Step Dance Project Event and Call for Dancers

SHOW YOUR STEPS:
A NL Step Dance Project Event and Call for Dancers

The NL Step Dance Project is proud to present two connected events on April 27th, 2016, a dance discussion and workshop for invited tradition bearers at The Crow’s Nest at 7PM, and a public session of dance and music held at Folk Night at The Ship at 9PM. In partnership with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, DanceNL, and the NL Folk Arts Society, the NL Step Dance Project is seeking to both highlight and come to a better understanding of this vital and less-practiced tradition of freeform, solo dancing in Newfoundland.

Who in your family pulls out the freestyle solo moves at kitchen parties, weddings, or community concerts? At the trad session on a Sunday afternoon? When the toe tapping music starts up, who’s light on their feet and stays close to the floor? Join us at The Crow’s Nest at 7PM April 27th for a meal, a step, and a story or two, all as part of a collaborative effort with dancers and communities to understand how this tradition is performed and passed on. We are not just looking for ‘professionals’ or trained dancers, but rather anyone who can feel the music in their feet – from those who just do a step or two from time to time, to those unstoppable older dancers still showing their steps with the help of a chair.

After the Crow’s Nest, we’ll all make our way down to The Ship Pub at 9PM for Folk Night. Open to the public, Folk Night on April 27th will be a traditional session with a twist, featuring Newfoundland music and lively step dance for only $5 at the door. All are welcome to get up and show a few steps as the music plays. With tunes from Allan Ricketts and other local musicians, this is an evening not to be missed! Presented as part of Dance Week 2016, in cooperation with DanceNL and the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society, this event will also feature a brief step dance lesson, for those members of the public who want to get a little closer to the floor themselves.

Anyone interested in sharing their “old­time” step moves and dance stories with the NL Step Dance Project on the 27th will receive an honorarium and travel expenses for their involvement. Get in touch with us for more information. We are looking for dancers from St. John’s and beyond, and would love to hear from people off the Avalon. If you can’t make the April event but want to share your steps and stories, we would love to hear from you anyway.

The NL Step Dance Project is lead by Kristin Harris Walsh (step dancer/researcher) in partnership with Dale Jarvis at the Intangible Cultural Heritage office. This project is funded by the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and is part of a larger project documenting and comparing the dance histories of three step dance forms from Ontario, Cape Breton, and Newfoundland.

For more information on the events or participating as a tradition-bearer:
Call: (709) 765­0468 (Jane Rutherford)

Email: nlstepdanceproject@gmail.com
Visit or message: www.facebook.com/NLstepdanceproject

Photo: Heritage Corner, GFW Advertiser

Intangible Cultural Heritage Update - ICH and Youth vs. ICH at Risk

In the April edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, we have an article on the very successful Youth Heritage Forum, and a final report on the ICH at Risk research completed by our office. It is two very different views on the state of heritage in Newfoundland and Labrador!

Contributors: Stephanie Micikyan, Meghan Mills, and Dale Jarvis

Download the newsletter in pdf format.

The Memory Store: Fearful for his sacred vessels he buried them in the ground...

This week’s Memory Store video is a clip of Elisabeth Laverty from the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Elisabeth describes one of the artifacts in the cathedral’s museum – a 1700s chalice which was buried in the ground for several years before being discovered.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Student Summer Job Posting: Historic Places Researcher

Historic Places Researcher
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) is seeking a Historic Places Researcher, to assist with updating the Provincial Register of Historic Places.

The position will run for 13 weeks, with a start date in May 2016, with a salary of $15/hour.

The primary work of the Researcher will be to assist with work on the Provincial Register of Historic Places, updating the online registry, and ensuring that online collections match HFNL’s paper files on building designation and grants.

The applicant must have excellent oral and written communication skills; and a desire to work with collections related to the heritage and architecture of local historic places. Should currently be registered in undergraduate or masters level course in history, archaeology, folklore, or architecture. Previous experience with a heritage organization is an asset. Good computer skills required, including ability to do research, data entry, and word processing.

