Wassail Thoughts, Tidbits & Recipes
Wassail? A Time, Tradition & Drink. About
the Drink... brought as tokens of
appreciation to a hostess, though the
hostess often had a brew of her own, as
with all Great Recipes, each family has
their treasured version. And could there
ever be too much Wassail? Have you heard
the expression "to propose a toast" ? Now,
I know you have, during Times & Places far
from where I am now, I am told it was
often the custom to float toasted bread on
top of the steaming Wassail, hence the
term. The welcoming warmth of a steaming
Bowl, of roasted apples popping in the
brew and the aroma of rum, port, sherry,
and fine ale. "a liquor made of
apples, sugar, and ale; a drunken bout; a
merry song" well written in the Samuel
Johnson's dictionary - 1756.
A smile will be brought upon by this
song I believe!
The nut-brown ale, the nut-brown ale,
Puts downe all drinke when it is stale,
The toast, the nut-meg, and the ginger,
Will make a sighing man a singer,
Ale gives a buffet in the head,
"But ginger under proppes the brayne;
When ale would strike a strong man dead,
Then nut-megge temperes it againe,
The nut-brown ale, the nut-brown ale,
Puts downe all drinke when it is stale-
from: The Player's
Song,Histrio-mastix,in:Specimines of Songs
by Dramatic Writers"
Brit. Bibliog. vol.ii.
p.167.as cited in: Crhistmas Carols,
Anceint and Modern.William
Sandys,London,1833.
Lambs Wool and
Toasting the Trees
In parts of England and Ireland, the
traditional Twelfth Night drink is called
Lambs Wool, made of cider or ale, sugar,
spices and roasted apples. It was the
custom to pour a little Lambs Wool on the
apple trees to bless them for a bountiful
harvest -- a traditional also called
wassailing the apple
trees. Revelers would gather in the
orchards, where they sang to the trees,
drank their health, poured hot cider over
their roots, left cider-soaked triangles
of toast called "wigs" in their branches
for the birds, and scared away evil
spirits with great shouts and the firing
of guns.
Source: Camden
Historical Society
Wassail
in the Orchard
1 1/2 pounds apples, cored
1 quart handcrafted - full bodied ale
1 tablespoon (or more) sugar
1/8 teaspoon each, ground Ginger, Cinnamon
and Nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the
apples in a large dish for 45 minutes, or
until they burst. Set them aside to cool.
When the apples are cool enough to handle,
remove the peel and mash the pulp. You
should have about 1 1/2 cups. In a large
pot, heat the ale. With a whist, blend the
apple pulp, sugar and spices. Adjust the
seasonings to taste. Place the mixture in
a heat proof bowl and sprinkle the top
with some additional nutmeg. Try adding in
Cloves, Honey and or any other spice you
adore!
It is
traditional to offer a bit of Wassail to
the Apple Trees to Bless them & ensure a
bountiful harvest in the coming year.
"Next crowne the bowle full
With gentle lamb's wooll;
Adde sugar, nutmeg and ginger'
With store of ale too;
And thus ye must doe
To make a Wassaile a swinger."
Source:
"Christmas Feasts", by Lorna Sass, from
Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
*Lamb's wooll was the term
for the apple that floated to the surface
during boiling
Remember the toast goes like this:
Was Hail to which the reply
is Drink Hail
Notes from the Mail Bag:
Hello,
These are Beautiful!! Thanks So Much,
they make wonderful adornments for my 18 century primitive items , i must get
more !! I have plugged them in the shop, and they are a hit!, Much Thanks ,
Melissa
P.S Do You Wholesale?
Hi hon,
Yes my dear everything got here safe and sound. My hubby is here for a visit and
I haven't had any time to get onto the PC. I'm so sorry....I will leave feedback
ASAP........EVERYTHING IS GORGEOUS and so darn sweet. Just absolutely
adorable.......hubby loves them too. We won't be melting these...they are
WAAAAAAY to cute, so I will pack them in tissue for next year......LOL
Thanks so much doll.
Hugs,
Debbie
SHIPPING
Buzzing through our other auctions or purchasing from our online store?
I will package your order accordingly as I see your purchases to Combine
Shipping and Save you Money.
Please send me a note once you are ready for an accurate Tally. The shipping
cost on Ebay for 2+ Items generally runs high.
I only Charge the Actual Cost of Shipping, If you
pay over I will reimburse the difference back to you.
Send me a note if you are curious about the cost prior to Purchasing.
