Weather –As Bartholomew’s
Day, so the whole autumn.
If Bartelmy’s day be fair
and clear, Hope for a prosperous autumn that year.
St. Bartholomew brings the
cold dew.
If it rains this day, it
will rain the forty days after.
Thunderstorms after
Bartholomew’s Day are more violent [compared
to what?]
If the morning begins with a
hoar frost, the cold weather can be soon expected and a hard winter.
St. Bartholomew’s mantle
wipes dry all the tears that St. Swithin can cry.
Yesterday was the last of
St. Swithin’s Forty Days and the weather should be more settled now. Should be. On the other hand:
June, too soon;
July, stand by;
August, it must;
September, remember;
October, all over…
(rhyme for hurricane months)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Today we celebrate…
The apostle St. Bartholomew, who preached the Gospel of Christ in
India. He passed thence into the
Greater Armenia, where, after converting many to the faith, he was flayed alive
by the barbarians, and beheaded by order of king Astyages, and thus he
terminated his martyrdom. His
sacred body was first carried to the island of Lipara, then to Benevento, and
finally to Rome in the island of the Tiber, were it is venerated by the pious
faithful.
and
At Rouen, St. Owen, bishop and confessor. Saint Ouen (died 683) was the bishop of Rouen, France, for
forty-four years. Prior to that, he had served as chancellor to the Merovingian
king Dagobert I, in company with Eligius (Eloi), another devout servant of the
king. The two became good friends.
Ouen is believed to have
compiled the Salic Law [which among other things kept women and their
descendents from inheriting the French crown, and contributed to such conflicts
as the Hundred Years War]. After
the death of the king, both Ouen and Eloi considered themselves free to pursue
other vocations, and when Ouen was consecrated bishop of Rouen in 640, Eloi was
consecrated bishop of Moyon.
Ouen worked hard to
eradicate the pockets of paganism in his diocese, in between which he gave the
ruling monarchs his expertise in diplomacy. He wrote the life of his friend Eligius, before succumbing
to an illness contracted on his last diplomatic journey.
The Saint-Ouine fair that
was held in the spring in Brittany was familiarly known as the Periwinkle Fair
(from the large amounts of periwinkles for sale) and as the Whistle Fair (from
the large numbers of whistles and other noisemakers available to those who just
love to make noise). The fair was
held in St. Malo until a fire destroyed much of the town in the 16th
century, whereupon it was moved to the island of Grand Bé, where a chapel
devoted to St. Ouen was frequented by wives praying for the safe return of
their seafaring husbands and turning the chapel cross to the quarter whence the
wind should come.
So in honor of Saint Owen of
Rowen, let us enjoy periwinkles.
Periwinkles are like
snails. It takes a tidy few to make
a mouthful. At St. Ouine’s fair,
they were sold in large bowlfuls, and that is what it would take to make a decent
meal. Unfortunately, the work needed
to produce a decent meal or even a decent mouthful is enough to discourage
those who are not dedicated escargot-philes. This is very, very SLOW FOOD.
Caveat: If you find your
periwinkles along our northeastern shores, pay attention to warnings about safe
days to harvest shellfish. In the
Smallest State, we have to put up with our neighbor to the east pouring their
sewage into the local waters, and occasionally the shellfishing is banned.
To prepare, bring
periwinkles to a boil in salted water and boil briskly for about 20 minutes. Drain. Pick them out of their shells. Now you can
- dip them in garlic butter (accompanied with a good bread and a good wine)
- use them as you would clams in a sauce for pasta
- use them in PERIWINKLES FORESTIÈRE
Saute 24 mushroom caps (or
broil them) until soft. Fill each
cap with a couple or a few unhoused periwinkles (how many is left up to
you).
Whip ½ cup of sweet butter
until soft, then add 1 crushed garlic clove, ¼ cup of finely chopped parsley,
and a dash of salt and pepper (to taste).
Place a pat of the butter mixture on the periwinkles, and then broil
until the butter is melted and the mushrooms are hot.
The recipe says that it
serves 4, which means six mushroom caps per diner. Add salad, bread, wine, beer, and good company. Makes a fine dinner, I reckon.