Applicant must be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada, legally entitled to work in Canada. Will be between the ages of 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment, and must be a full time student during the preceding academic semester, who intends on returning to school next semester.

To apply, send a resume detailing related work, plus a cover letter, to info@heritagefoundation.ca.

Deadline to register is Friday, 29 April 2016.
As this position is funded through the Young Canada Works program, applicants also must register through the Young Canada Works website at http://tinyurl.com/gsv648x

Drinking About Heritage: The Bad, Better and Brilliant open mic! #nlheritage

This Thursday, 21 April 2016, whet your whistle and chat with heritage folks! Come to the historic Crow's Nest (which has been designed a Registered Heritage Structure by HFNL) for an open mic story night about heritage work in the province! We are limited to the first 40 people who want to participate (it is free!), so register now!

Image: Lay of St. Dunstan by George Cruikshank

Living Heritage Podcast Ep038 Portable Museums of Curiosity and Wind Folklore with Joanne Kaar

Joanne Kaar (@joannebkaar) lives in Dunnet, on Dunnet Head, Caithness, Scotland, only two miles from where she grew up in the village of Brough.  She has a BA in Textiles and Surface Decoration and an MA in Textiles from Manchester Metropolitan University. She has been self employed for over twenty years and has been exhibiting and working around the world as both participant and instigator of arts and heritage projects and collaborations.

In this interview Joanne talks about craft, the folklore around wind knots, research on local stories, herbariums, the development of her “Portable Museums of Curiosity,” and the mysterious link between the Magellan Daisy and world-travelling whalers. Recorded on 29 February 2016.

http://www.joannebkaar.com/

photo of wind knots credit to Joanne B Kaar

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Youth Heritage Forum 2016

On Saturday March 19th, the second annual Youth Heritage Forum took place at The Lantern in St. John's. Our goal was to increase the activity and interest of youth in the heritage field and to bring like minded youth together.  We had fifty-four participants take part in an exciting day of mentorship, heritage skills, and networking.

The day started with Eastern Owl who did a smudging ceremony and played traditional and original music. We were lucky enough to have Stephanie Chipilski, Assistant Registrar at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and member of the Youth Advisory Council under the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, flown in from Winnipeg to be a keynote speaker. She talked about networking, putting yourself out there, and how mentorship can help in all aspects of your career.

Right after Stephanie's speech, the Heritage Skills competition began. Participants got into teams of six and chose what skill they wanted to learn. There was the choice of darning with Christine LeGrow, rug hooking with Ruth Green, knot tying with Barry Darby, net knitting with Bernard Martin and Leo Hearn, Northern games with the St. John's Native Friendship Centre, and Morse code with Mark Sheppard. Each team member got an hour to learn a new skill. After a coffee break the competition was under way! It was exciting, fast paced, and a great time!

We had a speed dating luncheon with established people in the heritage field who mentored participants while they ate a delicious meal served by Multi-Ethnic Food Kitchen. We posed questions to the mentors and they discussed them with participants. We had Glenn Keough from Parks Canada, Colleen Quigley from MUN QE II Archives, Teresita McCarthy who is the Manager of the Bell Island Community Museum and the #2 Mine Tour, Scott Neilsen who is an assistant Archaeology professor, Julie Pomeroy who is the Heritage Programs and Services Coordinator for Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, Catharyn Andersen who is the Special Advisor to the President on Aboriginal Affairs at MUN, Jillian Gould who is a professor of Folklore, and Stephanie Chipilski.

After lunch, four breakout sessions were offered. We wanted them to be exciting, relevant, and fun. Based on the feedback, they were all of these things and more. Jason Sellars taught "Public Programming and Other Extreme Sports," Jane Severs taught "How NOT to start a Heritage Business," Meghan Mills ran a conversation cafe called "What Traditions Matter to You(th)?", and Josh Smee taught "Social Media for Nonprofits."




