TA-DA! QUINCE JELLY!

I decided to try and make the quince jelly instead of the cheese. It turned out pretty nice I think. It tastes sort of like peaches and sort of like honey and then I guess the different taste is that of the quince! It is very good. I think it would be real yummy on some hot, homemade biscuits or piece of thick whole wheat toast! Probably wouldn't make a bad PBJ sandwich either. The owner of Green Mount was here last weekend and he remembers eating quince jelly here as a child. He was anxious to try it again, so I guess one jar is to keep and one jar is for him! Hey, maybe next year my friend and I can enter some in the VA state fair! The judges probably wouldn't even know what it was...

VISITORS AND AN OLD RECIPE

Yesterday, Monday, October 4th, I was so thrilled to have company here at Green Mount. Jon and Kristen Ober of Mathews County stayed for a portion of the day and were the best company. They were so interested in the history of the home, the family, the artifacts, the story of the Fleet family in general. We exchanged books, I receiving as a gift, the third book written by Jon, A Game Warden's Field Notes III, (thank you again!) and they left with copies of Green Mount After the War and the Autobiography of Sallie Lee Mahood which I could only loan them, but I know we will all enjoy reading each other's books. Fine people are the Obers and I hope they will visit again.

Today, by the way, is our oldest son's 21st birthday. Alex is celebrating I suppose in a modest way. He's stationed in Afghanistan, being a member of the 173rd Airborne Unit (Army). We miss him a lot, pray he's safe and hope to see him in December when he's allowed a whole month off and will be out of Afghanistan, stationed in Italy. Then he, his Dad, his brother Tyler and I will have a big group hug and be thankful for many things.

I am not actually writing a journal entry at this time. The reason for this post is to share with you a couple of old recipes I found in a cookbook here at Green Mount. The book is titled Miss Leslie's Complete Cookery and was printed in 1841. There is a quince bush out front of the house and I've always wondered what it was. After finally learning what the name of the fruit bearing bush was, I read where Ma (Mrs. Fleet) once made quince jelly and sent it to her oldest son Fred when he was in camp in the Confederate Army. She encouraged him to share some of the other foods she sent, but to keep the quince jelly for himself. Here are a few pictures of the quince bush and the fruit and a typed out copy of the recipes in this old book. It's fun to read some of the instructions such as the part about "if you are obliged to use river water..." I guess times have changed a little. So, I've picked me some quinces and since I don't have many, I think I'll try to make the quince cheese. A good friend of mine who wins blue ribbons at the state fair every year is going to try making the jelly. She got some of the quinces I picked earlier. She won two first places this year and two other ribbons as well. I don't know if you can buy these bushes around, I suppose you can and if you'd like to try making an old-timey treat here is some information that may assist. I also found a recipe on line for the jelly, so there are people who still make this. I had never heard of it until moving here. The photo of the jelly I found on line was a pretty pinkish color. I also learned from that reading on line that the quinces have a lot of natural pectin, so none has to be added.

QUINCE JELLY

Take fine ripe yellow quinces, wash them and remove all the blemishes. Cut them in pieces, but do not pare or core them. Put them into a preserving-pan with clear spring water. If you are obliged to use river water, filter it first; allowing one pint to twelve large quinces. Boil them gently till they are all soft and broken. Then put them into a jelly-bag, and do not squeeze it till after the clear liquid has ceased running. Of this you must make the best jelly, allowing each pint a pound of loaf sugar. Having dissolved the sugar in the liquid, boil them together about twenty minutes, or till you have a thick jelly. In the mean time squeeze out all that is left in the bag. It will not be clear, but you can make a very good jelly for common purposes.

QUINCE CHEESE

Have fine ripe quinces, and pare and core them. Cut them into pieces and weigh them; and to each pound of quinces, allow half a pound of the best brown sugar. Put the cores and parings into a kettle with enough water to cover them, keeping the lid of the kettle closed. When you find that they are all boiled to pieces and quite soft, strain off the water over the sugar, and when it is entirely dissolved, put it over the fire and boil it to a thick syrup, skimming it well. When no more scum rises, put in the quinces, cover them closely, and boil them all day over a slow fire, stirring them and mashing them down with a spoon till they are a thick smooth paste. Then take it out, and put it into buttered tin pans or deep dishes. Let it set to get cold. It will then turn out so firm that you may cut it into slices like cheese. Keep it in a dry place in broad stone pots. It is intended for the tea-table.

