Thanksgiving, The Old Way!

Simple Thanksgiving Gifts!

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry

In the Butt'ry, on the shelf amongst the yellowware, is "The New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook" written by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by Tasha Tudor. The book goes throughout the year, featuring receipts for different celebrations and contains Tasha's delightful colour illustrations for New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, May Day, Afternoon Tea, Weddings, Anniversaries, Picnics, Fourth of July, Birthdays, Quilting Bee Thimble Tea, Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The Corgyncombe Courant's favorite colour illustration is the corgi in the butt'ry surrounded by delectable Christmas treats and includes many of our favorite things.

The chosen music to accompany this post is "Simple Gifts":
Click Here for Specially Chosen Delightful Music.
Return Here to Read the Corgyncombe Courant.

What a splendid turkey!

The Butt'ry in old houses was oft' times on the north side of the house because it was the coolest side of the building. This is so at Corgyncombe Cottage. The Corgyncombe Butt'ry is on the north side of the cottage. Corgyncombe Cottage acquired the sandstone sink in Connecticut where Diane and Sarah's ancestors, the Stanclift family, dwelt. In the above photograph Diane has a colander full of washed carrots from the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden.
Gravestone carving was a tradition in the Stanclift family. The stone of the gravestones and the Corgyncombe Butt'ry sink are the same reddish brown sandstone. The sink, which was from a very old house in the area the Stanclifts lived, could well have been made by one of the Stanclifts.
Our Stanclift family came from England in the 1680s.

Some of the photographs and writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant.

 Pumpkins grown in the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden for making pies.

Sage gathered from Corgyncombe Garden of Herbs.
In the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" written by Louisa May Alcott, when the children were left alone due to an emergency, the older girls of the family thought they would continue fixing the Thanksgiving meal. In pondering what "yarbs" would be best to put in stuffing for a turkey, sage was considered but sweet marjoram and summer savory were decided upon. Mistakenly catnip and wormwood were the "yarbs" grabbed in the darkness of the storage area. The catnip and wormwood totally ruined the stuffing!
Diane's 5th great grandfather Eliakim May was 1st cousin to Louisa May Alcott's great grandfather Samuel May.

Crushing sage and thyme for stuffing for the turkey.
The sage and thyme were gathered and dried at the Corgyncombe Herbary.
Displayed on the art stand is "The Williamsburg Art of Cookery" by Mrs. Helen Bullock.

 Diane used her Tasha Tudor Reproduction Tin Kitchen for roasting the turkey in front of the fire. Here it is shown with the door open for basting. Isn't that turkey a beauty!

Whilst tending the turkey, Diane's husband kept making toast using the old fashioned wrought iron toaster. The toaster has a swivel so that you can turn it around and toast the other side.

A view of the turkey that faces the fire.
Using the Tasha Tudor Reproduction Tin Kitchen is such a delight!

In Tasha Tudor's "Around the Year", Tasha has illustrated a tin kitchen with traditional Thanksgiving food around it. In "A Time to Keep", Tasha Tudor illustrated a lady basting the turkey in a tin kitchen in front of the fire. Hungry corgyn gather round, hoping for a taste of turkey. "The New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook" written by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by Tasha Tudor, also features an illustration of a woman using a tin kitchen with a table of Thanksgiving food. In "A Basket of Herbs", illustrated by Tasha Tudor, on the Sage pages there is a lady fixing a turkey to be put in the tin kitchen with hungry corgyn looking on.

 Regularly the spit is turned and put in the next hole to ensure that the turkey is done evenly all round.

At the proper time potatoes from the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden are peeled and set over the fire to boil. Even though a lid is placed on the kettle, these potatoes cooked over the fire have a mild smoky taste that is just delicious!

 Cranberries cooking over the hot coals.
Cranberries have to be done the day before if you put them in a mold as they need time to chill and set whilst in the cold.

Some of the acorn squash harvested from the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden. Corgyncombe Cottage always has squash at Thanksgiving Dinner.

Cranberry Sauce after being chilled and set in a yellowware mold.
What a pretty addition to the Thanksgiving table!

In the bowl are Red Pontiac mashed potatoes, made according to the receipt in  "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook". The turkey on the platter, all set for carving! Diane uses her Grandmum's platter for the turkey with bay leaves from Diane's bay tree tucked around the edge.
As Tasha Tudor herself said, a turkey roasted in a tin kitchen is "Simply unsurpassed!"

Diane made pumpkin pies from pumpkins grown in the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden.

The photographs below show the steps in preparing the pumpkins for pumpkin pie.
Extreme care must be taken whilst cutting the pumpkins.

After the pumpkins are cut in two, the seeds are scraped out and the pumpkin is then put on a baking pan and put into the oven. The seeds were dried and saved.

After cooling, the outer skin is peeled off and the pumpkin is mashed.

