Long ago,in the dim and
distant past that was my childhood,such things as freezers were
unknown in rural backwaters such as ours. Indeed,electricity had not
been connected in our village when we first moved into the farm. As a
consequence of this the storage of food stuffs was completely
different.
For instance,meat was
kept in a contrivance called a meat safe which comprised a metal box
with a door made of very fine(fly proof) mesh. This was always kept
in the coolest part of the house,usually on a stone shelf or even the
floor,it worked;but only up to a point.
Milk was kept from
curdling by placing the bottles in a bucket in the well,(no mains
water either), our farm had a dairy on the north east side of the
house,fitted with stone tables and shelves, a stone floor and its
tiny window shaded by trees it was perishing cold even in the hight
of summer. Here we kept the cream and the cheeses we made, nothing
fancy,cottage cheese,and a few soft cheeses,it was a simple way of
storing an excess of milk.Eggs to were stored here too,and game was hung from great iron hooks.
Vegetables were stored
too, apples in the loft, soft fruit went in to jams and jellies and
the root veg,such as carrots ,parsnips and potatoes were stored in a
thing called a tump!
The tump or clamp is it
is also called protects the vegetables from the effects of frost and
we had several of these on the farm. A circle would be drawn on the
ground and a trench dug around the outside ,for drainage. Next a deep
layer of straw was place inside the circle and the root vegetables
piled carefully on top in a cone shape. More straw was then used to
cover the veg and a pipe was inserted in to the pile which was then
covered with a layer of earth,at least 6” deep.
Going out to the tump
was a regular chore for us children and woe betide the urchin who
neglected to re cover the vegetables properly . Of course there were
cabbages and kale still growing....if you were lucky but the contents
of the tump were the mainstay of many a household.
On cold winter days a
hearty soup could be made from the stored vegetables and a few
additions,this recipe is and old family one.
To make lots of soup
2 carrots
1 large parsnip
half a swede
1 small turnip
2 leeks
2 medium sized onions
about half a pound of
pumpkin,if you have any handy
salt
pepper
2 pints of vegetable
stock
1 desert spoon of
ground coriander
3 oz butter.
6 savoy or January King
cabbage leaves finely chopped
Peel the vegetables and
cut them in to small dice. Melt the butter in a large pan and then
add the vegetables. Fry for about seven minutes,add the stock,bring
to the boil then simmer gently for twenty minutes.
Add the cabbage and
simmer for a further ten minutes the season with the salt,pepper and
coriander powder.
Serve with fresh crusty
bread or hot cheese soda farl.
Only vegetables in
season were available to us back then ,so for the authentic taste of
the times give it a try. Oh yes,one more thing,you can use meat stock
if you have any,chicken or rabbit are particularly good.
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