After the sessions, students from a Public Folklore class hosted the "Lives in Heritage" plenary where guests Chris Brookes, Jane Severs, Hilda Chaulk Murray, and Christine Hennebury answered questions about their time in the heritage field. Later, the panel was opened to participants to ask questions.

At the end of the day, prizes were handed out to six people who completed their heritage skill the best. There was a tie breaker for the best overall team between Team I and Team K. Team I took the prize and with that the forum came to a close! It couldn't have gone any better and we hope that everyone who participated had a great time. See you all next year!

We'd like to thank our sponsors for making the Youth Heritage Forum happen this year: the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Newfoundland Chocolate Company, St. John's Haunted Hike, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives,
We'd also like to thank Fishing For Success, all of our guests, and the volunteers who made it all happen!

Did you attend the forum? Would you like to give us some feedback? Please click here and fill out this short evaluation.

The Association of Heritage Industries and Youth Heritage NL are bringing you another awesome event! On April 21st, at the Crows Nest Officers' Club, is Drinking About Heritage: Bad, Better, and Brilliant! Register here for FREE today.

All photos courtesy of Jeremy Harnum

New Directions: Graduate Folklore Students Explore the O'Brien Farm Heritage Site

New Directions: Graduate Folklore Students  Explore the O'Brien Farm Heritage Site

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Room 1014, Education Building, Memorial University
Parking available in Lot 18

Join us to learn about exciting projects involving the rich traditions of the O'Brien farm and family. Under the direction of Dr. Gerald Pocius, eight folklore students have been working in their course, "Museums: Perspectives and Practices" on a series of projects to help interpret and develop the O'Brien Farm Heritage Site. Find out about:

· Architectural history of St. John's summer cottages
· Interpretive plan for the Thimble Cottage parlour
· Launch of a digital archive site
· Collections Policy
· Drawings from the O’Brien farm
· Creation of a walking tour app for the farm meadows and gardens

The O'Brien Farm has plans to interpret Irish-Newfoundland agricultural history, culture, settlement, and the O'Brien family, through active learning and today's lens of sustainability. 

Presented by the Department of Folklore of Memorial University and the O'Brien Farm Foundation Interpretation Committee.

contacts:
gpocius@mun.ca 

obrienfarmfoundation@gmail.com

Thimble Cottage at the O'Brien Farm was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of NL in 1992. 

The Memory Store: It did kind of launch a whole generation...

In this week's the Memory Store video Andy Jones discusses the spirit of the early days of the RCA (Resource Centre for the Arts) at the LSPU (Longshoreman’s Protective Union) Hall and describes the co-production system which launched a number of careers.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Intangible cultural heritage in England and Scotland - guest talk April 6, 12:30pm @memorialU

"The perception of intangible cultural heritage in England and Scotland: a diverging heritage narrative in the United Kingdom"
Guest Lecture by Suzy Harrison
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
ED4051 - Education Building, Memorial University
12:30pm

Suzy Harrison (@SuzyHarrison76) is a second year PhD researcher at Nottingham Trent University, in the United Kingdom, and is funded through the AHRC Midlands3Cities Doctoral Training Programme. Her research analyses current attitudes towards intangible cultural heritage in England, and looks to reveal the challenges which it faces through closer examination of intangible heritage in the East Midlands. The research is also focusing on looking at opportunities to possibly adopt practices at a local or national level which may exist in other countries.

• Facebook event listing here. 

When Your Boy Comes Back To You - more WWI-era sheet music!

We posted last week about finding a copy of the 1916 First World War sheet music "The Sweethearts That We Left In Newfoundland" here in the Heritage Foundation of NL office.

This week, we bring you the second of our finds, a piece entitled "When Your Boy Comes Back To You" by Gordon V. Thompson, dated 1916, published by the Thompson Publishing Co, 75 Bay Street, Toronto.