The pumpkin is then put into cheesecloth and tied up.

The cheesecloth bag is put into a colander in a bowl and pressed with a weight overnight in the ice box to remove the excess liquid. In the morning the cheesecloth bag with the pumpkin in it is squeezed to get the rest of the liquid out.

 The pumpkin is put into a bowl and the rest of the ingredients are added.

 Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a little bit of nutmeg make the Corgyncombe Cottage kitchen smell delightfully like Thanksgiving.

The pumpkin pie before baking.

After barn chores pumpkin pie is served with cheese... always with cheese!

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry holds many of our favorite things, yellowware, stoneware, tinware, jams, jellies, canned goods, baked goods, potatoes, squash, and apples!

The Corgyncombe Bakery.
Dundee cakes are made in November and put in cold storage and then used at St. Nicholas Tea and many Christmas teas throughout December .

Diane made a fresh wreath of princess pine for the hanging Advent Wreath.

In "First Poems of Childhood", for the poem "Over the River and Through the Wood" by Lydia Maria Child, Tasha Tudor illustrated Thanksgiving food and a family going over the covered bridge with horse and sleigh to a lovely old house and barn where they will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. The old house and barn remind The Corgyncombe Courant of Corgyncombe Cottage and barn.

An old fashioned Thanksgiving for those at Corgyncombe Cottage, a delicious feast to be most thankful for!

Diane brings out some of her Tasha Tudor Christmas card collection to enjoy at tea with pumpkin pie, cheese, and Tasha Tudor's Welsh Breakfast Tea. Birds have always been a favorite subject for Tasha Tudor at Christmas and throughout the year.

In "Take Joy! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book" there is a chickadee illustrated on the title page surrounded by nuts, berries, and winter greenery. There are some lovely birds illustrated on the cover and inside "Wings from the Wind, An Anthology of Poems" Selected and Illustrated by Tasha Tudor.

Chickadee and Sparrow

Diane has always loved watching birds, too. In grade school one of Diane's teachers loved birds and always fed them in a tree outside the window. Diane always liked to watch the birds instead of concentrating on school work. Diane received an award for perfect attendance which was a certificate to be redeemed at the bookstore. The second Diane walked in the bookstore she knew which book she wanted... a big wonderful book about birds. The book included a recording of all the lovely bird songs.

The Corgyncombe Courant encourages their dear readers to feed the birds throughout the winter and never forget to feed them daily as our little winged friends depend on us! The birds are always such a joy to watch and to hear! They can also be amusing to watch, like the nuthatch who likes to perch upside down.

Here is a link to a YouTube video where they prepared pumpkin for pumpkin pie using a similar method with the cheesecloth:

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch on YouTube

It has more instructions on cooking times and preparation.

The Corgyncombe Courant hopes that all of our Dear Readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-old-way.html
copyright © 2012 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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High Dumpsie Dearie and Autumnal Splendor!

Mellow Autumnal Days and Jam at Tea!

Mellow days of autumnal perfection are rare when the colours are full and peak, the sun is shining and the weather is warm.

The chosen music to accompany this post is Ashokan Farewell:

Click Here for Specially Chosen Mellow Autumnal Music.
Return Here to Read the Corgyncombe Courant.

We have featured this music many times before as it is so lovely and one of our favorites!

High Dumpsie Dearie is an old English receipt for jam made with apples, pears, and plums with some bruised ginger.
High Dumpsie Dearie makes your autumnal kitchen smell delightful!
I peeled, cut up, and weighed out two pounds of each of the fruit. I weighed the plate first and set the scale accordingly.

Also nice are the days of autumnal chill when a slight breeze is blowing and the golden leaves start falling from the tress like golden snow. You can hear the leaves falling intermingled with the honking of the geese overhead and in the cornfields.

Corgyncombe Cottage and Corg'ery in Autumnal Splendor!

The blustery remnants of a hurricane or a sudden autumnal shower can bring all the leaves down and deposit the lovely colours on the ground leaving an orange hue for awhile, 'til turning a dull brown.
Hurricane Sandy blew a portion of the roof off of the Turret at Castle Corgyncombe.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those folks who were affected and are suffering due to Hurricane Sandy.

Golden above and below!

High Dumpsie Dearie on biscuits at tea along with a Beatrix Potter tea set and Mrs. Rabbit figurine.

Can you imagine packing your basket with High Dumpsie Dearie and some biscuits and, oh yes, you best take along an umbrella and a cozy shawl to wrap round, as autumnal showers can come up suddenly. Walking o'er meadow, hills and vales, 'til reaching Mrs. Rabbit's burrow and then Miss Elsie Pricklish the Hedgehog's residence. They will enjoy their High Dumpsie Dearie and biscuits with tea!

Across the meadow, hills and vales... 'tis breathtaking!

