Pine cone picking in our forrest is a fun family activity.  Our land changes so dramatically from season to season and this activity not only gives us supplies for Christmas decorations but it gives us farmers a chance to look at how the land is shaping and see what is happening to the trees.  We always get a herd of followers hoping we have brought bread as we use the blue light hours to find our cones.

Our pine cones are quite small even though the trees are still very tall.  This is because of the climate.  Being so cold things don’t have a lot of time to grow big.  So when you see a short tree in Norway it is likely to be very old.  In fact, the higher you go in Norway the shorter the trees get.  At Northcape there are no trees at all.

This year on our cone picking we got to see a birds-eye view of a magpie’s nest.  A big gully is being created on the land because of runoff and several trees have fallen to the ground still growing.  It is a problem that we will have to deal with but not until summer.  Meanwhile, we quite enjoy having a look inside the nest.  It is on the highest branches, about 50cm long, very hard, made with bits and pieces of trees, dirt and I’m guessing bird saliva to stick it all together.

On pages 13 and 14 of Hanna Winsnes’ cook book:

For three pounds of flour take half a pound of butter, half a pound of crushed crystal sugar, three to four eggs or egg whites, one good pot of milk, a few handful of raisins and some cut almonds and candied fruit. Add six tablespoons of ‘purified’ yeast.

The butter and the sugar is melted in the milk, which then must be cooled so it is lukewarm, the yeast is mixed with a little milk and is put in first, then the rest of the milk and finally the eggs, which must be beaten a little. The dough must be worked well… it is good to save a little flour as the dough at first can be quite soft, so it can be kneaded well; it is done in the way, that you support the trough, that stands on a chair against the wall and against your chest, beat the dough towards you with both hands so it falls back over the hands into the trough, and work it well, then mix in the rest of the flour, and leave it to rise.

The raisins are blanched and dried off and these, as well as almonds and candied fruit, are mixed in first, when the dough has risen. It is important to choose a good spot for the dough, while it is rising, as its goodness much depends on it happening quickly.

Some advise to put it in a crockery pot, and this in a tub of hot water; but anyone can understand that the water will soon cool, and it becomes troublesome and easily forgettable to continuously change it. I have found it far better to warm up a clean smooth iron pot, rub it thinly with butter and put the dough inside with the lid over.

The pot must stand in the chimney, but so far away from the fire that the dough does not form a crust. It can rise in less than an hour. The Christmas cake must not be kneaded on the table; as this cannot be done without using flour; you rub your hands with melted butter, take as much of the dough as you want for one cake, and take of raisins and almonds as you find appropriate, these are inserted, and one smooths out the cake on one side by continuously folding in the sides from underneath; this will smooth itself out on the baking sheet. The sheets must be greased with butter or with pigs fat, and then the cakes must stand near the fire covered with a thin clothe, until they have risen again.

If you have tin pans for cooking other cakes in, it is best to put the dough in after, and then bake the cake in the pan when it is well risen. You can then take one half pægel of more milk for this portion.

On page 13 – in regards to cooking all wheat breads:

If you want to heat up the oven for wheat bread alone, you must put in wood, like for fine bread, and leave it somewhat longer to cool, preferably for large wheat breads; strange as it may seem the small lent boller can take stronger heat than lager bread. The reason is that they cook so rapidly when they are well risen that they don’t have time to get too brown, whereas the large ones that have to be left in for longer, are both exposed, and they can be stopped from rising further in the oven by getting too hard a crust. If you made sure, that the wheat bread was ready and risen o the sheets, when the brown bread is taken out, then the heat would be suitble for the small ones, that need shorter time, but this is not reliable, and it is best to put 12 to 14 pieces of wood, that are only half as thick as for bread, in afterward. The oven must not be lit, until the dough has started to rise well, the glowing wood must be racked out over the base for as far in as the sheets will reach and must lie there until they turn slightly black before they are removed.
(to paraphrase – cook in an 180/320 oven for until a brown crust has formed.)

Read about Hanna Winsnes and the First Norwegian Cook Book.