I tasted one of the quinces uncooked and they are SOUR!

As always, thank you very much for reading. I promise to post the next journal entry very soon.

December 22nd, 1860, another Wednesday!

Since last posting I finished Helen's Babies. It was a great read and even more special since I know someone here read it 130 years ago. I have sent it to my sister-in-law, who read it and is passing it around. I highly recommend it. A simpler time with many the same dilemmas as we have today. Now on with a new post...The ink has faded drastically on this entry, some straining of the eyeballs to read, but it's worth it!

Green Mount,

Dec. 22, 1880

This is the last record for the year 1880 & the unpleasant duty of keeping it falls to my lot. The task is particularly sad to me today, for well I know that some of us at least will be absent from our accustomed places when the last record before next Christmas will be read out in our Society. I know though that we will carry away with us pleasant remembrances of the happy hours spent in our dear Society. In a few days now we will be at home & how the thoughts cheer us up for the few remaining days. After much talk about the coming Christmas we went on with the usual exercises. Nannie played "Brattleboro Waltz" which was followed by a piece called "Coming Down the Chimney" from Lulie. Lou played "Old Black Joe" (by Stephen Foster) beautifully. We were all pleased at the manner in which she played it. Truly the old saying is verified in her case viz: "Practice makes perfect." Mattie Kate read "Poor Old Aunt Crown and the Christmas She Didn't mean to Keep," which shows how happy one child is capable of making a home. Lucy read "Christmas Thoughts" (see page on left of screen) very well indeed. Miss Lou read "The Sleet" which was very appropriate as the ground was covered with snow & the trees with ice. Sallie ended the very pleasant evening with "German Triumphant March" which she played beautifully. I hope we will all come back greatly uplifted from our Christmas holiday &be ready to meet bravely the trials and temptations which must come sometimes to mar our happiness. "And though it may be hard to understand, the way through which He leads your life is not mine. May we not safely trust the gracious hand that brings to us so good a Christmas time."

M. K. Faunt Le Roy

DECEMBER 15TH, 1880

It has been almost 2 months since I last posted something. I am ashamed of myself. My only excuse is "summer." How busy the days have been since our son graduated from high school in June. We have been back and forth to the beach irregularly and life seems more topsy turvy than usual. When we are actually more busy with work there was more of a routine. But I think summers are supposed to be this way, don't you?

So tonight the house is quiet, all alone, except for the five doggies who keep me company. I've been doing necessary work all this Saturday and am indulging myself with a reward of blogging!

Since my last post I googled the book Helen's Babies from which Mattie Kate read an extract. I found it for sale, very inexpensive too, and ordered it. I'm reading it now and although it was written in the latter part of the 1800's I find so much commonality in the words of the author and life today. So, if you have an interest in this book, look it up on line and if you find it, yay! Or if not, let me know and I'll loan you my copy, when I get finished.

So, here is the next entry in the minutes of "The Evergreen Society": Of course it is Wednesday afternoon about 3 o'clock...

Dec. 15, 1880

I shall have to ask the members of our Society to excuse the way in which this record is written, as I very carelessly neglected to write it until this last hour. We opened as usual by reading a Psalm, and then we assembled in the music room. It was Lulie's time to play first, but she seemed to think she was not prepared, so we allowed her to read, as she promised to play next time. Nannie read "The Page" a very pretty piece of poetry describing a dear little boy. Mattie read a beautiful little piece called "A Moment." (this poem is not the one she read, but the title is the same and I thought it may be similar...)Lucie played "The Song of the Brook" very well indeed. I think she ought to be congratulated. Her mother told her when she first commenced music, that she wanted her to take it, and though it was harder than anything she had ever taken, she persevered and learned it. Sallie read "The Old Year and the New." Mattie Kate closed the entertainment with a beautiful piece called "The Tremolo", which we enjoyed ever so much. We were obliged to excuse Miss Florence from playing, because as we were very sorry to say Miss Fleet was sick, and she did not like to leave her so long. In my haste I have forgotten Lou who read a lovely piece called "Unrest."

Helen's Babies and more...

