Marché St. Eustache-Les Halles is all that remains of what was once the site of the city's largest food market. Later replaced by Rungis, Les Halles was where chefs, store owners, and shoppers of all sorts came to stock up on fresh ingredients.

Whether you are attracted by the history of this marketplace, it's central location near the charming Montorgueil neighborhood, or the convenient hours it keeps, there are plenty of reasons to visit the vestiges of what once was Paris' primary food source.

It is worth noting that this market, along with a few others including Marché Bourse and Marché Anvers, is one of a small number of Parisian food markets that stays open late enough on a weekday for shoppers to stop by on their way home from work.

What remains of the market is hardly a fraction of its predecessor and, unfortunately, there is not a farmer in sight at any of the stands that line the rue Montmartre. However, the products on offer are mostly of French origin and predominately seasonal.

French vegetables, chickens, and cheeses are for sale at various stands and the poissonerie was proudly displaying Coquilles St. Jacques (scallops), for which the fishing season opened on the 1st of October.

I was attracted by some heirloom veggies, including gorgeous purple "haricots verts" at a stand that was manned by a seller who knew his stuff. He instructed me how to prepare the "green" beans and then served me some lovely cèpes and told me what to do with those, too.

He bagged up my dinner ingredients as the smells of hot lunch wafted through the market stalls. Like most afternoon markets, Marché St. Eustache-Les Halles caters not only to forward-thinking shoppers who are getting the evening's groceries, but also those who seek instant gratification and some homemade ratatouille on their lunch break.

The majority of the produce at my chosen veggie stand seemed to come from France and the vendor's knowledge of each product implied an interest and investment in his profession. Doubting very much that he was actually the grower of the vegetables (the selection was too large and varied to come from one farmer), I decided to ask if he was a producteur anyway.


"Mais non!" he responded, slightly offended. "How can you expect me to be the producer- I spend all my time at the markets!" Point taken. This is an unavoidable issue for the independent producers that we see at markets, who have to split their time and lengthen their days by being both grower & seller of their produce.

So while there are no local producers present at the Marché St. Eustache-Les Halles, it is still possibel to find French-grown food and quality products, all while enjoying a stroll around this truly charming neighborhood.

Marché St. Eustache-Les Halles
rue Montmartre, 75001
m° Les Halles (line 4)
Hours:
Thursday: 12h30-20h30
Sunday: 7h-15h

Libellés : 75001, Marché of the Month, open late, open Sunday, open Thursday

I love all things Autumnal and the Indian Summer that Paris has been enjoying as the days of vacationing come to a close has made the seasonal transition that much more enjoyable. In the markets, vestiges of Summer are present in basil, squash, and green beans while cabbage, carrots, and leeks sneak their way onto center stage.

Tucked away on a tree-lined square in the 14th arrondissement, the Marché Mouton-Duvernet is an ideal market to explore on an Autumn day. The market is small, but packs a lot in for the quaint space it occupies. Flower vendors are disproportionately present, but they cede space to other vendors (a jewelry maker and even a traveling book shop counts itself one of the Mouton-Duvernet market community).

The majority of the veggie stands at Marché Mouton-Duvernet resemble each other in that they offer squeaky-clean and seasonally out-of-place products. The cheese and fish vendors are alike in that there is no clear attachment to local sources or sustainable practices, although one particular fromagerie did emanate that unmistakably fermented aroma that reminds you you are, indeed, in France and couldn't possibly be anywhere else.

"I'm going for a beer", I heard from a man sitting at a vegetable stand tucked away in the corner of the market. Deciding that a quarter to 12 was 5 o'clock somewhere, the man stood from his folding chair where he was a behind-the-scenes audience to the market's only independent producer, Eric Credard.

Credard's stand was a refreshing mix of all things seasonal including a selection of lemons that were proudly marked as "non traité", or untreated, "You can use the whole thing!" he told me as he bagged a handful of lemons for me and pointed out that being organic, I could feel free to enjoy the entire citron from zest to jus. 

