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lundi 31 octobre 2011

Marché du Mois: Marché Jean Jaurès

I'm slowly cultivating a list of my Top 10 local producers present at the many marchés of Paris and, as I work through my list of marchés by arrondissement , I find that it is rather difficult to find even one local grower at these not-so-farmer's markets.

A case in point is the Marché Jean Jaurès where, on my visit in the early afternoon last Thursday, I noticed that none of the vendors were attached to a particular farm or region in France.

Granted, I should get to the market earlier (add this to the list of this blogger's New Year's Resolutions) when the market is probably more abuzz, but I find it is often the case that the stands are filled with fruits and legumes from all over and nowhere in particular, with the vendors having no specific link to the land their goods came from.

Having said that, there was one cheerful vendor at Marché Jean Jaurès who seemed to be making the effort to stock local and artisinal products, such as confiture faite maison, various nuts from different regions in France, and beautiful French tomatoes that reminded me of Céline's lovely article about her favorite tomato varieties of Southwestern France.

Marché Jean Jaurès is small and unimpressive when it comes to it's selection of fish and meat, but one should hesitate judging a market by it's coverage, because the treasures of this marché can be found in the simple pleasures of the season's last local tomatoes and the abundance of Fall's nuts and squash.

While my quest for local producers continues, the Marché Jean Jaurès is a fine place to stop by for residents of the 19th arrondissement looking for a few local gems.

Marché Jean Jaurès

185 ave Jean Jaurès

m° Porte de Pantin (line 5)

Hours:

Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday

7h-14h30

Libellés : 75019, artisanal, local, Marché of the Month, open Sunday, open Thursday, open Tuesday, seasonal

dimanche 16 octobre 2011

Prends-En De La Graine! Inspiring Seed Exchanges in the 18th

I was thrilled to learn that Prends-En De La Graine would be distributing seeds and bulbs in front of the 18th arrondissement's mairie this weekend. My cherry tomato plants were winding down and my cucumbers met an untimely demise after this Summer's lack of sun and sudden typhoon-like tempêtes and I was eager to update my planter boxes.

Despite the fact that my Summer garden wasn't as successful as I might have hoped, I remain optomistic about the potential of a fall garden, and the Prends-En De La Graine event arrived right in time to inspire me to start planting.

Prends-En De La Graine is a movement based in the 18th arrondissement, led by a small group of urban gardners dedicated to making their neighborhood bloom.

The project is simple and efficient. On a given weekend, Prends-En De La Graine sets up a distribution point and invites people to come throughout the day to pick out some seeds to sow on balconies and windowsills throughout the city.

This weekend's event focused on distributing bulbs to plant in expectation of Springtime blossoms of crocus, daffodils, narcisus, and tulips. Other seeds were available as well, including parsley, pumpkins, and chestnuts.

While the seeds are distributed for free, donations of both seeds and spare change are welcome- with a particular emphasis this year on creating an environment of exchange where people share their own seeds and bring home some new ones

I can attest to the awesomeness and all around win-win aspect of seed exchanges. I had a ton of fun sprouting and sharing the tomato seeds that Céline gave me with friends and even got hooked up with some Kale seeds in exchange, thanks again Christy!

After picking up some pumpkin and chestnut seeds from the Prends-En De La Graine event, I rushed home and reorganized my balcony garden under a warm October sun. I'm looking forward to seeing the new additions grow!

Has anyone else started planting for Autumn or Spring? I'd love to hear what you've got growing!

Libellés : 75018, Community Gardens, Paris Paysanne, Prends-En De La Graine, seasonal

mercredi 12 octobre 2011

October Unprocessed 2011- Potage

In honor of October Unprocessed and in the spirit of this sniffles and soups season, I thought I'd throw a whole food and wholesome recipe up on the blog.

I can't take credit for this recipe, as it comes straight from my Frenchman and his culture- both of which ceaselessly surprise me with their ability to create delicious and simple dishes with whatever seasonal (and more often than not inexpensive) ingredients on hand.

The French love their potage- a simple blended vegetable soup that they believe makes you grow stronger and taller.

While an increased growth rate isn't immediately evident upon eating potage, the health benefits seem instantaneous. A wave of warmth runs over you as you soak up all the nutrients from these earthy vegetables, fortifying your immune system for the cold weather to come.

This soup meets the Unprocessed October challenge by using only whole ingredients and I encourage you to pick these ingredients up from your local producer, being both seasonal and easy to grow in any region in France, the ingredients will be both abundant and inexpensive.

So prepare yourself for the seasons changing and a cold front coming in by applying this brothy bandaid. This recipe yields a bunch of soup, so you'll have plenty to save and share with others!

