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.

Registration for the Traditional Newfoundland Sock Knit-Along is OPEN!

As part of the Grey Sock Project, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the City of St. John's are presenting Knit Some Socks Knit-along.

Come knit a traditional pair of Newfoundland socks found in Operation Homespun among fellow knitters! Knit-along with a group as you rib, turn heels and graft toes. If you are unsure of how to do something, there are two wonderful instructors to help or ask your neighbour. Once finished, you can donate your socks to those in need or take them home! Snacks and refreshments provided.

When: March 5th and March 12th

Where: A.C. Hunter Children's Library

Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Participants will be required to bring:

• 2 sets of double pointed needles - 3.75 mm and 4 mm
• 2 skeins of Briggs and Little Heritage worsted weight 100% wool (or equivalent worsted weight wool)
• Optional: Small portion of yarn for stripes

Proposed Audience: Some experience to intermediate

Biography of presenters:
Christine LeGrow lives and works in Outer Cove, Newfoundland. She enjoys designing patterns as well as knitting traditional patterns. Many of her designs are inspired by Newfoundland early knits. LeGrow shares her designs with twenty-five knitters who contribute to her company Spindrift.

Shirley Scott, or Shirl the Purl, lives and works in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She spends much of her time knitting and preserving traditional patterns. Scott wrote Canada Knits: Craft and Comfort in a Northern Land and has since been known as Canada’s knitting historian.

Project Updates: What traditions are important to you?

On February 17^th we launched the TRADITIONS AT RISK survey. The project has been warmly welcomed by over 100 people! Thank-you! 

On February 18^th we reached the 50 mark! In less than 24 hours, we had 50 people take part! Well done, Newfoundland and Labrador! Check out the map to see where the responses have come from (updated every day at 4:30pm).

Photo courtesy of CBC CrossTalk

On February 22nd I spent the noon-hour with Pam Hall (pictured right) and Ramona Dearing on CBC's Cross Talk. Sarah Baikie, a grasswork artist from Rigolet, and many others across the province shared their thoughts on traditions at risk. You can check out that conversation HERE. To get a peek at the beautiful (and onerous) process behind grass work art: check in with Them Days HERE.  

On February 23^rd I began tracking the locations of survey responses using Google Maps. Check out the MAP (pictured below) on the ICH at Risk page! Don’t see your community? Complete the survey to make sure the intangible cultural heritage in your community is represented!

Living Heritage Map

On February 24th we hit the 100 mark! Thank-you to everyone who has participated so far. We reached our first goal! Our next goal is 200 respondents by March 2nd! We can do it!