We were watching TV and it was about foodies who grow their own vegetables and go out of their way to have the best food on their table. My husband jokingly asked if I were a foodie. He already knew the answer. I have always loved food and cooking. These last couple of years I pushed my food obsession a little farther. I'm buying local products, and I have started to grow some vegetables. Since I'm living in the country, I can buy food directly from farmers. My neighbour is selling pork, my other neighbour is growing organic veggies. Also, in our village, there's a farmer who makes great cheese. I no longer have the urge to go to the supermarket. Here's a few products gathered in my village.
Local produce and the vegetables are organic.
When I first arrived in France, my father in law had a huge garden. He grew tomatoes, beans, potatoes. etc. He was also foraging blackberries and wild pears in the woods and then made jellies and jams. I enjoyed it but never thought that it was such hard work and that everything was organic. Organic food should not be a trend, this guy was doing it for more than 30 years. It's a good thing my neighbour decided to sell some of his organic veggies, the organic stores are ridiculously overpriced. I'm not "organic" obsessed, but I like fresh products, and try to buy local food as much as possible.
Spinaches, so easy to grow.
Nappa cabbage, it will never be as big as the ones in the
supermarkets, but these tender leaves are tempting.
Second batch of pak choy of the summer, I planted those last
month but this time around some bugs are eating my leaves.
Maches lettuce, I don't know if we can find them in Canada.
They will get better when the first frosts will hit.
The only surviving pumpkin plant. Despite these plastic wraps,
the slugs managed to get inside the pot.
Local products do taste better.
ReplyDeleteI wish I have the passion in cooking just like you. When I'm home from work I'm usually tired and cooking for dinner is a real task that I don't like.
When tired, I don't cook asian food, so it is basically something easy like a salad with semolina (instant couscous).
ReplyDeleteI admire people who can grow veggies, I don't have a green thumb!
ReplyDeleteI like food. I enjoy eating and can never just "grab something quick". I like to sit down and enjoy, i.e. you would never see me eating a burger in my car. That said, I'm not a snob and foodies who are annoy me. Yes, I like fine French cheese but Vache-qui-rit will do in Canada and while I can have something sophisticated, semolina is a life-saver during the week when I barely have the time to cook!
Any Canadian product you miss in France?
-I'm a lazy gardener, I just throw seeds and wait to harvest, that's why I'm using plastic containers.
ReplyDelete-I got used to french products, but so many food from Canada I miss having: asian vegetables, cheddar, tofu (I have to buy this in organic stores or in Belgium to have decent tofu), blueberries, McIntosh apples, sweet corn, even bean sprouts and poutine. lol
-I'm ashamed to admit that I prefer processed cheeses to the "lait cru" ones.
-I rarely go to restaurants in France, because they can't make "ethnic" food right, and it is expensive and disappointing.
I'm far too lazy to be a real gardener like you, but that shouldn't stop me from having a couple of plants on my balcony. I really should look into this.
ReplyDeleteI love food and try to eat locally. Sometimes I wish that I lived in the countryside so I could buy food from my neighbours. Last year my neighbour brought back a a box of vegetables that she had picked up in the Landes, and I'm telling you, these vegetables were better than all the paniers of vegetables I've tried from various associations around Bordeaux.
What I miss from Canada is the tradition of eating good corn on the cob on a hot summer's day around the bbq.
1) you can start small, some basils, parsley in a pot, indoor or outdoor.
ReplyDelete2) Life in the country is not always easy, but I try to make the most out of this. Farm products that are sold locally are most of the time the same price as the supermarkets. I'm mad that the are making so much profits out of farmers. When I first tried my neighbour's ham, I felt so cheated by the "industrials".
3) When in Canada, I turn into a madwoman, and my parents feed me snow crabs, lobsters. End of summer makes really miss sweet corns on the cob, with melted butter. lol