Credard's neighbor is sells produce that is "100% Bio" and includes a selection that complements what you may not find at Mr. Credard's stand. Here the majority of the products keep with the season and the two vendors ensemble make for a cosy corner of veggie goodness.

Another advantage of the Marché Mouton-Duvernet- and an argument for making the trip there if you don't live in the neighborhood- is its proximity to La Cave des Papilles , one of my favorite natural wine stores, where the entire selection is hand picked and chosen based on relationships with independent, authentic natural wine producers- who use little to no sulfites and take the concept of vin naturel very seriously.

Among the many choices of wine you will find at La Cave des Papilles (including magnums of natural wine starting at 40€- awesome), you will find La Lunotte one of my favorite discoveries from a recent trip to the Loire Valley.

Marché Mouton-Duvernet

Libellés : 75014, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open Tuesday, vins naturels

Located in front of the palace-turned-convention-center, Palais Brongniart, the small agglomeration of tents that makes up the Marché Bourse serves the surrounding community of bankers and business people who gather at Place Bourse for their pause déjeuner.

Marché Bourse is one of the few markets that is open in the afternoon (along with Marché Anvers, Marché Baudoyer, and Marché Bercy) allowing short lunch breaks and late nights at the office to be rewarded with a hot lunch and a selection of bio wines.

Open until 20h30, Marché Bourse is a good market to keep in mind if you, like me, have a hard time making it to the morning markets.

The market stands mostly offer hot meal options served to go (no seating area is provided for market-goers). A variety of international options, such as Indian curries and Moroccan bricks and sandwiches are available to stoppers-by. Vegetarian options are limited as are organic ingredients (the veggie-friendly Bio Burger is a short walk away for hungry herbivores).

While I was disappointed to see that at at Marché Bourse fresh fish and veggies were limited to one stand each, both offering industrial-looking products, I was thrilled to find that the market has a caviste who specializes in organic wines made by independent producers.

Since naturel wines are my current obsession, I went directly to this vendor (who advertises his English speaking skills and I'm sure is happy to chat with foreigners and the French alike) and chatted with him about the various vintages he had for sale.

Of all the bottles, he showed me three that were low-sulfite natural wine options (I ended up deciding on a Sauvignon from the Touraine region for €8,50).

Working closely with small vineyards, this vendor develops a relationship with the producers and hand picks a selection of quality wines to bring to market. This relationship is important to take into account when it comes to "natural wines" as the term is a wide umbrella for various methods of wine-making and only a knowledge of the producer and his or her winemaking process will guarantee that your wine is truly au naturel.

A concentrated yet quality selection of wines from many French regions is offered at this stand, with three different bottles open and available for tasting. These bottles rotate every week, and the friendly vendor suggested I visit him next week to do a more extensive tasting of his vins naturels.

This particular wine stand makes the Marché Bourse worth a visit. Weather on your way to an apèro and in need of a bottle to go, or after a nice lie-in and an afternoon stroll down to the market for a wine cellar restock, Marché Bourse is open for business.

Marché Bourse
Place de la Bourse
75002
m° Bourse (line 3)

Hours:
Tuesday 12h30-20h30
Friday 12h30-20h30

Libellés : 75002, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open late, open Tuesday, organic booze, vins naturels

While researching an article for ecosalon, my quest to find local producers brought me to the Marché Cours de Vincennes. This market is a favorite among my local foodie friends as it attracts more regional maraîchers than you will find in most Paris markets these days.

The market takes up a good bit of the Cours de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement and local vendors are offset by a variety of Rungis-stocked food stands and vendors hawking cheap knives and other kitchen/household utensils.

However, the keen-eyed market goer will pick out a few local representatives, selling their seasonal, farm-grown produce in stands scattered about the market.

If you're looking to support Ile-de-France producers, Marché Cours de Vincennes provides the choice of a handfull of farmers that grow their produce within about a small radius of Paris.

The first local producer I visited was Earl Martinet, who was selling lush spinach and lettuce, all grown at his farm only 30 km away from Paris. Also on sale were seasonal root vegetables including radishes, green onions, and turnips.

