Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Of some observations and instructions concerning Vinegar.

CHAP. XIX. Of the manner of making Vineger.

VIneger commeth through the defect of wine, as wee may vnderstand by that which is gone before: the riotousnesse and pleasure of men, hath beene the cause that Vineger came euer in request, not onely for sauces, but also for many other vses: It shall not therefore be thought vnreasonable to vse a word or two about making of Vineger.

The most common way to make Vineger is on this sort: They vse to take good wine, and therewithall to fill the vessell to the halfe, leauing it vnstopt and set in a hot place, as in some corne loft, or in some gutter betwixt the tiles.

If you desire to make Vinegar in hast, you must cast into your wine, salt, pepper, and soure leuen mingled together: and yet to make it the more hastly, you must heat red hot some stone, tile, or gad of steele, and put it all hot into the wine, or else the mouth of the vessell must stand alwaies open, or else the vessell must be set in the Sunne three or foure daies? and therewithall a little salt put in the vessell: or else fill a new earthen pot that is not halfe baked with wine, and stop it well, afterward put it in a kettle full of boiled water vpon the fire, and letting it there remaine a long time in the boiling water, it will grow soure; or else put into the wine a beete root stam|ped, or a radish root, or medlars, ceruises or hornes, mulberries, vnripe sloes, or a shiue of barley bread new baked: or else
you must take of the blossomes of the ceruise tree in there season, and drying them in the Sunne after the manner of rose-leaues, either in a glasse vessell, or in one of blacke earth, fill vp the same vessell with pure Vinegar or Wine, and so set it forth againe into the Sun or in the chimny end to the heate of the fire, and in a short time it will become strong and very sharpe Vineger: but if you would restore it againe to his former state of wine, then you must cast, of colewort roots into it.

CHAP. XX.
Of some obseruations and instructions concerning Vineger.

TO make strong vineger, take the fruit of the cornell tree, when it beginneth to grow red, and of bramble berries, such as grow in the fields, when they are halfe ripe, drie them, make them into powder, and with a little strong Vineger, you shall make little prettie balles, which you shall drie in the Sunne, afterward you must take wine, and heate it, and when it is hot put into it this composition, and it will bee turned very speedily into very strong Vineger.

To make Vineger with corrupted wine: take a rotten and corrupt wine and boile it, taking away all the scum that riseth in the boiling thereof, thus let it continue vpon the fire till it be boyled away one third part, then put it into a vessell wherein hath bin Vineger, putting thereto some cheruile, couer the vessell in such sort, that there get no aire into it, and in a short time it will proue good and strong Vineger.

To make drie Vineger to carrie whither a man listeth, take of wild cherries when they begin to be ripe (and yet the fruit of the cornell tree is better) of mulberies when they be red, and vnripe grapes that are very thicke, and of wild a cornes before they bee ripe, stampt all together, then take of the best Vineger you can finde, and mingle them all together, make vp the masse into small loaues, setting them to drie in the Sunne: and when you would make Vineger, temper some of these small loaues in wine, and you shall haue very good Vineger. Otherwise, take the vnripe iuice of corne that is very greene, and stampe the same putting Vineger thereto, and thereof make a past, wherof you shall make little loaues to be dried in the Sunne, and when you would haue Vineger, temper of these loaues in so much wine as you shall see sufficient, and you shall haue very good Vineger.

To make rose-vineger, take good white Vineger, and put therein red roses, either new or dried, keeping them many daies in the vessell, and afterward taking them out, put them in another glasse, and so keepe them in a coole place: after the same manner you may make Vineger of elder-tree flowers.

To make Vineger without wine, put into a vessell soft and daintie peaches, and vpon them pearched barley, letting them putrifie all a whole day, then straine them and vse the liquor: or else take old figs and burnt barley, together with the inner parts of orenges, put all these into a vessell, and stir them vp very well and oft, and whenas they are become putrified and resolued, straine them out and vse the liquor.

