her journal
Rated: G
Categories: LOTR FPS Pairing: Aragorn/Boromir
Warnings: NoneChallenges:
Series: NoneChapters: 1 Completed: Yes
Word count: 537 Read: 707
Published: 01 Dec 2011 Updated: 01 Dec 2011
Story Notes:
DISCLAIMER: "These characters originate with their copyright holders. I borrow them for entertainment, not profit."