A pægel is an old German measurement – half a pægel is about 2.4dl.

On the 8th of December was the conception of Mary.  There was a little confusion as some thought it was Mary’s conception of Jesus Christ on this day, however, it was meant to mark St Anna, Mary’s mother’s, conception of Mary.  The farmer’s primstav mark for this day was a cross, a fishnet, a St. Mary crown, or a Mary figure.

This was the day when brewing for Christmas started.  Brewing was an art-form which was passed down from father to son.  It was one of the most ceremonial Christmas preparations.  During pre-Christian times beer was drunk to honour the gods.  Later, when the gulating law was in full-swing, it was mandatory to brew beer for Christmas.  The beer had to be blessed in thanks for Christ and St Mary for a good year and peace.  Everyone had to brew as much beer a possible to show gratitude to the dieties for the years harvest.  The beer had to be so strong that you felt it in your head – it was almost a duty to get plastered at Christmas.

Each farm had their own secret recipes which were carefully passed down to the next generation.  It was tradition for the men to do the harvesting while the women did the brewing.  Preferable, it had to be brewed by ‘old hags’ as they made the best and strongest beer.

The brewing was connected with many customs and traditions especially when it came to protecting the beer from evil spirits.  A parade of trolls and witches – Åsgårdsreien (wild hunt, Gabriel’s hounds, or Ghost-riders) could drink all the beer if crosses and steal were not put up to ward them off.  The brewers had to be as quiet as possible while brewing but when they got to the end they had to scream and shout to make the brew stronger.  Often the neighbours would came round to help with the noise.  It was common to pour liquor into the brew and some even added tobacco and pepper to make it stronger.  Some thought it was the tobacco that would make people vomit after drinking too much.  It was a great loss to make a bad batch of beer so every best effort was made for a great batch every time – especially to be better than the neighbours.

Also, on this day, pregnant women prayed for a good birth and women also prayed to become pregnant. In some areas the folk washed their clothes white for Christmas.

Pressed ham is a classic Norwegian Christmas accompaniment to any buffet. It is custom to not let anything go to waste and so Nordmen Norwegians found a use for everything on an animal. Traditionally pressed ham was made from the meat of the pig’s head. However, in modern times meat is also taken from the upper arm of the pig.

To press about 1kg of meat you need:

A syltepresse: this is a special meat press designed specifically for this purpose. This can be bought at any good cooking store in Norway. Otherwise you can visit a syltepresse supplier in Norway and see which stores they deliver to.

Half a pork head
Half a kilo of pork shoulder
One and a half tablespoons of salt
One teaspoon of pepper
Half a teaspoon of ground cloves
Half a teaspoon of ground allspice
Half a teaspoon of ground ginger
Two teaspoons of ground gelatin powder

method
Place the pork head in a bath of cold water for 6-8 hours or overnight. Make sure to change the water often, say every two hours. This is so the meat can separate from the bone.
In a large pan put in the pork head and pork shoulder and pour in boiling water to cover the meat. Let head and shoulder stand for two and a half hours. This will make a soaking stock.
Cut off the rind from the pork head in one piece if possible. Separate the fat and cut it into strips. Cut the pork head while it is hot into thin strips. Cut strips from the shoulder. Use a small container with high sides and lay a large cooking cloth in and over the sides. Cut out two pieces of rind to match the base area of the container. Put one face down on the clothe in the container. Save the other for the top. Mix the dry ingredients together. Layer the all the ingredients – head and shoulder meat, sliced pork fat with a sprinkling of dry ingredients and repeat. Place the saved rind on top and then gather the clothe edges up over the meat and tie off tightly with a piece of cooking string.
Reheat the soaking stock to 90 degrees Celsius. Put in the packaged meat and let it draw for an hour until heated all the way through.
Take out the meat bundle and put it into the syltepresse. Lightly compress. As the meat cools, press more and more until the meat is cold and solid.
Store in salty water, a weak brine, until ready to use.

Dinmat.no has a short example video on sylte on their website in Norwegian.  For this they use a steal press which can also be used in the brine.