Dec. 8, 1880

Our Evergreen Society assembed as usual at three o'clock. Lucy read a scrap called "Too Candid by Half" (this is by John Godfrey Saxe, famous for The Blind Men and the Elephant) which made us all laugh. (See "Pages" on left side of blog to read "Too Candid by Half") Nannie then played a bright little waltz called "Fairy Wedding." Lou played "Monastery Bells" with good taste & time. Mattie Kate read some extracts from "Helen's Babies" which were so much enjoyed that the girls requested that the whole book might be read to them in reading hour. Sallie ended a very pleasant hour by playing "Nearer My God To Thee" with variations.

It's December, 1880

Dec. 1, 1880

Well you may know that I was anxious for Cousin Florence to go to the party, as I consented to keep the record for her. After the usual proceedings Lucy played (while the girls sang) "Beyond the ___?_ and the Weeping". Lucy played it very badly but, the girls sung it very sweetly. Nannie read a very sweet piece called "A Dream." Then Loulie played with much expression "Shepherd Boy." It's a very sweet piece, but the old lady became quite ?palsaic" before she got through, this however didn't destroy the beauty of the piece. Lou read "The Force of Examples." The substance of the piece is this: An old lobster gives her young daughter a scold for walking backwards whereupon she says, "Why mother it would be quite presumptuous for me to change the fashion which my "Great Grand Mammy" & even down to my Mammy. To illustrate this I will use a quotation from the first part of the book. viz: "Put yourself in the place of anyone whose work you wish to criticize and you will find that it is very much easier to say how a thing ought to be done than how to do it." Mattie repeated a piece called "Gentle Words and Loving Fondly." I wish our tongues would roll off some of these oftener as Sister Blount said the other day that her head was about to roll off & I think we had better roll out some gentle words than she should lose her "pretty" head. Cousin Lou read "Counsels for TheYoung," which if we would practice them we would be so happy and everything would be all right. Then as usual we reserved the best for the last, which was a beautiful piece called "The Music of the Sea" by Mattie Kate. She did full justice to the piece. Cousin Lou then marched us out to walk which of course ended a pleasant evening.

B

REMEMBERING THOSE WHO LEFT US...

This past Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 we said good-bye to our little friend Fred. He'd been with us since a cold snowy day in January 2001. He passed away on a warm sunny day, just the way he loved for the weather to be. Fred was around 14 years of age. He was found on the side of the road, shivering, lonely, abandoned. My husband sited him and stopped. He said, "You look like you could use a friend." We tried to find his owner, who probably did not want to be found. We were lucky to have our little buddy Fred. Sometimes we called him our small speckled pony. He never hurt a flea and followed me everywhere. He could be encouraged to howl, and when he did we said he was singing Happy Birthday! Only the past few months was he no longer trudging up the staircase behind me. But, he'd wait patiently at the bottom or bark if he wasn't sure where I was. He had been having kidney issues for which he was medicated; a small scoop of aluminum hydroxide powder with his meals worked wonders for him. The vet said he wasn't expected to live through last August. Well, he's our little rebel and he lived happily until Tuesday. His last week was rough though as his condition deteriorated rapidly. We couldn't let him suffer, and he was. We took him to our vet, Dr. Forrester who lovingly let him rest eternally. She was as heartbroken as we were. He was in my arms sleeping and we said our good-byes. We'll miss our little Fred and his grave is just out the window next to where I'm typing. I wish everyone I knew was as true a friend as he. One of our friends, Tom from New York, said, "I know dogs go to heaven, because it wouldn't be heaven without dogs." That made me feel so good. Thanks Tom and to all of you who have sent your sympathy. Fondly, Tere

Fred at the door of Green Mount and playing Santa and just hanging out in the yard here.

Fred's last nap at home and his little grave in the side yard.

This is the first pet we've had to bury here at Green Mount. Makes me wonder how many are buried here throughout the yard and gardens. As much as the Fleets loved their animals, I'm sure there are many such graves and each one special.

With all that said, I would like to add a few more pictures. The owner of Green Mount visited the other day and brought with him the family Bible.

Fleet Family Bible

Recording of deaths of Fleets from Civil War era.

Pa, Ma, Florence, Fred, Lou, Bessie, Willie and his wife Nannie. There is no record of David's death.

Benny's death, written by Pa...on the facing page.

Benjamin R. Fleet was murdered by the Yankees on Wednesday 2nd March 1864 in King Wm Co. near Mr. Anderson Scott's, whither he had gone as a Scout where he met the Advance Guard of the Enemy dressed in Confederate Uniform, and was killed by them. Aged 17 yrs. 5 months & 1 day.