Saturday 1 January 2011

12 days of Mithras-mas day 7: Wassail Drink Hail

Jan 1st, New Year's Day; The Kalends of January


I’m a big fan of the susatainable movement and homesteading. So over the winter one of the blogs I have been (obsessiveness) following mentioned the Victorian Farm, and I of course went looking for it on youtube and fell head over heels in love. 

I found this amazing Wassial idea and history from the recent show Edwardian Farm from BBC, I love watching Victorian Farm especially the Christmas special, but the shows are great at showing how we lived before and how our farming and domestic life evolved to a semblance of what we have today. I love reading the recipes that Ruth (the resident domestic historian) makes and shares.

Here is a Wassail Recipe

  • Heat a large container of beer or ale about 3 or 4 pints
  • 1/2 cup(4oz, 100g) sugar
  • 1/4 cup(2oz/50g) of mixed spice (cinnamon sticks, & whole cloves are best)
  • cut up 2 or 3 small sweet apples & add those
  • add 1 1/2 cup (1/2 pint, 300ml) of pineapple juice & orange juice
  • squeeze 2 lemons into the brew
  • place over a slow flame, before it begins to boil,take off the heat & whip up with some cream, allow to float on top of brew.
  • place into a large bowl. the more ornate the better
Wassail Ceremony
Go out to your trees, (especially apple trees, or fruit trees which is traditional) with a few friends.  Wet the roots liberally with the brew, pass the rest around and when everyone has a glass, sing the wassailing songs.And saw "Huzzah" as you drink.
recipe from Winter Solstice by John Matthews.
here's too thee, old apple tree
whence thou may'st bud &
whence thou may'st blow
and whence thou may'st
bear apples enow
Hats full, Caps full, bushel
bushel sacks full
and my pockets full too!
Huzzah!!
As Yule went by they showed a new show and someone very nicely put it on Youtube and I have linked it here on doing Wassailing, and it's history. Peter and Alex noticed that their apple trees weren't producing as they should so they requested help in Wassailing the tree.  I also discovered a new blog with an awesome wassial recipe as well (i also got the image from her, which i also found on bing)

Enjoy the clip, let me know what you think about it. if you want to watch the series and aren't in Europe check on Youtube under Edwardian Farm there are clips as well as full episodes loaded.


Wassail Drink Hail
Be Blessed 


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