The lyrics are as follows:

When Your Boy Comes Back To You

Keep the lamp of hope still brightly burning,
Till your boy comes back to you,
And although your heart may oft' be yearning
For one whose love is true,
Bear in mind the day he'll be returning,
So then, cheer up! don't be blue,
Ev'ry day you're far apart you grow dearer to his heart,
Till your boy comes back to you!

[Chorus]
When your boy comes back to you,
You will keep your promise true,
You will watch, you will wait by the old garden gate,
Till the regiment appears in view
Whey your boy comes back to you
And the bands are playing too,
Won't your heart be beating fast,
Just to welcome him at last?
When your boy comes back to you!

Don't forget to heed this word of warning,
It will mean so much to you,
Though it's dark tonight the sun at morning
Will shine with brighter hue
On the boys with glory all adorning,
You will share that glory too!
Wear a bright and sunny smile, tho' you wait a long, long while,
Till your boy comes back to you!

[Chorus]

Download  a pdf copy of the sheet music here.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep037 The Greenspond Historical Society and Archives

Linda White was born in St. John's, Newfoundland. She worked as a Registered Nurse in the United States and England before returning to Newfoundland to attend Memorial University. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in History and a Master of Arts degree in History. In 1990 she began working in the Archives and Special Collections, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University. Presently she holds the position of Archivist there.

In this edition of the Living Heritage Podcast, Linda talks about why she started studying history, how she became an archivist, what she does at the MUN archives, and about Greenspond, NL. She talks about the aims of the Greenspond Historical Society and Archives, stories of connecting people all around the world, and the process she goes through editing the Greenspond Letter.

photo of the Greenspond Courthouse Registered  Heritage Structure
courtesy the Greenspond Historical Society Facebook Group

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

The Sweethearts That We Left In Newfoundland: First World War sheet music

It's spring cleaning time at the Heritage Foundation of NL, and look what we found!

"The Sweethearts That We Left In Newfoundland" is a piece of sheet music, with words and music by James J. Galway of St. John's, printed by the F.J. Lawson Company of NY, dated 1916.

The lyrics are as follows:


The Sweethearts That We Left In Newfoundland.

Tho' on the battlefield and waves we fight for Motherland,
We can't forget the sweethearts dear at home in Newfoundland,
The fondest thoughts revert each day and hearts with throbs expand,
When we recall the lov'd ones there in far off Newfoundland.

[Chorus]
We've seen bewitching maidens glance on us in Motherland,
And grasp'd the hands of fairest ones from Scotland's heather-land,
We've been entranc'd by Irish smiles with words of blarney grand,
Yet sweethearts none can conquer us but those in Newfoundland.

And now when battle thunder rolls as we the foe withstand,
We'll yield no truce to tyrants who would crush the Motherland,
But all the more we'll bravely fight with Britain's martial band,
When thinking of the sweethearts dear at home in Newfoundland

[Chorus]

Then when the crown of vict'ry rests on Britain's free old land,
We'll treat the transports decks again embark'd for Newfoundland,
To meet once more and grasp with joy in loving embrace grand,
The sweethearts that we left behind in dear old Newfoundland.

[Chorus]

You can download a pdf of the sheet music here.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep036 The Mummers Festival with Ryan Davis

Ryan Davis has been running the Mummers Festival since 2009. He holds an MA in Folklore and a BA in Communication Studies. It was his interest in festivals, celebrations, and costuming that led him to mummering traditions. The Mummers Festival promotes the continuation and evolution of traditional arts and performance by encouraging active participation in mummering activities. The Mummers Festival helps to keep mummering alive and contemporary and adds to the population’s pride of place.

In this edition of the Living Heritage Podcast, Ryan talks about what mummers are and what they do, the beginnings of the Mummers Festival and how it has grown over seven years, the successes and challenges of running a festival, and what he hopes the festival will offer in the future.

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

The Memory Store: We found it in the back room and dusted it off...

