Edible French Garden. Rosalind Creasy
a while. Then he said, 'I'm going to cook my own,' and left me to feast on the ones he'd prepared. They were delicious."
The average French person is passionately involved with good food and, often, with cooking as well. Part of this involvement is because of a great respect for the garden-table connection—whether the produce comes from a local farmer or from an individual's plot. The French consumption of mesclun, a mix of perishable salad greens, is a good example. Instead of sitting down to a head of lettuce and a few tomatoes at dinner, the average family in southern France eats a mixed salad that includes baby lettuce leaves, young chicories, and herbs. "Through the centuries,'' Georgeanne explained, "different kinds of greens were grown in the garden—lettuces, chickweeds, and herbs—and the French refined these combinations. While many French people still grow their own salad greens today, market gardeners offer mesclun to the general public. When you go to the markets in Nice, you see piles of different little mixed greens and herbs for sale by weight. One seller might offer a mix with nine ingredients, another five, and so forth, but the principal selections will include romaine and butterhead lettuce, chicory, chervil, roquette, or any variation thereof. All the elements are there: peppery rockets, bitter chicory, tender butterhead, somewhat crunchy romaine, and slightly anise-tasting chervil. I grow mesclun myself. It's actually very easy to grow and can be harvested within about twenty to thirty days of planting. Just about anyone can grow it—it even works well in a window box.
"I miss French leeks and chervil. I think the leeks you find here in the supermarkets are all wrong. They're two inches in diameter. In France they're usually very small, maybe a few pencil widths, and they're more mild, tender, and flavorful. I grow them in my potager and love to harvest little ones, steam them and serve them warm with a simple vinaigrette. Or cover them with béchamel sauce or serve them Italian style in a tomato sauce. The rich yet mild flavor of the leek is unique."
Chervil appears in one way or another in French sauces, soups, and salads, particularly in northern France. Because it's so perishable, though, it almost never appears in produce markets in the United States. Georgeanne likes to use chervil, with its aniselike flavor, with fish, white wine, and cream. "It tastes refined and doesn't overpower," she said, "so it's very good for delicate dishes."
When Americans spend time in France, they often become passionate about French melons. Undoubtedly, the melon they've had is charentais, a type of muskmelon with a smooth pale green skin. Traditionally, these melons are eaten as a first course, often with a thin slice of salt-cured ham. "This is one melon," Georgeanne reminisced, lighting up as she spoke, "that you'll never forget if you ever have it in its perfect state. You'll crave its taste and smell long afterward."
Those who have grown charentais know, however, that a charentais not in its perfect state is less than distinguished. If underripe, it is flavorless; if overripe, it becomes fibrous and fermented. These melons are difficult to grow, particularly in a damp climate. They need heat for high quality, and they crack open easily if watered near harvest time. The French barely water them for the last six weeks before harvesting. To complicate matters further, the melons are difficult to harvest at peak perfection. As Georgeanne said, "They're tricky. You can pick a perfect one in the morning, and by evening it's begun to ferment. Charentais don't slip from the vine when they're ripe like other muskmelons do. You have to judge ripeness by the feel and aroma of the melons instead. Despite these difficulties, though, if you live in a part of the country with a Mediterranean climate, it would certainly be worth growing charentais with a hope that you will get at least one perfect melon."
Picking and serving produce at the peak of perfection is a crucial element woven throughout French cuisine. When you have your own French garden, you too will be able to savor these vegetables and fruits at their best.
Southern Europeans enjoy many vegetables in common, as reflected in the display of Italian Treviso radicchios next to the more classical French Belgian endives in the market at Aix-en-Provence.
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Most of the vegetables and herbs used in France are well known; in some instances they are the same varieties as our domestic ones. However, some French produce is seldom grown or seen in the markets here—for instance, celeriac, some varieties of shelling beans, Alpine strawberries, chervil, and sorrel. In addition, the French enjoy miniature versions of some of our common vegetables—petite varieties of peas, snap beans, and carrots—sometimes referred to as "baby" vegetables.
The following pages detail growing and preparing garden vegetables that are popular in France. For basic information on soil preparation, mulching, composting, and pests and diseases, see Appendixes A and B (pages 92 and 98).
The varieties recommended in each entry are either actual French varieties or are ones similar to those grown in France and have been selected for their flavor and availability. As France borders Italy, there is much crossover between southern French and Italian cuisines, so you will find a number of Italian varieties listed. Gourmet Gardener seed company carries a large number of French seeds. For those of you who become completely smitten with French varieties, you can order seeds from an even larger selection directly from Graines Baumaux in France. See Resources (page 104).
Artichokes
ARTICHOKES, GLOBE
(artichauts) Cynara scolymus
Artichokes are popular in France. There are many varieties, including a purple one from Provence, which when young and tender is eaten raw as a crudité. Artichokes are rich and sweet-flavored with a meaty texture, and the flavors stimulate salivation, making the artichoke a particularly good first course, as it seems to wake up the taste buds.
The artichoke is a giant thistle whose flower buds are deliciously edible when cooked. Artichokes are perennials, and in the garden they have a dramatic fountain shape. Under average conditions they grow to about 4 feet tall and spread just as wide. When not picked for eating, the buds develop into massive blue-purple thistles that are extremely showy.
How to grow: Six plants should be ample for the average family. Artichoke plants prefer cool, moist summers and mild winters but grow in summer heat if the soil is kept continually moist. Below 28°F they need winter protection, for example, an overturned basket filled with leaves or straw and placed above the roots. In coldest-winter areas artichokes are usually not successful unless the roots are brought inside during the winter and kept moist and cool. In places with hot, early summers the artichoke buds open too soon and are tough. Artichokes prefer full sun in cool-summer areas and partial shade in hot-summer climates.
Start plants when they're offered in nurseries in the spring. You may start artichokes from seed indoors, but this is a more time-consuming approach. When planting from seed, sow seeds indoors eight weeks before your last spring frost date, about ¼ inch deep and ¼ inch apart. Transplant the seedlings to the garden when they're six to eight weeks old. (They need at least 250 hours of temperatures under 50°F to induce budding.) Protect them from frost.
Artichokes require rich, constantly moist but well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. They respond well to deep mulches, compost, and manure. Add extra nitrogen halfway through the growing season and after the harvest. The plants need to be dug up and thinned out every three or four years.
Aphids, earwigs, and snails are sometimes a problem. Botrytis, a fungus disease, can be a serious problem but is not common. It forms gray mold on leaves in warm, muggy summers. Destroy affected