Re: Lack Of Trees In Irish And British Countrysides

On May 12, 11:00 am, jl <j...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> In article
> <f4c10b77-5bae-46ed-938a-27a7c55be...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>    Salahoona <dona...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
> > No fridges in those days.  Anyway, I lived in such a culture and
> > cannot remember eating 'meat' - lots of milk and butter though - salt
> > ****t was the big treat. I cannot agree your presumption that only the
> > rich and powerful could afford cattle; perhaps a political pre-
> > conception on your part. Every family had a cow.
>
> Agreed - generally for milk and butter. As there usually was no fodder
> available for winter, most cattle were slaughtered and the meat was
> salted.

I hesitate to agree with that. Cattle were also central heating and a
lot cheaper than going to the bog for wet turf in the winter Cow in
the house is no stranger to me.

 >After a while it had a terrible taste and spices were used to
> disguise this

I'm a bigot, but for most people, except the Christian Ascendency,
didn't use spice.
..
> - hence the spice trade and the outrageous sums charged for
> spices, which generally only the better off could afford. Only with the
> introduction of root vegetables - turnips and the like - was it possibly
> to winter cattle - which put an end to the high profit margins of the
> spice trade.

Well, some of us survived the famine.
>
> > There was an old couple who lived in a remote spot and had no
> > children. The Man of the house died and the Woman of the house made a
> > decision. She abandoned the holding and wandered the road with the
> > cow. She would visit her extended family in turn where the cow grazed
> > and gave milk. I'd like to write a full account of it as Ban Aon Bho -
> > much as I dislike speaking Gaelic in Christian Irish. I heard the
> > story from people who knew her and were young kids at the time.
>
> Interesting tale.
>
> Jochen
>
> --
>
>  ------------------------------------
>  Limavady and the Roe Valley
>  http://www.jochenlueg.freeuk.com

Donal