The video for this week's the Memory Store was filmed in Trinity, NL inside Aunt Sarah’s Chocolate Shop. In this video Aunt Sarah explains the story behind the Welcome to Trinity sign displayed in her chocolate shop in Trinity, NL.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about Trinity's Heritage Area.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Living Heritage Podcast Ep035 Towards an Encyclopedia of Local Knowledge

Pam Hall is an interdisciplinary artist, scholar, film-maker, and writer. Her visual art has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally and is represented in many corporate, private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada. She has won national awards for her work as a designer in film (for Rare Birds) and as a children’s book illustrator( for Down by Jim Long’s Stage) and was recently inducted into the Fortis Hall of Honour at the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Awards.

In this interview, we talk about her work creating and curating the Encyclopedia of Local Knowledge, which explores art as a form of making and moving knowledge and reveals many ways of knowing that are local, living, and still fruitfully in use. Recorded on 21 January 2016.

Explore the Encyclopedia

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

The cafe report:

What a success!

Yesterday, a group of heritage enthusiasts gathered together over coffee and pastries to talk shop about some of the vulnerable traditions, skills and knowledge(s) in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The questions we were trying to answer included:

(a) What does "living heritage" mean in 2016?

(b) What traditions/skills are at risk?
(c) Best techniques to safeguard intangible cultural heritage?

Questions begot questions so we decided to come up with a FAQ Report based on our conversations from yesterday morning. Be sure to check-back in next week to see what it's all about!

Knit Some Socks Knit-Along

On Saturday March 5th, despite the weather, we had around 45 lovely knitters join Christine LeGrow and Shirley Scott for an afternoon of knitting. Participants knitted traditional Newfoundland socks found in Operation Homespun which is produced by the Anna Templeton Centre and is available for purchase!

While participants were ribbing k2, p2, Christine read poems and excerpts from A Pair of Grey Socks: facts and fancies by Tryphena Soper Duley; Verses by Margaret Duley. The book was written in 1916 and was a perfect way to connect the knit-along with the 100th anniversary of the First World War. "A woman is knitting most all the day, a sock that shapes from a ball of grey, her fingers fly, and the needles click, fast grows the sock so soft an thick..." In the poem, white stripes on the grey sock "marks the socks for the slender youth who does his part for the cause of truth. The red is a sign for the hardy man, at the height of his strength in life's short span... blue in the sock is the medium size, the colour dear to sailors' wives. So in the grey socks red, white and blue form our colours so bright and true..."

Shirley Scott told us about the research she did for Canada Knits: Comfort in a Northern Land. The favourite story of the afternoon was Queen Elizabeth I encouraging the knitting industry. Shirley said after Queen Elizabeth I received her first pair of silk knitted socks she stated, "... indeed I like silk stockings so well, because they are so pleasant, fine and delicate, that henceforth I will wear no more cloth stockings."

After the ribbing of the sock, it was time for the leg of the sock which is composed by a simple stockinette stitch. Shirley and Christine showed examples of mistakes that can be made when knitting a sock. For example, the ribbing being too tight to fit your foot in or the foot of the sock being too big causing it to fold in your shoe!

Laughs were had and knowledge was shared! I had an e-mail from a participant saying she felt lost at the beginning but a wonderful lady next to her was extremely helpful and she has been working on her sock since. We also had someone text a photo to Christine who was knitting the pattern in Quebec at the same we were here in St. John's. We hoped the knit-along would do exactly this.

This Saturday is the last session! Christine and Shirley will be showing participants how to turn the heel and graft the toe. If you missed last week and are interested in coming this Saturday, send me an e-mail so I can send you the pattern for you to catch up -- stephanie@heritagefoundation.ca.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep034B Youth Heritage Forum with Alanna Wicks

Alanna Wicks holds a BA in Folklore and Cultural Anthropology, and a MA in Public Folklore, both from Memorial University. She has been working and volunteering in the field of culture and heritage since 2006 in both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. She currently sits as Director on the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives Executive Board and volunteers regularly with archives within the community.