The old shawl above has the loveliest colours. There are shades of Dumpsie Dearie salmon-orange, teal, and blue-gray on a cream background.
When we found this shawl, it reminded us of Mrs. Bennet's shawl in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice (this is our favorite version of P. and P.). 'Tis the shawl she is wearing when they received the shocking news that her youngest daughter Lydia had willingly run away with the malicious Mr. Wickham!

http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2012/11/high-dumpsie-dearie-and-autumnal.html

copyright © 2012 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson

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Oh, What a Delight, Pumpkins from Grandmum!

 

It was such a joy having Grandmum bring pumpkins and then carving them into pumpkin moonshines!
Oh, what a delight to the senses it was feeling and smelling the squishy pumpkin innards and slippery pumpkin seeds, as the pumpkin was emptied and then carved! What fun it was seeing it lit up with a candle and smelling the inside of the pumpkin after the candle was blown out!

Sylvie Ann and Ethlyn Corgi from Corgyncombe celebrated the
70th anniversary of "Pumpkin Moonshine" in 2008.
 

Tasha Tudor's first published book was "Pumpkin Moonshine" in 1938. In Tasha's book, Sylvie Ann went out to her Grandmummy's cornfield to find the largest, best pumpkin. In "Pumpkin Moonshine", Sylvie succeeds in getting her pumpkin out of the cornfield but the pumpkin has multiple mishaps as it rolls uncontrollably down the hill. Tasha's real niece, Sylvie Ann, was the model for the Sylvie Ann in the book.

Here is a link to Sylvie Ann on the Corgyncombe Courant as we celebrated Tasha Tudor's Birthday:

Tasha Tudor Birthday 2011 Celebration!

http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2012/10/oh-what-delight-pumpkins-from-grandmum.html

copyright © 2012 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
 

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Tasha Tudor Tea with Pink Lustre Violet Jelly Cookies!

Mary's Lamb at School!

Celebrating Tasha Tudor's Birthday
with Pink Lustre Violet Jelly Thumb Cookies and Tea.
The pink jelly is so pretty and tastes so good in the cookie when it all is baked!
A simply elegant cookie for a special day!
Tea is served in an early hand painted tea set decorated with the Queen's Rose.

August 28th, 2012, would have been Tasha Tudor's 97th birthday.

Tasha Tudor's Birthday Celebration is more than just a one day celebration. It is, to us, every day kindred old fashioned tasks and the seasonal celebrations all throughout the year that we have in common with her.

The chosen music to accompany this post is "I Believed It All":
Click Here for Specially Chosen Musical Entertainments.
Return Here to Read the Corgyncombe Courant.
The music is so delightful whilst reading!


Tillie Tinkham on the writing slope with her quill in paw!
On the slope, a list of ingredients for the cookies has been written out.

I was inspired by the receipt for "Linda de Christopher's Thumb Cookies" in "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook". Instead of using raspberry jam as the receipt called for, I used my own homemade Violet Jelly and instead of almond extract, I used vanilla.

I call them Pink Lustre Violet Jelly Thumb Cookies because the pink glistening jelly in the cookies reminds me of the pink lustre that decorated many of Tasha Tudor's favorite tea sets!


Above, Emma is wearing her a chemise, petticoat, and pantalettes.
Emma's plaid party frock has been laid out on the bed to wear to the Tasha Tudor Birthday Tea.
She is showing the Little Dear One her lovely handmade hat with the antique flowers, that goes with her party frock.
Emma, her clothing, hat and shoes were made by talented dollmaker Margaret Flavin.


Little Dear One


Little Dear One thinks Emma's hat is so pretty!


All dressed up in her frock, Emma is gathering asters for the tea party table.
She has her frock gathered up with her bouquet, revealing her pantalettes and shoes.


Emma brings her bouquet inside to the tea table where there are Pink Lustre Violet Jelly Thumb Cookies set out to tea.
Emma has found a new old frock for Little Dear One to wear to the party!


Such a sweet tin type that I recently found, of a little girl in a pretty frock with a bouquet of flowers on her lap.
She looks as if she was going to a party, too!
Alongside the picture is Herb Robert.




Little Dear One with her her own little tea cup.


Pink Lustre Violet Jelly Thumb Cookies


Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse for the dolls at Corgyncombe, has joined Emma and Little Dear One to celebrate Tasha Tudor's Birthday!
Tillie is the proprietress of "Tillie Tinkham's Frocks & Fashions", which includes a millinery department and tea room.

Tillie looks as if she is at a bakery with the display case and a window behind her.




For years we have been inspired by Tasha Tudor's doll families. Tasha Tudor made her dolls look so real and we know that they were real to her. How we love our dolls, and their little critter friends such as mice, ducks, and birds, inspiring imagination, fashion, and stories, the lives they live that are so very real to us, too!

