Amy in the Garden

Posts Tagged ‘cloche’

Why the French Think We Are Less

Posted in Food, Plants, Sustainable Agriculture, tagged cloche, garden, vegetables on July 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I appreciate Yankee ingenuity and American grit. I love practicality.

I am also vain enough to be stung when it is pointed out that something I am doing could be done more elegantly. The stereotype of the French is that they believe they always do things more elegantly than anyone else! I won’t endanger my friendship with my dear friend, who holds a dual citizenship with America and France, by arguing in favor of practicality over grace, but I will admit that in the case of the garden cloche, the French may have a point.

The idea of a cloche is to protect a tender seedling from harsh weather, giving it sanctuary in order to get its feet on the ground, or, in the case of a seedling, to get its feet firmly IN the ground.

Below, an example of a French glass cloche, and the American version:

Beautiful glass, beautiful bell shape, an example of French elegance.

I cut the bottom off of a gallon jug of milk, cut holes for an anchoring stick to slip through the handle, and slid the “cloche” over my young pepper plant, an example of Yankee ingenuity.

Voila! An American garden!

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• Words from Others

  “Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg until it is broken.”

   

  — M.F.K. Fisher, food writer (1908-1992)

• Appreciating:

  “As far back as 6050 BC, salt has been an important
  an integral part of the world’s history, as it has
  been interwoven into countless civilizations. Used as
  a part of Egyptian religious offerings and valuable trade
  between the Phoenicians and their Mediterranean
  empire, salt and history have been inextricably
  intertwined for millennia, with great importance
  placed on salt by many different cultures. Even
  today, the history of salt touches our daily lives.
  The word “salary” was derived from the word “salt.”
  Salt was highly valued and its production was legally
  restricted in ancient times, so it was historically used
  as a method of trade and currency. The word “salad”
  also originated from “salt,” and began with the early
  Romans salting their leafy greens and vegetables.
  Undeniably, the history of salt is both broad and
  unique, leaving its indelible mark in cultures
  across the globe.”

  www.seasaltcom