notes on mustard, volumes 2 & 3
October 30, 2011
Mustard #2, another variation on Edward fitzRanulf’s Strong Mustard, (a translation of a Kenelm Digby mustard, 1669) was put up on October 4 and is already mellowing out better than the first attempt. Modifications to the original recipe are as follows:
-vinegar used was 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 white wine vinegar
-ground almonds used in place of bread crumbs
-demerara sugar
Mustard #3, the third (and final, for the time being) variation on Edward’s recipe, was put up on October 29. On initial tasting before it went into the jar to chill on the counter for a while, this mustard tastes much sweeter than the first two. Modifications:
-red onion substituted for white
-red wine vinegar
-ground almonds in place of bread crumbs
-demerara sugar
-horseradish omitted (this is likely the biggest contributor to the sweeter taste)
While Mustard #1 is still too harsh to eat straight up or on sandwiches, I tried it in a simple salad dressing (large dollop of mustard, dollop of honey, olive oil, cider vinegar, sea salt and black pepper) and it was pretty good (but strong!). Usable in this manner even if it doesn’t mellow any further, but it’ll sit out for a while longer just to see if a bit more of the edge comes off it.
Next I’ll be moving on from the Digby mustard to one more that we were given by Edward fitzRanulf, the 1390 Lombard Mustard found in Samuel Pegge’s The Forme of Cury. It’s a simpler recipe, just mustard, bread crumbs (again I’ll likely use almonds), vinegar, honey and salt. I’m going to try using a mix of yellow and brown mustard seed (instead of all brown) in hopes of producing a lighter flavour.
Posted by jodi on October 30, 2011 at 9.17am
october 29 studio video: this is maybe gross?
October 29, 2011
Here is a video of some fabric squares I printed and hemmed up for bandannas:
Some of the squares are cut from yardage of new-but-vintage fabrics from The Fabric Store That Time Forgot. Others are cut from reclaimed fabrics, some pieces of unused yardage from someone else’s sewing room that ended up in a thrift store, and some from secondhand bedsheets and duvet covers. I’m pretty picky when choosing secondhand fabrics to use, and they get washed both before and after printing so there aren’t any traces of other-people-guck in them. But a Skype chat I had with Peter last night (he’s out of town for work) got me wondering if other people maybe aren’t as okay as I am with repurposing fabrics that others have slept against into items to be worn on such intimate areas as head and neck. Here’s the relevant excerpt from our chat:
jodichartreuse: are you coming to the bazaar after you get home? i will have the car
jodichartreuse: weird eh
Peter Zimmerman: yes, i will come
Peter Zimmerman: unless it’s totally raining
jodichartreuse: okay! bring otisfamily!*
jodichartreuse: no rain in the forecast, i’m not even gonna bother with the tent i don’t think
Peter Zimmerman: it’s not like your stuff is made of paper or anything!
Peter Zimmerman: or cotton candy
jodichartreuse: yeah well the tent is in a bundle on the back porch with puddles in it. that will fall on my paper too
Peter Zimmerman: or witches
jodichartreuse: my work might contain a couple of witches
jodichartreuse: new bandannas fucking rock by the way
jodichartreuse: better than the old ones
Peter Zimmerman: poor selinda**
jodichartreuse: i told her she can trade up
Peter Zimmerman: no!
jodichartreuse: hah why not
Peter Zimmerman: ugh, nobody wants second head bandanas!
jodichartreuse: nah, i can print more on them for her though
jodichartreuse: look some of these bandannas are made from old bedsheets
jodichartreuse: thrice washed
jodichartreuse: people have to start thinking about the fucking environment
jodichartreuse: says the lady who stunk up The House with ink off-gassing today
Peter Zimmerman: it’s the fucking environment of someone else’s head!
jodichartreuse: thrice. washed.
Peter Zimmerman: it’s like shoes, or underwear
Peter Zimmerman: i mean i’m all about the environment, but
jodichartreuse: also some are dyed, that’s like an extra wash because of all the heat and salt.
jodichartreuse: well we shall see. if people are creeped out they can just be unfashionable i don’t give a shit.
Peter Zimmerman: i suppose i bought a used toque once
Peter Zimmerman: got me there!
jodichartreuse: some are new fabric, i will be quite open about it all. especially the thrice washed part.
jodichartreuse: used bras.
jodichartreuse: HE HAS PLACED HIS NIPPLES WHERE I HAVE RESTED MINE***
I really hope people aren’t creeped out, because I lied: I DO want those people to look fashionable. Thrice washed, people. That is a lot of washes. With Borax, even. Am I setting myself up for everyone thinking my work is gross?
*otisfamily are picking Peter up at the airport, because even though I have the car! and my licence! now, I’ll be busy at the Midtown Bazaar. Selling lovingly hand printed and THRICE WASHED bandannas, I hope.
**selinda is a friend of ours, a member of otisfamily and a great supporter of my work, and she bought two bandannas from me last week. They’re the older ones, which do rock, just maybe not quite as hard as the new ones. Like, the old ones are Judas Priest and the new ones are Motörhead.
***What Connie Marble said when she found out that Channing the manservant had been wearing her brassieres. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a video clip on the internet with that scene in it, so you’ll just have to go watch this one instead.
Posted by jodi on October 29, 2011 at 8.00pm
midtown bazaar, this sunday!