Another local vendor was Bernard Groult, who was selling some early-season apples, along with rhubarb and pears. Groult's farm is also just under 40 km from Paris and is easy to find if you look out for the sign their stand proudly displays, attesting to the fact that their goods are Productions de l'Ile de France. Not far from Groult's stand you'll find Gaec de Villedeau, whose stand also sells produce grown in the vicinity of Paris.

In addition to local vendors, Marché Cours de Vincennes has a few organic stands which include artisinal honey and other preserves. There is also an artisinal goat cheese maker, whose selection is small but includes a delicious crottin de chêvre.

With so many local and artisinal alternatives, this marché makes it easy to avoid industrial food and pre-packaged produce.

I would highly recommend the Marché Cours de Vincennes as a destination for a locavore's treasure hunt- you'll be sure to not end up empty handed.

Marché Cours de Vincennes
Cours de Vincennes 75012
M° Picpus (line 6)
Hours:
Wednesday: 7h-14h30
Saturday- 7h-15h

Libellés : 75012, local, Marché of the Month, open Saturday, open Wednesday

After successfully launching their innovative projet de marché in the Summer of 2011, the association Marché sur l'Eau is back! The maiden voyage of 2012 took place on May 1st and this year the market is more ambitious, promising a year-round presence in front of the Rotonde at Stalingrad.

I love the idea behind this marché- which brings local produce from the Seine and Marne region to shoppers in Pantin and Paris. Boats are charged with seasonal produce grown by independent producers and then make their way towards the city using the canal de l'Ourq.

The boat is able to do the work equivalent to 10 trucks, making it an ecological and functional alternative to truck delivieries.

The transport is what happens behind the scenes- but what the consommer sees once the stage is set is just as exciting and enough to get you engaged. The produce is gorgeous and very resonably priced. For €7,20 I picked up 2 heads of lettuce, a huge bunch of bright orange carrots, and a hearty helping of blettes.

You can visit the market and choose your produce on Saturdays and Tuesdays, or you can sign up for a panier which will be prepared and waiting for you on market days. Panier prices range from 9-15 euro in Winter and 10-17 euro in Summer. Your account can easily be managed through Marché sur l'Eau's website and you can modify your pick-up days or reschedule in case you're out of town or otherwise unable to pick up your veggies that week.

A typical winter panier includes potatoes, green onions, spinach, and parsley. Things promise to brighten up in the warmer months, when zucchini, bellpeppers, heirloom tomatoes, and eggplant get into the mix!

The Marché us staffed by members of the association that are eager to talk about the project- so if you have any questions I highly recommend checking out the Marché sur l'Eau and learning more about what they're about!

Marché sur L'Eau

Pantin: 
Grands-Moulins (m° Hoche - line 5)
Tuesday: 11h30-14h

& Quai de L'Aisne (m° Eglise de Pantin- line 5)
Saturday: 12h-14h30

Paris:
La Rotonde, pl. de la Bataille Stalingrad
(m° Jaures- lines 2 & 5, m° Stalingrad- lines 2, 5, & 7)
Tuesday: 18h-20h30 & Saturday: 11h30-14h

Libellés : 75019, local, Marché of the Month, open Saturday, open Tuesday, paniers bio

After visiting L'échappée Spa (which stocks the amazing Absolution brand of organic, made-in-Paris skin car products) early one Friday morning I was happy to stumble upon the bustling Marché Popincourt.

The market takes up a series of blocks along Boulevard Richard Lenoir in the 11th arrondisement and, in keeping with the general atmosphere of this animated neighborhood, proved to be livliest marché I've visited in quite some time.

The friendly atmoshpere of the market on this particularly sunny morning pulled me in and inspired me to stroll the busy aisles several times. As is my habit, I was in search of local and organic vendors. A scarcity of such stands in part explains the time I spent scouring the market. I dedicated a good deal of time ooking closely at every vendor's wares,  trying to find products that were grown in France or of the organic ilk.

