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Category Archives: The Land
Izzy’s Le Vignaud
This is Izzy’s view of Le Vignaud from her visit back in June. I think it may be the most complete view of Le Vignaud yet available on the WWW. Of course nothing beats a visit in the real world, but this is about as close as it comes. She’s captured some great moments, and lots of nifty details about the place that have never been documented. This is one for the LV Historical Society Archives. Continue reading
Posted in The House, The Land, The People, The Village, The Yard
Tagged Izzy, June, Le Vignaud, Movie, Stop-Motion, Summer
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Dandewine
One day late in April we decided to drive up to Malval, where there is an old mill as well as ruins of a millennium-old castle. The fields on either side of the rural road were bright yellow, completely filled with dandelions. It was a beautiful sight: the sunny flowers are not really considered much of a weed in France and are allowed to grow sans herbicide. Penelope made a casual comment about making dandelion wine, but it really fired up Jason’s imagination. He’d never even heard of it before, but suddenly he had a new project. Continue reading
Digging Potatoes with Jeanine
Jeneane is an incredible lady- She’s 74 and has lived in Le Vignaud her entire life. When she asked me to help her dig her potatoes, I was more than happy to help. She is always giving me something, whether it’s fresh eggs from the chickens, or a nice warm meal in the evening on my way back from the garden and I’m always looking for an opportunity to reciprocate the generosity. She had about 200 or so ‘pieds’ of potatoes- some fifteen or so rows about three meters long each- all ready to be dug. Continue reading
Posted in The Garden, The Land, The People, The Village
Tagged Garden, Harvest, Jeanine, Le Vignaud, Potatoes, Recolte
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Garden Harvest
Dirty Darren came by one Sunday afternoon to help with the garden. All the hard work was finally paying off, the garden was full, and it was time to begin the harvest. In late July, it’s time to pull and dry the onions, garlic, and shallots, as well as dig the potatoes. It was a great help to have an extra hand to harvest and pack kilo after kilo of these, which will hopefully last through the winter. There were also tomatoes, plenty of GIANT courgettes, beets, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and salad. I can’t help but to say again how incredible I find it that this much food can come from such a small piece of dirt, with truly minimal effort. Continue reading
Posted in The Garden, The Land
Tagged Garden, Harvest, Jardinage, Recolte, Summer, Vegetables
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July Gardening Update
In July, the big words on the tongue of every gardener were Tomatoes and Courgettes. In fact, after a few weeks of all you can eat style stuffing our faces, it was a challenge to get rid of them faster than they were coming out of the garden. It was a wonderful problem to have. We all had to get creative thinking up new dishes and finding new friends to share all the wonderful things coming from the garden. Continue reading
Posted in The Garden, The Land
Tagged Garden, June, Summer, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Zucchini
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They Call Me “Bon Papa”
The cherry harvest only lasts for a few weeks in the spring when there are literally more cherries than anyone can or would care to eat. Then, winter comes and the trees are bare- not a cherry to be seen for a few months at least. So, in just about every French home you will find a cave or a cupboard literally packed with amazing confitures, sirops, jellies, and preserves. In this way the amazing variety and surplus of fruit projects from warm spring and summer days, stores over the winter. Continue reading
Cherry Pickin’
Since late March when the cherry trees around the village bust into an amazing display of white or pink blossoms, we have been waiting and watching for the payoff. Well, the time has finally come and we’ve been stuffed with cherries, filled buckets, pie pans, and jam jars and there’s no end in sight. Continue reading
Cutting Hay
Anyone who happened through Le Vignaud or rode with me through the country roads during hay season probably knows I have a strange love of the ubiquitous bales dotting the countryside. I couldn’t help but pointing them out nearly every time we passed by a newly cut field, or a nicely arranged pile of hay. So, please forgive me for indulging this bizarre passion. Here, I present my new series: French Hay Bales. Continue reading
Posted in The Land, The Region
Tagged Bales, Cutting Hay, Fields, Hay, Hay Making, Photos, The Land
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Mushroom Hunting
When spring arrives in the Creuse the rain falls often, the weather begins to warm, and most importantly- the mushrooms begin popping up everywhere. The Creuse is well known for it’s wild mushrooms, and there is a wide variety of species which are commonly harvested. From tiny white agaric growing in the meadows, to oyster mushrooms growing from dead trees, the land provides seemingly endless supplies of fresh mushrooms for anyone who cares to spend a few minutes looking. Continue reading
Posted in The Food, The Land
Tagged Chantrelle, Girolle, Mushroom Hunting, Mushrooms, Omelete, The Land
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Just to Prove That They Really Existed.
Summer is here and the garden is full. It’s a wonderful time of year to be in Le Vignaud, and living off the land becomes easier, healthier, and oh so enjoyable. Cherry trees are full this time of year, mushrooms are popping in the woods, and all the fresh veggies you can eat are at your fingertips. Continue reading