To make sweet Vineger, take fiue pints of strong Vineger, and with as much new wine reserued vpon the treading out of the grapes, adde some quantitie of pitch, and and put altogether in a vessell which you must stop very carefully: and after that all these haue continued together for the space of some thirtie daies, you may vse thereof for Vineger: otherwise, take a vessell of new wine, and mingle it with two vessels of Vineger, and boile them together till the third part be consumed. Some doe adde three vessels of spring water vnto two of new wine and one of Vineger, boiling them all together vntill the third part be consumed.

To make mightie strong Vineger, drie the grosse of grapes two whole daies, then put it in new wine, put thereto some of the vnripe iuice of corne, and you shall make a strong Vineger, whereof you may haue the vse within seuen daies after: or otherwise, put pellitorie of Spaine into Vineger and it will make it strong. Furthermore, if you boile the fourth or fifth part of Vineger vpon the fire, and put it vnto that which is before prescribed, putting it after all this in the Sunne some eight daies, you shall haue a pleasant and strong vineger. The rootes of couch-grasse when they are old, boiled grapes, the leaues of the wild peare tree stamped, the roots of brambles and whay, the quicke coales of burned acornes, and boiled ciche pease and hot tiles, euen euery one of these by themselues being cast into Vineger doe make the same strong.

Pepper vineger is made by casting into vineger or hanging therein whole pepper made vp in a linnen cloth, for the space of eight daies,

You shall know if there be any water in the vineger, if you put into it any Salnitrum, for then if it swell vp as though it would boile, you may boldly say that there is water in it.

To make vineger good to helpe digestion, and for your health, take eight drams of the sea onion, and two pints of vineger, put them together into a vessell, and vvith them as much of pepper, mints, and iuniper berries, then vse it afterward.

To make vineger of sea onions, you must put ten such onions salted into fiftie quartes of sweet new vvine, and foure pints and a halfe of strong vineger, and if it be not sharp enough, then twice so much, in a pot holding fiftie four quarts, & boile them till the fourth part bee consumed: or if the wine bee sweete, it must be boiled to the spending of the third part, but such wine may be of his owne distilling out of the grapes before they be trodden and very cleere: otherwise, put into a vessell thirtie pints of strong vineger, wherein let steepe for the space of twelue daies, the inward part of a white sea onion which hath beene in the Sunne thirtie daies: after that, take the vineger and let it settle and abide in some place where you wil to vse it afterward. Dioscorides in his one and twentieth chapter of his fourth booke discribeth another manner of it.

It is to obserued and noted that all sorts of vineger are best helped to keepe their tartnesse, by putting into their vessels at the bung hole a sticke of red withie.

Page 618-620 from Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· by Geruase Markham, 1616.
Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England:
Estienne, Charles, 1504-ca. 1564., Lie´bault, Jean, ca. 1535-1596. aut, Surflet, Richard, fl. 1600-1616., Markham, Gervase, 1568?-1637.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A00419.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext

To make good vinegar - recipes from T bouck va wondre, 1513

Following are the chapters involving the making of vinegar from T bouck va wondre, which also lists many recipes on making wine, dyeing, laundry cleansers and gardening. This book was a resource (no copyright back then) for a number of translations, including the middle English A Profitable Book written in 1605.

The italic recipe is in Middle Dutch, the second my translation into modern English. For the Dutch words not in my modern Dutch vocabulary I used the Old and Middle Dutch translator at

http://gtb.inl.nl/openlaszlo/my-apps/GTB/Productie/HuidigeVersie/src/inlgtb.html?owner=MNW

Om van bier azÿn te maken. Capit. LXXI/.
Bierazÿn die sterc is maectmē aldus. Neemt vand' eerster en̅voerster worsse / en̅ maectse se werm dat men nauwe een hant daer in houdē mach. Daer nae doet daer in moere die wat vocht is vā oudē biere / dye moere sal die voorseyde worsse doen siedē en̅doen verwādelen in azÿn. En̅yst dat hi noch niet sterc ghenoech en is / soe doet daer in wit willigen hout / daer salt noch afsueren.