The dolls and the little critters lives are rather like a dream, made up of favorite bits and pieces of different eras... but once all these pieces are put together the dolls lives are very real! The dolls all have different personalities and when my daughter Sarah and I are writing a story each doll has a certain way they talk and way their "voices sound", each with their own likes and dislikes. A vivid imagination is such a gift! Sarah, the dolls, and I have ever so much fun! I remember when I was a little girl playing and then thinking "What could I use for this?" and then thinking "Aha, I know what would be just perfect!" and running up the stairs to my room to retrieve it. Nothing has changed as with delight I run and find or make what would be just perfect for the dolls' next activity!


Tillie Tinkham and Little Dear One.


Tillie on the writing slope with her little quill.
The quill is one of Phidelia Finch's feathers.


Violets that grow wild about the lawn at Corgyncombe, gathered for making Violet Jelly.


Pink Lustre Violet Jelly made from wild violets I gathered in May at Corgyncombe.


Tasha Tudor Birthday Tea


On the writing slope is displayed a portrait of Queen Victoria and a Kate Greenaway card.
Beside the writing slope is a tussie mussie that I made using flowers and herbs from my Garden of Herbs, rosemary, Johnny Jump Ups, winter savory, wild marjoram, larkspur, and sage.
I just love Johnny Jump Ups, they forever remind me of spring and I liken their fragrance to apricots!
The tea cup is part of an early hand painted tea set decorated with the Queen's Rose.


The "Childcraft Poems of Early Childhood" book with Tasha Tudor's illustration of Mary's Lamb on display on the art stand. In the illustration, Mary is hugging the little lamb. The art stand made by Seth Tudor is a replica of the art stand that Tasha Tudor had. Underneath are some old cloth covered school books, slate and slate pencil.


Diane hugging a sweet little lamb!
How I have always loved little lambs!
I have loved old fashioned things since I was a little girl, even before I discovered Tasha Tudor!
The first Tasha Tudor illustrations I saw was when I was a child after the above photograph was taken and the illustrations were in "Childcraft Poems of Early Childhood". In the poem "Mary's Lamb" Tasha illustrated an old fashioned schoolhouse with the children working on their slates at their desks when Mary's little lamb appears and tries to enter the schoolhouse. Tasha's illustration also shows the old schoolhouse with the lovely rolling hills in the background. I have always and forever loved rolling hills! The last illustration shows Mary tenderly giving her lamb a hug!
The photograph of me hugging the lamb reminds us of Tasha Tudor's Mary hugging her lamb and of other Tasha Tudor illustrations, as well!

What Tasha has drawn in her illustrations are the same old ways that I grew up with. I find them familiar, comforting, and I am drawn to them.

My father sold World Book Encyclopedia and Childcraft Books door to door, so he could earn both the World Book and Childcraft for us children for Christmas.


Emma sits down beside the wheelbarrow and the Little Dear One looks from inside the wheelbarrow, as the little lamb hops up on Emma's lap!


Little Dear One gets out of the wheelbarrow and sits on the handle for a closer look at the little lamb!
Little Dear One looks absolutely delighted with the little lamb!


Beside Emma is her tin lunch pail.


Sarah sitting on a stile writing on her slate.
Her tin lunch pail is beside her.

The box below features a Tasha Tudor print on the lid. The print is from the book "The Real Pretend", written by Joan Donaldson and illustrated by Tasha Tudor. Tasha's borders are always so wonderful and such a treat to look over again and again. The border of this illustration contains autumnal foliage, school items, and a little red squirrel up top. Sarah was Tasha's model for the illustrations of Kathy in "The Real Pretend". Sarah is seated on the front bench, third from the right, the little girl with the corgi red braids done up, wearing a dark blue frock. Within the box I keep many letters written to me by Tasha Tudor.

In one of her letters, Tasha wrote: "The illustrations are coming so well for 'The Real Pretend' thanks to having so charming a model. So Sarah, you are with me all the hours that I paint and I find you the very best companion."

How remarkable that one of the very first Tasha Tudor illustrations that I saw was Mary's Lamb in an old fashioned school house and one of Tasha's illustrations of Sarah in "The Real Pretend" featured her in an old schoolhouse writing on her slate!

In "Mary's Lamb" Tasha Tudor signed her illustration on one of the slates.
Beneath the art stand, to the right of the slate, is a tin lunch pail.


Emma hugging the little lamb.

From "Mary's Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale:

"And then he ran to her and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said, "I'm not afraid-
You'll keep me from all harm."

"What makes the lamb love Mary so?"
The eager children cry.
"Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
The teacher did reply.

And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind,
And make them follow at your call
If you are always kind."

~ Sarah Josepha Hale


Little Dear One gives the lamb a hug!
Awww!!!

http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2012/09/tasha-tudor-tea-with-pink-lustre-violet_16.html
copyright © 2012 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson

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