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Lactuca serriola. Close relative of the domesticated lettuce, Lactuca sativa. What is a weed? Most people define a weed as a plant that is out of place. This is what everyone I have asked has responded. And this is generally what one finds online. When thinking about weeds and gardens it is helpful to think … Continue reading Rethinking Weeds

Recipes for Bread History Seminar #23 Recipes from the Manuscript by T. (only name we have so far), circa 1550 I am posting this Tuesday evening, April 20. I will be revising this text prior to the workshop, but this will give you enough to get started. I would like to acknowledge Jeff Pavlik. He … Continue reading Recipes for Seminar #23 — An English Bread Manuscript from the 1550s.

The thing about the Quartern Loaf is that as far as I can tell, it is the one of the most important British breads. But, but be honest, before focusing on the bread for this talk, I had thought of it as a super minor bread. One of n real importance. I was wrong. This … Continue reading The Quartern Loaf : Recipe for William Rubel Bread History Seminar #21, March 25, 2021

The first story in the anonymously written, "History of Things." London 1860 "Just bread."  That is how to think of the Quartern Loaf. It was “just bread.” A workaday loaf. Nothing to write home about. Nothing special. Like the American peanut butter and jelly sandwich, its importance cannot be found by surveying cookbooks. The Quarern … Continue reading The Quartern Loaf Seminar, Thursday, March 25, 2021

Dry Stone Wall. Lake District, England. The English Lake District is a wonderland of many things, but I have to say, I have long been in love with the walls. They are made of stacked stones. This particular wall, with its horizontal pieces, is an unusual one. It would make an interesting pattern if transferred … Continue reading Dry Stone Wall