George Bray30/4/04 3:53

Sacha wrote in message
.uk...
Ah but where did you find the vraic? ;-)

Sacha, Mike

Thank you for your respective help.

The element of doubt about the exact type of potato is part of the
reason why I decided to buy Jersey Royals from a shop. I'll buy
another batch, later in May, when the price falls a bit. If I buy
'kidney' seed potatoes how can I be sure they're the real thing, even
though plenty of people say 'Jersey Royals' ARE 'International Kidney'
potatoes.

The first thing I need to check about vraic is that I can identify the
stuff, even if I can find any! Some sources say it's found more on
Atlantic beaches, rather than, say, in Hampshire or Essex.

Regards
George

The Jersey Royal is indeed the Jersey Royal because, AIUI, it's a 'fluke' of
the International Kidney, so there's a difference of some sort. As to the
'vraic' , it's seaweed in general but what's mainly used is bladder wrack
(Fucus vesiculosis) that sort of broad, freckly, frondy stuff that has warts
on it and dries to a crisp blackness.
http://www.societe-jersiaise.org/langsec/vraic.jpg is a pic. of bladderwrack
being collected 'time past', as we say in Jersey and this is a link to a
short dissertation on various seaweeds and their functions and uses in
Jersey and elsewhe http://www.societe-jersiaise.org/langsec/vraic.html
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)