Cabbage Patch Corner

There may be little mistletoe in this part of Brittany but the vegetation is stunning for other reasons – field after field of artichokes and brassicas (cabbages, cauliflower etc). A regular Cabbage Patch Corner – which makes me start humming tunes (We are the Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner, the Rotters of Cabbage Patch Corner, the plotters, the rotters…) from a David Wood children’s play, last seen c. 1970 at the Swan Theatre, Worcester – (since returning have found this link to info - see left- on it!).


But I digress, let’s get back to the artichokes. The eating of artichokes has always been a bit of mystery to me, seems a lot of trouble for little gain. I grew some at home this year, but left the plant to bloom – partly to compare to the adjoining Cynara thistle, but largely ‘cos they look prettier flowering. Both artichoke and Cynara are now seeding happily – am not sure what the neighbours make of the prospect of giant thistle seeds coming over the fence.

Naturally we ate some artichokes – both boiled and microwaved (in a ‘micro-onable’ bag) – still not sure whether they're worth the trouble - but my vote goes for the microwave version. And a cauliflower of course. Goes nicely with cheese.

Anyway, here're some pics of the area around Sibiril and St Pol de Leon - shwoing the cabbage patches amongst the artichokes. And, at the end, a pic of a new crop creeping into the cabbage fields – namely new housing. Inevitable perhaps, and not as out of character as most British housing developments, but a bite out of the cabbage and artichoke plots. (Talking of bites out of cabbages, not much sign of Pieris brassicae, the Large or Cabbage White Butterfly - should be seeing the last of the second brood about now - there were a couple but not as many as you'd expect with all these cabbages... I wonder what they spray them with??) (No sign of them on the inevitable Capuchins (nasturtiums) of the French front gardens either)