Geese
Christmas
is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please to
put a penny in the old man’s hat,
If you haven’t
got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t
got a ha’penny, a farthing will do,
If you haven’t got a farthing, God bless you!
This old rhyme has been spoken and sung for centuries and first appeared in print in 1885, ascribed to that well-known and modest author Anon. It is difficult to find any more information about it.
Goose was the traditional Christmas meat until the 1950s when turkey began to overtake it in popularity and availability. Goose was also roasted at other festivities, notably Michaelmas.
Goose has a short season, being reared naturally between September and December. In the UK, before most common land was seized under the Enclosure Acts, small communities grazed flocks of geese on open spaces in their parishes. Apart from the meat, which was much prized above other poultry, the birds gave eggs, feathers, down and quills. After cooking, the fat produced was used for medicinal as well as culinary purposes.
Goose quills were used as dipping pens until the 19th century. The pinion feathers – flight feathers on the outer edges of the wings – were used to make the flights or fletches on arrows as they were shorter and stiffer and would not interlock with other feathers. The most fortunate in society used down and feathers for their mattresses, which were a softer alternative to straw or horse hair.
Today, the most favoured – and expensive - duvets are filled with goose down to provide warmth and excellent insulation without great weight. Hungarian goose down is the supreme duvet filler. The geese raised in the cold climate of Hungary produce thicker and fluffier down, which provides greater warmth and superior insulation.
Geese scare me. While on a silent retreat, I was out walking in contemplation and had a goose charge out the the jing weeds. All vows of silence were temporarily forgotten.
ReplyDeleteGeese are very good guards. I'm not surprised you were scared.
DeleteI remember my mum raising two geese each year for two family dinner tables each Christmas. Most people ordered chicken and one year my mum raised a couple of turkeys, but only once. She also raised ducks for Christmas dinner tables. I had to help with the plucking a few times.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was a lot of work for your mum. I've never eaten goose. I think my mother didn't like it - her comment was always, 'Very fatty' so I think perhaps she ate it as a child.
DeleteI don't think I have ever eaten goose in my whole life. I have heard it is delicious though. xx
ReplyDeleteNor have I. x x x
DeleteI've never eaten goose. Does it taste nice?
ReplyDeleteOur swans mate for life, so we were told. And then easy DNA testing arrived which blew that into area of being a myth.
I've never eaten goose, either. I smiled at the DNA testing.
DeleteMy dear old mum used to tell a tale about my Gran, who was mum to a large family. It was December and they were fattening a goose for xmas, it was very tame and wandered into the kitchen one day and peered into the oven - " yes, have a good look" my gran said, " that's where you'll end up!"
ReplyDeletePeople tended to be a bit more down to earth in those days.......
Alison in Wales x
They were, indeed. I could never do that, far too squeamish, though my husband always says, 'If you're hungry enough . . . ' x x x
DeleteAs a child we always had goose for Christmas lunch, which is nicer than turkey, which we eat these days.
ReplyDeleteTurkey is always very dry, I think, or perhaps that's my fault. I'm surprised no-one has cornered the market in frozen goose, or perhaps they have and I haven't noticed!
ReplyDeleteI've just looked online and there are several outlets for frozen goose!
DeleteLidl have frozen goose...£39.99...
DeleteThis is the second year running, l wanted goose
ReplyDeletefor Christmas...In the old days, l used to get given
one...HeHe! Usually from Poole park lake..Canadian
goose...three hours it used to take to pluck, clean and
prepare..But! Well worth it...
Last year they were up at Lidl for £19.99...thought
l'd get one next week..next week..sold out...
This year they're £39.99..Already got a haunch of
venison, various game, pheasant, rabbit etc..so
plenty of meat, Boxing day l plan to do fish..a whole
salmon etc...!
And..Yes! The best down for a duvet is goose down,
l've had one for years, anything else is just rubbish,
second rate...what ever l buy, l buy the best, no matter
the cost..pay that little bit extra, it'll last that little bit
longer....!
And lets not forget....
Goosey goosey gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady's chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs...
🎄 🎅 🎄 🎅 🎄 🎅 🎄 🎅 🎄 🎅 🎄 🎅
Pay cheap, pay twice. Not everyone has that option, sadly .
ReplyDeleteGeese have contributed to the enrichment of human life in many forms. I have down vest and down sleeping bag. But I have not eaten one. I have no doubt they taste fine.
ReplyDeleteTurkey overtook goose many years ago in UK. I suspect my mother was greatly relieved.
DeleteI went off geese after one nipped the back of my leg many years ago. It was very painful!
ReplyDeleteBeaks are as hard as teeth, I suppose. I bet it left a big bruise.
DeleteI tend to steer clear of geese, they're far too loud and bossy and lording it over the other waterfowl in the park. I've never tasted goose, and I'm not even sure it was ever on the Christmas menu here in Belgium. That said, I'm not much of a fan of turkey ... xxx
ReplyDeleteTurkey is better cold, or in curries or soup. x x x
DeleteGoose is delicious! And I can highly recommend a goose down duvet. Mine lightly settles into the contours of my body, leaving no gaps for cold air, and so can keeps me snug and warm in the Aberdeen winter without feeling heavy and cumbersome.
ReplyDeleteCheers! Gail.
That is a terrific recommendation. I'll bear it in mind should I ever move to Aberdeen (very unlikely!)
DeleteHi Janice - I love goose to eat ... not often - but always delicious. While a feathered duvet pleases me! Interesting facts - thank goodness for folk songs and recordists ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI can see I'm really going to have to try goose . . .
ReplyDelete