RURAL RIDDLES
HORSE- POWER Q
A
GREEN WITH ENVY
On holiday in the Orne last summer, we visited
a pear/cider orchard which was using working horses. In France, do many such places still work horses in this way? Sophie and Paul Keating
While using working horses has a long tradition
in such circumstances, it seems that their use is increasing, particularly when it comes to winemakers keen on using less fossil fuel for their machines and mindful of the impact of heavy tractors etc on the soil structure. Horses are also able to work on land that is completely inaccessible to tractors (steep or rocky slopes, for example). Interestingly, four years ago, the French Vine and Wine Institute was
Horses are an eco-friendly alternative to tractors
involved with an online survey of winemakers and, of the ones who responded to the question (paraphrased here): ‘do you use, or have you used horses to work the land in the vineyards?’, 96 (of 300 asked) responded and, of them, it seems that 30% had/or currently used, their own horses.
As an aside, some
viticulturalistes are grazing sheep between their rows of vines at certain times of year. As well as a cheap/free source of food for the sheep, it cuts down on the need for chemical herbicides and encourages the growth of nitrogen-fixing plants, such as clover.
SHAKEN NOT STIRRED Q
At a brocante, we bought an attractive-
looking old wire basket for €8, which, overhearing some expats nearby, is apparently intended for storing eggs. We are using it in our kitchen for that purpose – but wondered why it might be shaped as it is? Ashley Pearson
A
Despite the fact that the type of basket you mention
is commonly used for storing eggs, that is not their proper purpose. They are, in fact, ‘salad spinners’ and their shape is to ensure that the leaves of lettuce and similar do not fly out of the basket as you shake or wave it vigorously in order to lose residual water after washing lettuce prior to serving. Similar is a wire salad
spinner/shaker basket which collapses flat for easy storage in a kitchen cupboard or drawer. Yet another type frequently
used as an egg container is the ‘gourd-shaped’ variety which some say were originally
In out, shake it all about!
used to collect snails or even oysters by French foragers of yesteryear. A little bit of online research does, however, suggest that those used for the
latter are more open-topped and flatter or, for snails, are akin in shape to a Victorian/ Edwardian lady’s evening bag or purse.
A
Just over a decade ago, Michael Moat created
Jardins Ouverts which operates in a similar fashion to the UK scheme you mention. Like the NGS, owners of private gardens in some parts of France open their gates to the public on certain days of the year – and, like the NGS, any money raised as a result of doing so goes to charity. As well as possibly finding
your local participants via adverts in the English language French papers, bar/tabac notifications and online, the website
opengardens.eu contains a who’s-who of those involved, a calendar of dates, locations and more information about the scheme in general.
GET IN TOUCH! If you have any ‘rural riddles’ for Jeremy, contact him by email at
jcjeremyhobson@gmail.com Jeremy Hobson is a France-based writer who specialises in all country matters
j-c-jeremy-hobson.co.uk
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: January/February 2024 105 Q
When we lived in England, we loved
looking around local gardens (sometimes enviously!) whose owners opened them to the public in order to raise money for charity under the National Garden Scheme. Is there a similar scheme in France? While our own garden still leaves much to be desired, we’d very much like to enjoy those of those more green-fingered than us if such a scheme exists! Helen and Phil Curtis
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