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Knitting, Black Butter, Cabbage Walking Sticks, Vraicing, Low Water Fishing

Since the middle ages, Jersey people have been fanatical knitters, to the extent that farming activities were becoming disrupted and it actually became necessary to pass a law in the Royal Court forbidding the activity at important times in  the farming calendar like harvest and vraicing.

Over time, any fine knitted fabric became known as 'jersey'.

'Black Butter' is, I think, a rather unpleasant sounding name for what is actually a tasty apple jam. 

During November, it was traditional for groups in the community to get together for Black Butter Nights. Hundreds of pounds of apples were gathered together and while the women of the neighbourhood peeled and sliced them, the men gathered large quantities of wood - enough to keep a fire burning constantly for two days.

A very large pan of cider was placed over the fire and brought to the boil. Once it had reduced down to a jelly the cut apples were added and the mix had to be stirred constantly for about two hours. Finally the other ingredients of sugar, liquorice and sliced lemons were tossed into the mix and, in the last few minutes, some allspice.

The whole process took two days to complete and everyone took a turn at stirring the mix. It was also quite a social event, because everyone joined in singing and dancing and there were always plenty of refreshments available.

The variety of cabbage used to make Jersey Cabbage Walking Sticks is Brassica oleracae longata and it is unusual in its growth habit in that the cabbage is produced on a long straight stalk that can reach several feet in height. The dried out sturdy stalks have been put to several uses in the past, including in the construction of roof rafters, but probably the most unusual is as a walking cane. Traditionally the cane would be sanded and varnished to protect the wood, and finished off with a Jersey coin set into a mount at the top, and a brass ferrule finished off with a steel tip at the base.

High tides and storms usually provide a good harvest of seaweed, which Jersey farmers have traditionally been quick to take advantage of. Seaweed (or 'vraic' as it is known locally) is a very good fertiliser and in the past it was common to see dozens of farmers down on the beach with horses and carts collecting large quantities of this free source of goodness for the land.

In more recent years our farmers have moved away from this traditional fertiliser, in favour of 'off the shelf' organo-phosphates. As more and more farms switch to organic methods, vraicing is once again growing in popularity - although now, of course the horse and cart has been replaced by tractor and trailer.

To this day, low water fishing is a popular family pursuit on a warm summer afternoon.

Sand eeling was once a very popular pastime - though for some people catching the eels wasn't the main purpose of taking part in these night time activities. During the Calvinistic era sand eeling became particularly popular on moonlit nights when plenty of liquid refreshment was on hand.

In fact 'sand eeling' became such a problem that the Royal Court had to pass an ordnance in 1589 stating that women and girls were only allowed to take part in the activity when accompanied by their husbands or parents.

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