In March 2015, she organized and moderated the province’s first Youth Heritage Forum. Alanna dropped by the Heritage Foundation of NL office to talk about the planning of the heritage forum, and offered suggestions for heritage organizations wanting to engage youth.

The Memory Store: The root cellar capital of the world...

The video for this week's the Memory Store was filmed in Elliston, NL inside one of the many root cellars found in the community. In this clip Don Johnson with Tourism Elliston describes the tourism and introduction of two festivals which developed in the town of Elliston as a result of the abundance of root cellars in the town.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the root cellar's history and architecture.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Two more Newfoundland recipes for #mustardpickles (and one from Niagara Falls!)

Our ongoing quest for mustard pickle recipes continues. First up is from Jason Sellars, who writes, "This recipe comes from my mom and is made annually by the case from ingredients grown from her vegetable garden in Winter Tickle, Newfoundland. Try finding that on a map, I dare ya! Way better than any store bought."
RUBY SELLERS' GREEN TOMATO MUSTARD PICKLES

5 lbs green tomatoes
2 small cucumbers
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
2 1/2 lbs onions
1 head cauliflower
1 small cabbage

Paste:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup vinegar
2 tbls tumeric
2 tbls dry mustard

Cut vegetables in small pieces and soak in water and 1/2 cup salt overnight.
Drain and add:
2 cups vinegar
4 cups white sugar
Boil for 45 minutes.
Add paste gradually to thicken.
Place in sterile bottles.

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Next we have a recipe from Sheila Cooke, who writes, "This is my late husband's recipe with comments (in parentheses)."
WAYN'ES MUSTARD PICKLE RECIPE using a food processor

(Note: I double dry mustard, and put all veggies except cauliflower through French fry blade on processor. You choose.)

Step #1
Use a stainless steel or granite enamel bowl

3 quarts cucumbers (baby dill size) sliced like bread & butter pickles
1 large head cauliflower--broken into tiny flowerettes
3 - 4 large yellow onions
1 large Jalapeno pepper, cut fine (wear rubber gloves as these have oil that skin sucks up)

Salt all above with 1/2 cup pickling salt and let stand over night (or all day)

Step #2

After standing time passes, drain well and rinse well using sieve.
Add:
1 bunch celery cut to preference (I slice across the stalks)
4 large sweet red peppers, chopped (I use pimentos if they are available)
8 cups white sugar
40 oz. (5 cups) white vinegar
2 1/2 cups water Use half the water to blend 4 tblsp dry mustard
1 scant tblsp turmeric
1 1/2 tblsp mustard seed
1 1/2 cup flour into paste to thicken the juice
Boil 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

Seal in sterilized pint jars. Let sit in jars at least 1 month before using--if you can wait this long. Enjoy!

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News of the 2016 Pickle Crisis has spread far and wide. Wendy Lechner writes, "I just read of the mustard pickle crisis in Canada. Here’s my grandmother’s recipe. She lived in the Niagara Falls, Ontario area. Unfortunately she never wrote down her recipe for butter tarts." Here is her recipe:

GRANDMA BROMHALL’S (NANNY) MUSTARD PICKLES

6 quarts

1 quart large cucumbers, cubed
1 quart small cucumbers, whole
1 quart silver-skinned onions
1 quart green tomatoes, chopped course
2 red sweet peppers, chopped fine
1 large cauliflower, broken into small pieces

Brine solution

1 quart water
½ cup canning salt

Dressing

6 tablespoons Coleman mustard
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar
2 quarts vinegar

Place clean, prepared veggies in crock.
Cover with brine solution. Let stand 24 hours.
Bring to boil in same solution. - (make sure the whole batch is up to boiling temp, but don’t boil for very long - it makes the cukes too soft.)
Drain.
Make dressing: mix dressing ingredients thoroughly and cook until thick.
Stir in pickles and heat thoroughly, BUT do not let cukes get soft.
Place in jars. Process

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Obviously, I need to do some butter tart research next... - Dale

Folklore Photo: #YHF2016 3 Days Left to Register!!

