Renaissance Faires

Enjoy this classic meal at the faire!

With Renaissance Faire season under way, some vendors are looking to provide authentic recipes for people to try while attending these types of events. One recipe that you can consider having at your stand is Beef Bourguignon. This is a traditional French recipe that started off as a peasant dish that worked its way into a high-quality meal. Therefore, if you are looking to feature it at your booth, you can still wear your Renaissance serving wench outfit as the dish has its roots in the peasantry.

Ingredients:

–        ¼ cup flour

–        1 Teaspoon salt

–        1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

–        4 Tablespoons butter

–        2 lbs cubed stew meat

–        1 Red pepper, diced

–        1 Onion, chopped

–        1 lb White pearl onion, peeled

–        3 Garlic cloves, minced

–        1 lb Button mushrooms

–        4 Carrots, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces

–        2 Cups red wine, preferably Burgundy

–        3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

–        1 Teaspoon dried thyme

–        1 Bay leaf

Procedure:

1.      Put the flour, salt, and ground black pepper together in small bowl

2.      Place the beef cubes in to the bowl and cover them in this mixture

3.      Allow the butter to melt, over medium heat, in a cast iron pan

4.      Place the beef in the pan and allow it to brown well on all sides

5.      Once brown, add the onion, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots

6.      Saute this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender

7.      Next add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and red wine

8.      Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 2 ½ hours

9.      Remove the cover and bake the mixture for another 30 minutes

10.  More wine, chicken broth, or water may be added if needed

11.  Garnish the dish with parsley

Enjoy!

Patrons of Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe are typically the kind of loyal subjects who also love to attend Renaissance Faires or other types of Medieval festivals. It is important that there are outlets for Renaissance enthusiasts to show off their impressive Renaissance Faire costuming and to help others experience what one of the most interesting periods in all of history.

One of the most premier Renaissance Faires in the country is the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at the Mount Hope Estate & Winery. This is the faire that encompasses thirty-five acres and has 12 stages, 23 kitchens, dozens of authentic Tudor buildings, and over 90 shows daily. You can see jousts, Shakespearean plays, musical acts, the court jester, and a welcoming from Her Majesty each and every day.

The Dates for this year are weekends from August 13^th to October 30^th , from 11AM-8PM. The Faire is also open Labor Day Monday.

Some themed weekends:

The Grand Arrival:  Aug 13-14

Heroes of the Realm:  Sep 10-11

Pirate Invasion:  Sep 17-18

Halloween Daze & Spooky Knights: Oct 15-16, 22-23, 29-30

One of the most appealing aspects of the Medieval times was the notion of Wizards and the magic that they could cast.  Of course finding real magic can be incredibly difficult, but if you wanted to play the role of a wizard at a Renaissance Faire or Medieval event you are going to need both a Medieval wizard’s cloak and some magic of your own to perform.

In order to complete this trick, you’ll need a carrot, a sheet or handkerchief, and some small pins.  You’ll want to cut the carrot so that it is roughly the same size and shape as your thumb.

When you perform this trick, you’ll want to have the carrot concealed in your hand or pocket.  Pull out the sheet and start to twirl it around to show that it is an ordinary piece of fabric.  Then make a first, stick up one of your thumbs, and put the sheet over your thumb.  As you do this, quickly slide the carrot  up so that it now makes the shape of your thumb.

Explain that you will be able to withstand the pain inserting the pins into your thumb and that with your magical power, you will remain unharmed.  Carefully slide the pin through the sheet and into the carrot, adding in a bit of acting if you so desire.  Show the crowd that you have the pins in your “thumb.”
Then remove the pins, again adding some acting if you’d like.  Once they are all removed, inform the crowd that when you remove the sheet, that your thumb will not contact a single mark.  When you reach for the sheet, make sure to also pull the carrot away with the sheet so that you don’t have to conceal it again.  Put the sheet, and carrot, into your pocket and reveal to the crowd that you are unscathed.  You might want to rehearse this trick a few times and remind children in the audience to not try this by themselves.
Do any of you have magic tricks that our Medieval wizards can try out for themselves?

Are you the kind of person who loves to go to Renaissance Faires or Medieval Reenactments?  Are you always impressed with the authenticity that those who run Faires bring to the table?  It is impressive to see someone portraying a King or Queen and to see them in period clothing and speaking as if they were from the historical era.  It’s almost as if they walked right out of a time machine.