To make vinegar from beer. Capit. LXXI.
Beer vinegar which is strong is made thus. Take of the first and foremost must / and make it warm so that one can barely keep a hand in it. After that put in moere [mother] which is some liquid of old beer / the mother should make the foresaid must go seethe [ferment] and turn into vinegar. And if it is not strong enough / add therein white willow wood / that will surely sour it.


Om alle azÿn te houden in zÿn suerheyt / en in sinē sueren smakē - Dat LXXX capittel.
Neemt eenen tap van groen willighen hout ghemaect stoppende dat gat vāden vate bovē in die ronde bomme reyckende bina den bodem / maer niet al tot beneden toe. Dit sal den azÿn noch suerder doen worden.

To keep all vinegar in its purity / and in its pure taste. That LXXX capittel.
Take a plug made of green willow wood and close the hole of the top of the barrel so that the round tree [plug] almost reaches the bottom / but not all the way to the bottom. This shall make the vinegar only more sour.


Omcrancken azijn goet te makē. Oft vanlandtwÿn goeden azÿn te maken - Dat LXXXI capit.
Backt een gherstē coecxken / en̅alsment alheet uiten oven haelt / salmēt terstōt al in cleyn stucxkēs breken / en̅also werm werpē int vat vāden wyn of quade azy̅/ en̅ hi wort seer goet.

To make unhealthy vingar good again. Or to make good vinegar from land wine. That LXXXI capit.
Bake a barley cake / and when it is taken hot out of the oven / break it immediately in small pieces / and thus throw into the barrel of wine or bad vinegar / and it becomes good again.


Noch een ander maniere.
Snÿt haselroedekēs so lanc als een lidt vā eenē vinger en̅worptse int vāden azy̅ oft wÿn / het wort seer goet.

Yet another way.
Cut hazel twigs as long as a digit of a finger and throw into the barrel of vinegar or wine / it becomes good again.


Om alle manieren vā azÿn te maken - capit. LXXXII.
Men maect ooc azÿn vā druyvē die zeer suer zy̅/ dye selve uit geperst / en̅dan door gedaē. Men sal een luttel oudē azÿn daer toe doen / en̅als hi wel gesonckē is salmen hē uiter moer doē / en̅men sal hē dicwils v'trecken.

To make all kinds of vinegar – capit. LXXXII.
One also makes vinegar of grapes which are very sour / which are pressed / and then added. One shall add a little old vinegar to it / and when it is lowered well shall one take the mother from this / and one shall regularly pull this off.


Om goedē azyn te makē in eenē daghe - Capit. LXXXIII.
Neemt eene pot wÿns / en̅doet daer in rogghen heefdeech seer suer / so groot als een eye of vuyste gebonden in eenen linen doec / en̅settet so bidē viere / het sal seér goeden azÿn wordē.

To make good vinegar in one day – Capit. LXXXIII.
Take one pot wine / and add very sour rye sourdough / as big as the eye of a fist tied in a linen cloth / and place it by the fire / and it will become very good vinegar.

 
Om azÿn te maken in drie daghen - capit. LXXXIV.
Neemt wat alluyns dat men heet alumen scissum / dit doet in wÿn / en̅het wort goedē azÿn.

To make vinegar in three days – capit. LXXXIV.
Take some alum that is called alumen scissum / put this in the wine / and it becomes good vinegar.

REFERENCES

T bouck va wondre, 1513, anonymous; thesis by H.G.Th. Frencken.

Drukkerij H. Timmermans, Roermond 1934

Zie voor verantwoording: http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/fren007tbou01_01/colofon.htm

© Translations by Susan Verberg, 2016