Show #34/7308. The Beautifully Restored Gardens Of A 17th Century Castle

Vegetables That Are Bitter May Benefit From Bleaching

Eric would like for Henk to talk a little bit about the beautiful TERRA COTTA STRUCTURES in this garden. They had a very practical purpose in addition to being ornamental. They are used for bleaching, bleaching vegetables - rhubarb, for example or asparagus. It was much more enjoyable to eat bleached vegetables. With many vegetables if they're green they are going to be bitter but by bleaching them, or etiolating the vegetable, they are able to grow without any chlorophyll. That is where we get white asparagus. Or rhubarb, there are many others that can be etiolated, it made them much more pleasant to eat. With this method one doesn't need to boil all the bitterness out. It was and is a wonderful way of making those vegetables accessible, edible. It was easier to cook, better and nicer to eat. Here it was done with these earthenware pots, to be ready to, to be able to eat.