French Potage

Ingredients:

3-4 carrots

2 leeks

2-3 potatoes (2 for a soupy soup, 3 for a creamier version)

1 small onion

1 large clove of garlic

Water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Crême fraiche (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Thouroughly wash all your veggies. Take particular care with washing the leeks, loose dirt often hides in the folds of the leeks and so you should go through all the layers of the legume, rinsing with cold water and rubbing away at any hidden dirt.

Step 2: Chop up the veggies, onion, and garlic. Cut them up in cubes throw them in a big pot.

Step 3: Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the vegetables.

Step 4: Return pot to stovetop, turn heat on to medium and cover. Leave on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Step 5: Use a handheld mixer or transfer veggies to a blender (if you are transfering, be sure to transfer all the water as well, this contains tons of good nutrients and also is necessary for blending). Mix until you reach the right consistency- no big chunks, but not to watery.

Step 6: Season with salt and pepper and serve. You can serve with crême fraiche, which can be mixed in to create a creamier potage.

Bon Appetit!

Libellés : October Unprocessed, recipes, seasonal, vegetarian

lundi 10 octobre 2011

Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre: Le Grand Défilé

Despite an unfortunate change in weather from Indian Summer to Undeniably Autumn right before this year's Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre, attendance was high and the event lived up to it's reputation of festive, local fun in the true spirit of the 18th arrondissement.

As a card-carrying member of the Jardins du Ruisseau I had the great pleasure of participating in the Grand Défilé on Saturday. The parade wound its way through the streets of Montmartre on a grey but rain-free day.

Bunkered by our friends, the Confrérie du Temps des Vendanges de la Porte Montmartre and plenty of drums and dancers, the Jardins du Ruisseau proudly represented our community garden and bee-keeping skills.

Stacey and I busily buzzed around in our DIY bee costumes, experiencing the thrill of being in a parade for the first time in our lives.

If you have never been in a parade, I highly recommend scanning your area for local events that might involve a parade and then immediately concentrating all your efforts on being in that parade. Otherwise come up with an idea for a parade and then get in touch with me and Stacey. We can offer tons of parade advice and also be in your parade, if we don't have any other parades going that day....

As an observer of the events surrounding the vendanges, I've always enjoyed viewing the parade and visiting the temporary village set up near the Sacre Coeur. The spirit of the event encapsulates everything I love about the 18th and Montmartre- it's sense of community, it's small-village feel, and it's unquenchable desire to party.

As a participant in this year's events, my sense of appreciation for the fête was even more heightened. Gathering to lunch at the Mairie du 18ème before the parade kick-off, I was surrounded by the unequalled charms of France- the ridiculous regional outfits and headgear, the tendency to spontaneously erupt into song, and the comfort in knowing that there was wine available to all as far as the eye could see.

The scene turned from rowdy to family-fun as we assembled into parade formation, with baby bees from our confreries dancing to drumbeats and ambitous Moms passing out toast with home-made jams and honey to the little Montmartois both in the parade and on the sidelines.

We finished our 2-hour pilgrimmage at the foot of Sacre Coeur and made our way to the top of the butte where refreshments awaited, including a selection of French artisinal and biodynamic beers and wine. A particular favorite was the artisinal beer from the Limousin region.

The big joke of the Vendanges is the fact that the wine that is actually produced from the recolte of Montmartre's grapevines is incredibly overpriced and umm...maybe not the grandest cru of French wines.

However, even if you've never tasted the nectar of Montmartre (an admission I owed up to on France 3) you can still celebrate the essence of the event: a coming together of people from near and far for the sole purpose of celebrating a season of local harvest, shared feasts, overflowing kegs and all-around community.

The Vendanges de Montmartre is a yearly event that takes place over 4 days in early October. To get an idea of the various events, check out information from this year's event.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Jardins du Ruisseau, check out their Facebook page. Annual individual memberships are 12 euro and include access to the beautiful and convivial gardens as well as invites to tons of events and activities.

Some more photos from the Fête desVendanges 2011:

Singing in the Marie after a buffet lunch and open bar.

Wine Wizard carbo-loading before the big parade.

Floral parade hat.

These ladies never stopped dancing. Serious Vendange respect for them.

Libellés : 75018, Community Gardens, local, organic booze, seasonal, vendanges de montmartre

This Page

Paris Paysanne: The Blog

lundi 31 octobre 2011

Marché du Mois: Marché Jean Jaurès

dimanche 16 octobre 2011

Prends-En De La Graine! Inspiring Seed Exchanges in the 18th

mercredi 12 octobre 2011

October Unprocessed 2011- Potage

lundi 10 octobre 2011

Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre: Le Grand Défilé

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