October 28, 2011
This fun event is brought to you by The House, where I have my office-slash-studio. I’ll be there selling my hand bound books and block printed clothing. Please come and buy my stuff so I can take that cash directly across the parking lot and spend it all at the used record vendor’s table (this is the bane of all artists who sell at craft shows, amirite? There’s always something there that you want, just as soon as you make some scratch!). There’s also going to be pumpkin carving, live music, trick-or-treating, derby girls, awesomeness, poets, face painting and who knows what else. And an after party at Rino’s! My artwork is still up on the walls inside The House so if you missed the studio opening last week, here’s another chance to check it out.
As vendors are encouraged to come in costume, I’ve been waffling between 16th century Russian lady (my default, no-inspiration costume of choice), Ottoman empire dancer, or roller derby girl. Because those are the things that I have clothes for already. I was kind of leaning towards the knee socks, skates and war paint approach but it’s going to be a bit chilly, so Russian lady will probably win out. She’s got the most layers, as well as a big warm shuba (that’s a longass coat with extremely long sleeves and fur trim). Maybe I’ll find time on Saturday to make a spectacular kokoshnik to go with. Which will be exciting to nobody but me.
Here’s a sneak peek of what I’ll be selling: these are some fabric squares I’m printing for bandannas, drying in the window with their first layer of ink:
And some of my block printed skirts (photo by Sanja Frkovic for Our Windsor).
Links: the event on Windsorite.ca
Midtown Bazaar event on facebook
Posted by jodi on October 28, 2011 at 9.07am
it’s possible to learn new things about yourself even in middle age
October 27, 2011
Since getting my driver’s license for the first time ever a couple of days ago, I’ve run a few errands all alone in the car. While I can’t quite shake the feeling that I’m doing something illegal (I’m not), I’ve discovered something about myself: I am a singalong driver. A very loud singalong driver. This while being the kind of person who won’t sing in public, ever. So if you see me at a stop light belting it out, don’t judge. I’ve got years of repressed radio sinalonging to get out.
SCARAMOUCHE SCARAMOUCHE WILL YOU DO THE FANDANGO!
Posted by jodi on October 27, 2011 at 10.07am
studio warming party at the house
October 18, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 4pm to 8pm
The House, 131 Elliott Street West, Windsor Ontario
There will be live music (TBD), Rino’s bar will be open for your beverage needs, and there will be plenty of art on display. I’ll also be debuting my new line of woodblock printed skirts, never before seen! Come say hello, check out what I’ve been up to, enjoy drinks on the patio one last time before winter (weather permitting), and help me christen my brand new studio.
Posted by jodi on October 18, 2011 at 8.42am
photo
October 16, 2011
Faded candy in a store window, Exeter Ontario. Thanksgiving Sunday, October 9 2011. Taken with the Harinezumi digital.
Posted by jodi on October 16, 2011 at 8.00am
i almost forgot to show you guys this crappy nighttime photo of my pie
October 15, 2011
Pie gets made in our house seldom enough that apparently we don’t even own a pie plate, although we both remember having more than one (I do have a recollection of one getting broken, though). At any rate, a square pan works out fine for pie, you just have to be gentle getting the pastry into the corners. Now that my mom has seen this pie, I’m pretty sure there will be a proper pie plate waiting for us under the Winter Holiday Tree.
It’s apple, by the way. And it was delicious.
Posted by jodi on October 15, 2011 at 8.27am
what i did today
October 12, 2011
La Viande Rose:
Franklin Gothic:
Find them here! la viande rose
Posted by jodi on October 12, 2011 at 10.19pm
october 5 drawing
October 6, 2011
Here’s the drawing I created during my two hours as a guest on the local CBC radio programme The Bridge. The printing underneath, at least four layers of woodblock in varying shades of green and blue, was already on the page before starting, and a layer of acrylic gesso was rubbed onto the entire page earlier in the day to push those colours into the background a bit before laying down a line drawing on top. The drawing started with a tiny square in the centre and spiraled out to cover most of the page. I really had to scramble to finish this in the two hours.
At the end of the programme the drawing was given away to a listener. Thank you so much to everyone who emailed for a chance to win the piece. I didn’t get to see all of your emails but the host and producer did show me a few of them in which people said some very kind and flattering things about me. So that was lovely! Also good for the ego was the fact that there were a lot more emails from people hoping to win my drawing than there were from people hoping to win tickets to see Crystal Gayle at the casino tonight. I’m thinking about making that my byline for a while: MORE POPULAR THAN CRYSTAL GAYLE. Maybe tomorrow I’ll show you a picture of me from when I used to have waist length hair, if I can find one.
Posted by jodi on October 6, 2011 at 9.42am
handmade paper match notes
October 5, 2011
New in my etsy shop, these tiny notebooks come in sets of 5 so you can keep one in every pocket. The covers are various handmade papers containing cotton linters, abaca, kapok, kudzu, denim rags, okra stalks and other good stuff. With these little books on hand your social encounters can be just like old times, before cellphones and smoking bans, when you’d scribble notes to yourself and new friends’ phone numbers inside the cover of a matchbook.
I’m working on getting more things in the store that are more subtle, in neutral colours and with simple finishes rather than my usual garish, sensory-overload style. Watch for a new line of miniature (but larger than these) notebooks with these same handmade paper soon, probably after the weekend.
Posted by jodi on October 5, 2011 at 11.21am