Photo credit: Jeremy Harnum

Look at these young, inspiring youth from last year's forum! You may have seen this photo floating around as we promote the 2nd Annual Youth Heritage Forum! We had a great turn out last year and we know we'll have the same again this year. Time is running out! There is three days left to register.

If you are a youth passionate about heritage, or are a heritage organization or community group, you do not want to miss this year's Youth Heritage Forum!

Visit www.youthheritagenl.wordpress.com for more information or register right now!

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We asked for your favourite mustard pickle recipes. Look what we got!

We put out a call over the weekend for your favourite mustard pickle recipes, and a couple people responded immediately! If you have a recipe you want to share, you can email us your version at mustardpickles@heritagefoundation.ca.

One of the delights of recipes, as any cook will agree, is the story that often accompanies the recipe. The first two recipes emailed in were no exception!

The first recipe I received was from Elizabeth Winter, who writes, “Have not made this for years since I am now 88, but found it in my old tattered files. I now buy my pickles from Belbin’s or Jocelyn in The Square. There was a similar recipe in the Spencer Club Cook Book but we were Prince of Wales girls in the fifties sharing our mothers’ recipes.” Here is Elizabeth’s recipe:

PRINCE OF WALES SWEET MUSTARD PICKLES
5 lbs of green tomatoes
2 1/2 lbs pearl onions
1 large cucumber
1 large cauliflower
2 bell peppers

Cut up veggies and soak in brine of 1/2 cup of salt (pickling salt if possible) in water to cover over night.
Drain and rinse.
Add 2 1/2 pounds of sugar to 1 quart less 1 cup of vinegar. Boil 20 minutes
Make a paste of 1 cup of flour mixed with 2 tablespoons of mustard powder and 1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1 cup of vinegar.
Boil 10 min.


Our second mustard pickle recipe comes from Marian Dawe, who says “I've made these for years now and people always want them again… Around 15 years ago, I found this in a ‘Bye D'Bay Cookery" recipe book that I had in my collection. The book itself has no date on it and I am thinking it was sold sometime in the late ‘70s or ‘80s. The forward says the recipes were collected by members of Micron Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi whose members live along the shore of CBS. They were fundraising for community projects.” The recipe is attributed to Brenda Skinner. Here is the recipe, with Marian’s notes:

MAIME'S MUSTARD PICKLES (I've halved the recipe. This makes 4 pint bottles.)

3 cups peeled, cubed, and seeded cucumbers
1 head of celery, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups white vinegar

Place the above in pot, bring to a low boil, and simmer slowly for 1/2 hour.

Dressing:
3/8 cup flour, i.e. 1/4 cup + half of 1/4 cup
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric

Mix the flour, mustard and turmeric with about 1/4 cup of cold water to make a paste. Add to the vegetables and stir to combine. Simmer slowly for 3/4 hour. Bottle right away.


And one more recipe! Food blogger Liz Feltham has shared a classic recipe from her late late mother-in-law’s copy of The Treasury of Newfoundland Dishes on her blog here.

Traditions at Risk - Saving Traditional Mustard Pickle Recipes! #mustardpickles

As some of you may have heard, mustard pickles under the Zest and Habitant labels have been discontinued by producer Smucker Foods of Canada Corporation. Mustard pickles are an important part of Newfoundland and Labrador foodways, and people have been upset!

Of course, there are other options for pickle lovers (Belbin's makes mustard pickles, as does the Newfoundland Jam and Pickle Factory).

Numerous people have responded on social media saying, "I'm not worried, I make my own mustard pickles."

So here at the intangible cultural heritage office, where we are always thinkings about traditions in flux, we want to help! We want YOUR mustard pickle recipes! In the tradition of sharing and transmitting knowledge about local foodways, we will share those recipes and get people making pickles the old fashioned (and maybe new-fashioned?) way!

