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Article: MY WILD IRISH HEDGEROWS; Finding Edible Treasure Where Famine Once Reigned
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- March 13, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Hedgerows are the curse of tourists in western Ireland. While
birds can see Kenmare Bay clearly as it cuts a bright steel slice
into the mountain landscape, you, trapped inside your car, may still
be looking down a green tunnel.
I had to slow down to appreciate the not-so-lowly hedgerow. In
the ripeness of fall, the hedges become an edible orgy of berries,
hazelnuts, fragrant sorrel and fennel. A road becomes a fertile Eden
split in two by the narrow ribbon of asphalt.
For a few of Ireland's acclaimed chefs, the hedgerows
continue to be an inspiration -- accessible but mysterious, full of
childhood memories and just as full of a history that includes
terrible famine.
I have ...