Au bon marché

Ste. Marine, Brittany

When I came downstairs this morning a package of crèpes was waiting for me on the kitchen windowsill. My cousin, Michèle, likes to get to the Wednesday farmer’s market in Ste. Marine early to buy the crèpes before they sell out and if I’m here on holiday she always buys a package for my family. These are delicate froment dessert crèpes that you need only reheat them and fill them with whatever you desire: jam, honey, sugar and lemon juice (like Thierry’s at L’Escargot Voyageur. I tend to eat them with a little bit of wild heather honey which is very nice indeed.) As someone who rises quite early for market days, it’s nice to have someone else be the “early bird” shopper for me. 

The “local” markets have been a real revelation for me this year. Folks often assume that I get all my market inspiration from my French heritage. But honestly, the markets in California, where I grew up, with their emphasis on all things grown locally carried more weight. 

The markets in France are fantastic, especially for people who like to shop daily for their food which is a luxury, to be sure.  Within a ten-kilometer radius of St. Marine, there is a market every day of the week for locals and tourists alike. While there is emphasis on some local product, a surprising amount of produce comes from faraway places: kiwis from New Zealand, oranges from Morocco. The country of provenance is written on all the produce bins and in many instances, “France” will be listed with no specific region cited. It’s a tiny country of course, compared to the States, but still...it’s disarmingly vague when you’re used to buying your carrots from black dirt country 20 miles away as the crow flies. Some, coveted, items are hyper-local, like the aforementioned heather honey or the strawberries from Plougastel (about an hour northeast of here) hands down the sweetest strawberries to ever pass my lips. And, because we are in a seaside town, the oysters and other shellfish are also locally sourced. (Lucky us, they are also hyper affordable). But the cheese vendor at our local market here specializes in cheeses from the Jura region. At the Pont l'Abbé market, five kilometers away, there is a cheese monger who offers all things Alpine. You don’t walk away from the market here feeling like you’ve supported your local agriculture. 

You will have some outstanding food in your panier...but it will not necessarily reflect your region as our Hastings market does. You will also have observed lovely encounters among locals, grandmothers showing off their grandkids, couples inviting each other for lunch as they stand on line at the rotisserie chicken stall where the chicken juices drip directly on to the roasting potatoes below the spit.

Also, the crafts at the market are rarely related to food...lots of alpaca sweaters (because, brrrrr...Brittany) and jaunty berets and hats. You will find handmade ceramic salt  “boxes” at most markets here to store the famous sel de Guérande of the region. This week, in Hastings, you can look forward to the beautiful ceramic work of Chloe Sikirica. 

You can also look forward to some gorgeous melons which Halal Pastures was sampling last Saturday between raindrops.
Impossible not to buy one once you’ve tasted their refreshing sweetness. Why not wrap melon slices in prosciutto as they do here and in Italy for an easy peasy and cooling appetizer. Or make this melon cucumber, zucchini & corn salad showcasing all that is good and plentiful in the produce bins right NOW!

We are supposed to get a reprieve from the heat this weekend. In case you’re missing it—pick up a bottle of sizzling hot sauce from Emmaline’s Hot Sauce. Wil-Hi Farm– all things locally lamb - are here so grab some lamb stew pieces to make  these kabobs. Serve with labneh or plain yogurt from White Moustache, or tzatziki from Anthi’s Greek Specialties, or hummus from Aya Hummus. And of course, some market heirloom tomatoes and perhaps a chicory salad on the side. 

Mead Orchards is rocking the stone fruit. Why not make a simple nectarine tart?

Don’t miss our very unique rotating vendors: Bloody Good Mud (Bloody Mary Mix) and 7 Kitchen Road (seeded and seedy crackers). Just the ticket and foil for any cheese from Aux Bons Fromages or Aya Hummus or smoked duck breast from Larchmont Charcuterie. Prefer you charcuterie with a little more intensity? Try Iberian Delights Portugueses charcuterie instead...on the upper level.

Also, this is the week we “glean” which basically means we ask you, our shoppers, to donate select product items to our gleaning basket destined for the food pantry. This week the folks who use the pantry are requesting tomatoes, squash and eggplant. Thank you in advance! 

Our music happens to be hyper-local this week as Adam Hart will be joining us under the music tent. Don’t forget your knives and pruning shears for the knife sharpener! 

See you “au bon marché”