You can send your family mustard pickle recipe to:

mustardpickles@heritagefoundation.ca

and we'll share them on ichblog.ca.

Let's get pickling!

- Dale Jarvis

photo from http://www.4theloveoffood.ca/index.php/mustard-pickles/

Intangible Cultural Heritage Update - Darning Eggs, Youth, and Traditions at Risk

In the March edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update, we spin you a yarn about our darning workshop, introduce you to the 2016 Youth Heritage Forum, and talk about traditions at risk.

You can view and download the newsletter here.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep034 An oral history of heritage conservation in NL with Shane O’Dea

Shane O'Dea, Professor of English and Public Orator at Memorial University, has long been involved with preservation in Newfoundland. He was one of the founding directors and an early chair of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and was involved in the early years of the St. John’s Heritage Foundation and the Newfoundland Historic Trust. Shane has served on countless boards and associations and was recognized for his efforts in preserving heritage architecture with the Lieutenant Governor's Award in 1990.

In this edition of the Living Heritage Podcast, Shane talks about the early history of the Newfoundland Historic Trust, mobilizing forces to preserve the Christ Church in Quidi Vidi and the Commissariat House on Kingsbridge Road in St. John’s, the battle over Atlantic Place, the formation of the St. John’s Heritage Foundation, and about the introduction of the now-iconic heritage paint colour scheme for downtown St. John’s. It’s a brief oral history introduction to the formative years of the heritage conservation movement in the province! Recorded 20 January 2016.

 

Invitation to the Conversation Cafe

On March 10th, join us at the NL Arts and Culture Centre from 10:00am - 12:00pm for some discussion and refreshments.

Nets drying in the sun in Makkovik, NL.
(picturesque tradition, but not one at risk in Makkovik!)

As the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office plans its direction for the next year, we are looking to community members, groups and organizations across Newfoundland and Labrador to share their thoughts on local intangible cultural heritage at risk across the province. This conversation cafe is one part of the broader effort to identify and understand heritage at risk.

A conversation cafe is exactly as it sounds: a themed conversation among guests over light refreshments. In this case our conversations will be guided by questions on the theme, "What traditions, skills and knowledge(s) are at risk in NL?"

This is an opportunity to explore what "heritage" means in 2016; to share your thoughts on traditions and skills important to you; to discuss what our living heritage(s) may grow to be in the future!

To check-out the event details and to register, click here: registration.

Space is limited so register early! Deadline for registration is March 8th. 

Folklore Photo: Non-youth attend #YHF2016 this Year!

Photo credit: Jeremy Harnum

Today's photo is a great shot of participants listening to the youth heritage panel from last year's Youth Heritage Forum! This year's forum, on March 19th, is a little different. There will be a panel of mentors that the Public Folklore program at Memorial University are interviewing before the forum. At the forum, they will be having an open discussion with the mentors for participants to learn about what they do and how they started in the heritage field.

There will be the opportunity to ask questions and get involved with the mentors who are all established in different fields. Stay tuned for some sneak peeks of who the mentors are!

Visit www.youthheritagenl.wordpress.com for more information and updates or

Create your own Newfoundland Hobby Horse for #makermonday!

Do you want to know how to make a Hobby Horse? Look no further!

It's no secret we love the tradition of Newfoundland and Labrador Hobby Horses here at the Intangible Cultural Heritage office.  So we are delighted to report that our friends at the Mummers Festival, with funding from the Helen Creighton Folklore Society, have recently completed their step-by-step guide for making your own hobby horse.

These aren't the children's toy hobby horses, but a large, fearsome folk puppet, an element of chaos which was part of the Christmas mummering tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador.

You can check out their new video on YouTube, or watch below!




There is also an earlier video about the Hobby Horse making workshops, filmed by NTV.




You can read a description of the DIY process here and download a pdf of the template here.

If you want some inspiration from across the pond, check out these cool hobbies from The Wantsum Hoodners at The Banbury Hobby Horse Festival 2010, on Vimeo.