–39—To make Trosses for the sea {Sea sickness remedy}
First make a paste of sugar and gum tragacanth, then mix into it a reasonable quantity of powdered cinnamon and ginger and if you please a little Musk also. Make it up into rolls of several fashions gilding them here and there. In the same manner you may also convey any purgative or other medicine into the sugar paste.
1 cup sugar
1Tbsp powdered gum tragacanth
Water to make a paste
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Ginger
Mix the sugar and gum with enough water for a pate to form. Then add the cinnamon and ginger powder to thicken the paste and until the taste of the sugar is covered (my personal preference). Portion into approximately 1 /2tsp blobs. After they air dried resting on a piece of parchment paper moisten your hands and roll them into smooth balls. Let dry and store away in your travelling kit.
For KASF I did not do any gilding. The recipe made 35 portions.
–45—How to keep the dry pulp of cherries, prunes, damsons etc. for a year.
Take of those kind of cherries which are sharp in taste (if the common black and red cherries will not also serve having the end of the decoction a little sulfuric acid {don’t use this} or sulfur or some verjus of sour grapes or lemon juice mixed there with to give a sufficient tartness) pull off their stems and boil them by themselves without the addition of any liquor in a cauldron or pipkin and when they boil in their own juice stir them hard at the bottom and with a spatula lest they scorch to the bottom of the pan. They have boiled sufficiently when they have cast off all their skins and that the pulp and substance of the cherries is grown to a thick paste. Take it from the fire and let it cool then divide the stones and the skins by passing the pulp through the bottom of a strainer reversed as they use for cassia fistula and then take this pulp and spread it thin upon glazed stones or dishes and so let it dry in the sun or else in an oven preferably after you have removed your bread then remove it from the stone or dish and keep it to improve the appetite and to cool the stomach during fevers and all other hot diseases. You can do the same with all manner of fruit if you fear problems in this procedure you may finish it in a hot water bath
3LB plums
1 /4 cup verjuice
Cut the plums in half and remove the seeds. Place in a large pot with a small amount of water to help the plums resist scorching as the water comes up to a boil.
Let the plums disintegrate then run them through a strainer to remove big chunks of skin and to help break up the flesh. This will also get rid of any bits of seed left.
Return the fruit to the pan and let it simmer away most of the water. Then ut it in a low oven on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once cooled peel the dried paste and cut into pieces.
–26—Sweet and delicate dentrifices or rubbers for the teeth
Dissolve in four ounces of warm water three or four drams of gum tragacanth and in one night this will become a thick substance like jelly. Add to the same the powder of finely ground alabaster that has been sieved. Then roll the mixture into little round rods the diameter of a child’s arrow and four or 5 inches in length. Also if you temper roses or some other color that is not hurtful they will show full of pleasing veins. These you may sweeten either with rosewater, civet, or musk.
If your teeth be very scaly let some expert barber first take off the scales with his instruments then you may keep them clean by rubbing them with the previously mentioned rolls. Those miserable experiences that I have seen in some of my nearest friends I am enforced to admonish all gentlewomen to be careful how they suffer their teeth to be cleaned and made white with any Aqua fortis (Nitric acid) which is the barber’s usual cleaner. Unless the same is both well delayed and carefully applied she may happen within a few dressings to be forced to borrow a set of teeth to eat her dinner unless her gums to help her the better.
1 /4 cup water
4g gum tragacanth
4oz approx. alabaster powder
This is for the basic unflavored version.
Mix our water and gum tragacanth in a bowl and let set overnight. In the morning you will find a clear jelly similar to unflavored gelatin. Mix in enough of the alabaster powder until you get a fairly dry paste. Portion out the paste and let dry. When the portions are mostly dry to the touch they will easily roll out to what size you wish.
Æduin of Skye 