Having said that, I also extended my stay because of the warm and welcoming vibe of the market, which brought back to mind my earliest feelings of affection for shopping at Paris' open-air markets, with their intoxicated cries of vendors, mixed with the banter and small talk which is all but extinct at industrial food outlets.

There was not a stand that I stopped by where I didn't overhear shoppers and catching up or chatting with vendors while waiting in line and making purchases.

Another thing I appreciated about Marché Popincourt was the wide selection of flowers and other plants, whose presence coincided with the onset of my Springtime planting fever. I (admittedly prematurely) picked up a basil plant that I eagerly added to my my herb garden, despite the looming threat of cold weather forecasted for Paris.

I stopped myself at the basil purchase, but promised that I'd be back to pick up a few floral additions to plant in my plot at the Jardins du Ruisseau.

There is one organic veggie stand at Marché Popincourt, along with a scattered selection of French-origin goods such as honey and other conserved products as well as the seasonal vegetables we are so familiar with by now including beets, carrots, and an increasing selection of radishes and other undergroung légumes.

If you're headed to the market early, skip your morning dose of café and head straight to the whole bean coffee seller as soon as you arrive at the market. The scent alone of the rows of bags of coffee beans will wake you up, and a to-go cup of the freshly ground coffee will give you the kick you need to hit the market and get to know its jovial vendors!


Marché Popincourt

Bd. Richard Lenoir
(between rue Oberkampf & Jean Pierre Timbaud)
Paris 75011
m° Oberkampf (lines 5 & 9)

Hours:
Tuesday & Friday
7h-14h30

Libellés : 75011, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open Tuesday

Marché Président Wilson welcomes visitors with an abundance of flowers on display at the entrance. While it is lovely to exit the metro and find blossoming hydrangeas and renoncules, I was not in the market for anything floral, but rather inspired by the suggestion of Phyllis that I go see légume superstar Joel Thiébault's stand.

Libellés : 75016, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open Saturday, open Tuesday, open Wednesday, paniers bio

La Maison POS is more than a shop, it's a metanarrative- both a particpant in the worldwide locavore movement as well as a humble neighborhood corner store that brings locally grown food even closer to home.

Libellés : 75011, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open Monday, open Saturday, open Thursday, open Tuesday, open Wednesday

The Marché Bastille is so huge that, once I got there, I couldn't believe I had never stumbled upon it in all my time in Paris. The silver lining of the cloud that was an insanely early rendez-vous with French bureaucrats on the nearby rue de la Roquette, was that it got me up in time to check out this gigantic market that takes up a good bit of Bd. Richard Lenoir.

Libellés : 75011, Marché of the Month, open Sunday, open Thursday

I'm as creeped out by the 16th arrondissement as the next 99%, but every once in a while I find myself called to visit this particular part of Paris, wandering the rues of the 16th's quartiers chics.

Libellés : 75016, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open Saturday, open Sunday, open Thursday, open Tuesday, open Wednesday

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.

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

I love the Ledru-Rolling neighborhood and I try to make a habit of stopping by. I would advise any hungry visitor of this coin to grab a great croissant at Blé Sucré or to dine at Le Cotte Rôti while strolling this quartier.

Libellés : 75012, artisanal, Bulk, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open Saturday, open Sunday, open Thursday, open Tuesday, open Wednesday, organic booze

The Northernly neighborhood that houses the covered Marché La Chapelle is not foreign to me as I've often made trips out there to visit the various Asian food supermarkets and bodegas. These are my favorite local spots to pick up fried tofu, ngredients for Kimchi, and other Asian delights that one can't easily find at the traditional marché.

Libellés : 75018, Bulk, Marché of the Month, markets, open Friday, open Saturday, open Sunday, open Thursday, open Tuesday, open Wednesday

Happy Saturday to you! If you're like me and getting off to a slow start today you might be wondering if you'll make it to the marché before closing time. I however, am tranquil because I already picked up my organic peaches and apricots at Marché Anvers.

Libellés : 75009, Marché of the Month, open Friday, open late, organic