Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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St. Ann
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Posted: June 01 2010 at 5:28am | IP Logged Quote St. Ann
In the book, Farmer Boy, Almanzo picks wintergreen berries and his mother uses an alcoholic beverage with them... I can't remember the details, but I wasn't able to discover just what wintergreen berries are and what the mother made out of them and how does it taste.????

I now have vodka an my shopping list to make my vanilla extract and it reminded me of this wintergreen recipe of Mrs. Wilder.
Does anyone know anything about winterberries?


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Stephanie

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MaryM
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Posted: June 01 2010 at 11:13am | IP Logged Quote MaryM
It would be similar to vanilla extract for usage - different flavor. It has a mint flavor. I have The Little House Cookbook, and in it there is a mention of this wintergreen essence Mrs. Wilder made.

"Flavors are important aspects of confections, and it is interesting to reflect on the range that Laura and Almonzo knew in their youth. As in clothing, decor, and art, there are fashions in flavors, with the rare in vogue until it becomes commonplace."

"The wintergreen essence bottled by Mother Wilder would have had the same effect [i.e. offset strong flavors]. An alcohol solution, it can still be found in drugstores, although peppermint has become a more widespread variant."

"In baked goods, a bit of flavoring was usually needed to cover the 'chemical' taste of baking soda and early baking powder."

It is an evergreen flowering shrub native to the Northern United States and Canada. Used by Native Americans as a medicinal for joint pain. When the American colonists boycotted British tea during the American Revolution, they used the wintergreen tea as a substitute. Has properties of aspirin. And as mentioned with the Wilders, wintergreen was also used to add essence to candies or confections.

Homeschool Share's Farmer Boy Lapbook has study questions related to wintergreen in the chapter 10 section.

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St. Ann
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Posted: June 01 2010 at 11:53am | IP Logged Quote St. Ann
Mary, thank you so much! This is very helpful.

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Stephanie

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