Turnips versus Rutabagas

Turnips are very popular in France. They come in tempting pink and white, less tempting green and yellow, and the big globular variety known as 'golden'. Rutabagas are a bit less popular, but widely available. They also come in pink and white, and green and yellow. So how do you tell a turnip from a rutabaga? I asked Charlotte at the local organic market garden les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudière and she told me that turnips have fine tap roots that emerge abruptly from the swollen part of the root that you eat. Rutabagas taper into their tap root, which is much thicker. Easy peasy once you know how.

Rutabagas are known as swedes in England and Australia, and neeps in Scotland. I like rutabagas, which are yellow fleshed and a bit sweet. I am not so fond of turnips, which can be white or yellow fleshed, and are usually somewhat bitter. Rutabagas mash well, turnips do not.

 

Organic turnips in my local farm shop.

Organic rutabagas in the farm shop.

You're Lucky to Even be Getting This

It was very windy last night. We had a couple of light flickers, the wind was loud in the telegraph wires, and stuff (I imagine out rubbish, which we put out last night) was blowing up the street.

I'm writing this last night in case the situation changes. Brittany and Normandy have had rolling blackouts, and we're on a warning for 90km/h winds.

Meanwhile, in Australia it's very hot and there are bushfires.

I'm not complaining about the cold.

*********Update*********

The wind didn't really happen, it's not particularly cold, and as yet it hasn't rained. Not that I blame the weather bureau: this weather forecasting thing is complicated.

We Have Had White

It's been cold recently. After Christmas it got a little bit less bitter, but the past few days - phew!

Here's a couple of pics and some numbers: we had somewhere between 3 and 5cm of snow yesterday, and the lowest temperature for this week was -7°c. The highest temperature was 3 °c. We've had Hoar frost, freezing fog, sleet, and snow. The gusty winds/blizzards never eventuated.

Soldes, Hiver 2026

The official bi-annual sales start at 09:00 today.

We've written about the soldes before, when we were looking for a kitchen mixer, and once when we were looking for an oven. Both times we ended up making purchases not connected to the soldes, because other stuff happened that nade so-called official bargains irrelevant.

Our current TV. When I took the pic I was watching a program about Leonardo, and the image is Clos Lucé.

This year, for the first time in over 10 years, I'm paying attention to the soldes. Our television is over 13 years old, and although there's nothing wrong with it once it's working, it takes about 5 minutes after turning it on before any picture arrives. I think it's a problem with the power supply, but the only way to find out will invariably cost more than a new TV. Sooner or later it won't run at all.

My dilemma is that to get French TV I will need to get a smart TV, and I don't particularly want one of them. We don't have any subscriptions and don't intend buying any, I don't talk to electronics, and I don't sufficiently trust the purveyors of such stuff. We could get our satellite system changed, but that would mean we lose our UK satellite. I could maybe get some sort of stick or WiFi box for a dumb TV, but I'm not sure I can be bothered. You might think I could use the mini PC to watch French TV online, but it's a Windows 7 machine and neither of the official French TV sites will work.

Whichever way we go it will be a bigger TV than the one we have now. These days it's almost impossible to buy a TV as small as our current one.

Ceramic Apothecary Pots

Apothecary shelves in the museum at Issoudun.

It is rare, even today, for an old long established French pharmacy not to have a few brightly coloured ceramic pots, from the days when they were an apothecary. Their round forms are entirely covered with hand painted floral decorations and mysterious gothic inscriptions. These days they have lost their practical function and have become decorators and collectors items of some worth. Ceramicists and medical professionals worked together to create pots suitable to contain valuable herbal mixtures such as Theriaca (for snake bite) or Egyptian unguent. 

Apothecary cabinet at the Chateau de Chenonceau.

This type of pottery arrived in Europe in the 7th to 14th centuries, with the Moorish and Arab invasions. The pots were valued for their decorative qualities and their durability.

The Apothecary at the Chateau de Chenonceau.

The tin glazed (aka maiolica or, in French, faience) earthenware pots are known as albarelli, or gallipots, and were used between the 15th and 17th centuries in France. A fine collection of albarelli inspired confidence in the professional capabilities of the apothecary. The jars were sealed with parchment or leather tied on with string. Typically albarelli are cylindrical with a narrow collar at the top, which allows them to be easily gripped even they don't have handles. Other shapes are also widely used, adapted to purpose and contents.

Albarelli for tobacco, a medicinal product in the 16th century, at the Chateau de Chenonceau.

To see collections of 16th century apothecary pots in the Touraine and Berry I recommend visiting the Chateau de Chenonceau and the Musée de l'Hospice Saint-Roch in Issoudun.

 

 Apothecary shelves in the museum at Issoudun.

Couronne des rois

The tradition of 'Kings Cakes' at Epiphany is strong in France. In the north we have Galette des rois, made with puff pastry and almond cream (a half and half mixture of frangipane and creme patissiere). Usually I make a galette, but last year I decided to make the cake that is favoured in the south, which is brioche based. I used this recipe from Pardon Your French, and I thought it turned out rather well.

 

Ready to eat.

Glazed and decorated.

Just out of the oven.

Ready for the oven.