Do you want to be able to interact with these characters as if you were from the same era?  If so, you are going to need two very important things:

1)  A Renaissance Costume:  Renaissance or Medieval costumes are extremely important in terms of creating an atmosphere that represents the time period you are trying to recreate.  Since humans rely mostly on their sight to portray atmosphere, being in authentic garb and costuming really helps to set the scene.  You can find authentic Renaissance clothing at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com.

2)  Speaking Guide:  Being able to converse with someone who is portraying an actor from a different era is important also to help create atmosphere.  But in some cases, knowing what to say and who to say it to can almost be like learning another language.  We looked around and found that this site provided a good basic article for understanding how to speak in the Elizabethan era.

Now that you have the elements you need, try to put them together and go out and enjoy your Renaissance Faire!

If you are considering purchasing Medieval or Renaissance footwear, there is one very important thing you need to remember:  Water damage.

If you are going to be taking these Medieval boots to a Renaissance faire, SCA event, or LARP weekend, odds are that you will be wearing them for a long period of time.  During that time, you may experience a lot instances where water may present itself:  Crossing a stream, rain water, puddles, swamps, morning and evening dew, plus many others.

Water can easily damage and slowly start to cause leather boots to rot away.  That is why it is extremely important that you take the time to waterproof your footwear.  Waterproofing your boots will increase the lifespan of your boots, which will help you save money in the long run.

So before you take your Renaissance boots out into the world for the first time, make sure that they are waterproofed!

Now that you have yourself a great Renaissance or Medieval costume, what are you going to do?  Yes you can use it for educational purposes, theatre, or even for Halloween.  But don’t you want to be able to have some fun while you’re wearing your authentic outfit?

There are two great options for you to consider, where you would be among countless others who share your passion for the Renaissance era.

1. Renaissance Faires:  Renaissance faires are a wonderful opportunity for you to see what life was actually like in the Medieval era.  You can eat Medieval food, watch knights joust, and experience any number of activities that are sure to keep you entertained.  The best part?  They encourage people to dress up in Renaissance costumes to help increase the atmosphere.  You can find a directory of all the major Renaissance faires in the country here.

2. Live Action Role Playing:  Live Action Role Playing, or LARPing, is a unique activity that actually puts you into a Medieval adventure.  When you attend a LARP event, you actually develop a character, put on the costuming, and in some cases pick up weapons (usually made of foam or latex) to do combat with other characters or monsters.  Typically, there is a staff that helps to create and run the game world.  Therefore, your character is always, “in game” the entire time you are at the event.  A directory of LARPs can be found here.

So make sure you don’t let your Medieval costumes sit around and gather dust.  Make sure you get out and show off your awesome new outfit!

If you are reading this blog, that means that you have a vested interest in the Renaissance era, Medieval era, or the fantasy genre.  At PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com, we love to be your provider of high quality Renaissance costuming.  Our outfits are both historically accurate and comfortable.

But instead of just looking at our outfits, we invite you to actually get out and attend Renaissance faires or Medieval reenactments.  These types of events are your chance to experience actual, living history.  Most of us only get a chance to interact with history from textbooks or television specials.  Why sit inside when you can actually get out and see it for real?

Why read about a sword fight, when you can see two men in actual armor dueling it out with real weapons?  Why read about Medieval recipes when you can get to a Medieval reenactment and taste the food for real?  Why just look at Renaissance clothing, when you can put on your own costume and join others who have the same passion for this historical era as you do?

So get up, get out, and experience history first hand.  If you decide to take an opportunity to learn about history, let PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com help you get dressed in historically accurate garb.  Then you can really fit the part.

If you are visiting PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com, odds are that you are a Medieval or Renaissance enthusiast. Perhaps you are even involved with reenactments, festivals, or Renaissance faires.

Although it is not required, it usually makes for a better time and atmosphere if you are in costume. Renaissance faires are one of the few places that you can always be in costume and it is socially acceptable.

However, there are some people who are timid when it comes to attending a Renaissance faire, and even more so when considering whether or not they want to wear a costume. They are not sure where to find a costume, or what kind of costume they would like.

Well now you don’t have to worry anymore. At PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com we have a large selection of high quality costuming that will make you look like you’ve been going Renaissance faires for years. There are costumes for all types of character concepts for both men and women. The outfits are all handmade and are sure to last. So make sure that check out all of the possibilities that we have on our site.

Tell us about your favorite costumes, or about your Renaissance faire persona in the comments!