Marché du Mois: Marché Saxe-Breteuil

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Cabbage and Celery root from the Loiret region in France

The Marché Saxe-Breteuil shrinks or expands in accordance with the day of your visit. During the week, the market- which is the only one to serve the 7th arrondissement- is sleepy and suited to the lighter traffic of leisurely shopping locals.

The weekend sees the market almost double in size, with neighborhood shoppers joined by visiting tourists and out-of-arrondissement Parisians who are drawn to the picturesque setting under the Tour Eiffel and the large variety of fresh produce. Luckily, no matter what day of the week you go, you will find a local farmer selling seasonal produce.

Locally grown Cauliflower at MArché Saxe-Breteuil

On Thursdays, when the avenue de Saxe is more sparsely populated, I suggest seeking out the Le Trepied stand where Salah LeMaire will give you samples of the farm’s excellent heirloom vegetables and help you decide what to do with them once you get home.

During the week you may also find Pierre Dondaine, a producer from the Ile-de-France region who is also regularly at the market during the weekend.

To get the full market experience, brave the crowds and take a Saturday stroll around Marché Saxe-Breteuil. In addition to the farmers mentioned above, you will have your choice of a few more farmers to visit- including a producteur from the Loiret region who was harkening in spring with fresh artichokes and cucumbers on a recent visit to the marché.

Artichokes bring springtime to Marché Saxe-Breteuil

Overcoming your agoraphobia can be rewarded with cookies and cakes with a visit to the “Once Upon a Cake” stand, where Marina Delafond sells her homemade cookies, lemon bars, carrot cake, and more. Look out for Marina at more markets near you as she plans to expand to Marché Monge shortly and will likely add other markets to her rotation.

Marché Saxe-Breteuil

Avenue de Saxe, 75007

M° Ségur (line 10)

Open Thursdays and Saturdays, 7-14h30

“Once Upon a Cake” is a must for shoppers with a sweet tooth

Paris Paysanne Newsletter

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Starting in June, I will be sending out a monthly newsletter to subscribers who want regular updates on Paris markets, seasonal recipes, farmer profiles, and a selection of links and articles.

Aimed to entertain and inspire food lovers, francophiles and everyone in between the newsletter provides an easy way to stay informed and follow Paris Paysanne.

You can sign up on the website, our facebook page, or by following this link.

Can’t wait to share more Paris Paysanne with you !

A Little Bit About Buying Food…

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Locally grown vegetables at London’s Real Food Market

I’ve been mulling over my reasons for buying the food that I buy for the past few weeks and during that time May Day rolled around, as it always does. Every year I forget how much I love the first day of May in France. The floral burst always takes me by surprise as the streets sprout vendors of lillies of the valley and lilacs, blooming on every corner and by each sidewalk café. Purchasing and selling these flowers is a tradition open to all, with a few euros buying budding branches and perfumed flowering shoots that brighten up your home.

Vendors come from nearby fields and no one thinks twice about the price of a small bouquet- because a few euros is what it costs to help your neighbor out and participate in a modest ritual that celebrates a season. It is a simple gesture that reminds us of so much on this day set aside to honor hard work and what hard work is worth.

Farm fresh turnips at Marché Port-Royal

Recently I received some feedback on my Facebook page that made me feel compelled to write this post. The comments were in regards to the cost of locally-grown vegetables at the market, which some readers found to be unreasonably high. I have to admit that I rarely pay attention to the prices of locally-grown, fresh produce at the markets I visit, not because I’m extraordinarily wealthy (I’m not!), but because I’m just so excited to find farmers from nearby regions selling their seasonal produce in Paris. It is such a rare discovery that cost doesn’t even occur to me.

Having said that, I understand that price is a consideration and every family budgets for food differently. I have a two-income household that consists of two people- which is a very different situation from one-income-five-people households, or other variations that may require a more fixed budget on groceries. I am not oblivious to the fact that money is a real issue that may make one person’s daily expenses seem like another person’s luxury.

Beets and greens at Marché Alésia

Before talking a little about buying food, I’d like to make it clear that my intended audience has never been readers with a large expendable income, that’s why I don’t promote expensive food trends (eating local, I’d argue, isn’t a trend but a tradition) or advocate exorbitant expenditures on the blog (you can make wholesome food at home with seasonal recipes rather than spending half your paycheck at a restaurant). My target audience is people who love whole food- whether at the farm, the market, in the kitchen, or on their table- and want to learn how to support the local farmers that bring it to them.

We all make choices on where and how to spend our money and I think that food is one thing that is worth paying for. I don’t own a lot of shoes, or much clothing- I don’t spend a ton of money on things that make me look better, but good food makes me feel great in an invaluable way that I love to share with the people I care about. Besides the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables make me happy, here are a few other reasons why I spend a little more at the market instead of the supermarché :

The Forget/Forgive Factor

I go to a lot of markets. Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my mouth when shopping and oftentimes my eyes even outgrow my fridge- which is constantly stuffed with impulse buys and way to many vegetables for two people to get through on a weekly basis. Sometimes when scouring through my little French fridge to find a carrot or turnip I remember buying at Marché Daumesnil I’ll stumble upon a bag of beets that I bought weeks before. Humble and forgotten these earth covered roots are always forgiving- even ten days later they are waiting for me, fresh and flavorful and anticipating being eaten. There is a value in that- investing in food that is so fresh that it waits for you to get around to it, ready to be forgotten and forgive.

A farmers market in San José, California

Nothing Added, Nothing Taken Away

I’m always surprised at the markets by how much gets thrown away- when I buy whole foods, I want the whole food- the greens, the skin, the roots, and the sprouts. I like my food like my wine- nothing added and nothing taken away.

When I think about vegetables that are sprayed with pesticides or treated chemically I wonder what is left to enjoy- and what do you have to take away in order to feel okay eating these modified foods? What fun can you have with chemically treated lemon zest? What do you do with waxy cucumber and apple skins? What do you keep and what do you need to take away in order to feel okay?

The state of industrial foods begs the question of what we are taking away from the environment when we practice this form of agriculture. While Monsanto lobbyists have done a stellar job impeding studies on the impact of genetically modified foods on our health, the affect that pesticides have on our earth has been largely documented and the efficiency of organic farming has been affirmed. The Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania has lead an impressive 30 year study on organic farming compared to industrial methods and found that the former is “better equipped to feed us now and well into the ever changing future”

Fall flavors at Marché Bastille

Being a Good Neighbor

I think that a lot of the time people expect to pay more for produce that has been imported and passed through several middle men. The added cost covers the added mileage and transactions that took place before your Spanish strawberries or imported pineapple gets to you. This in turn advances the expectation that locally grown food, sold directly by the grower to the consumer should cost less. In my opinion, this is an unfair assumption for two reasons:

Investing in local agriculture is better for the consumer, the farmer, and the environment. I believe it is a worthwhile investment to cut out the middlemen (and carbon imprint) inherent in transporting produce from afar and to chose to support your local farmer, who is singlehandedly standing up against the industrial food complex, keeping regional agriculture alive, and accepting to act as producer, transporter, and vendor of their own produce in order to ensure that you have access to fresh goods at the market.
Local farmers aren’t getting rich off of the “locavore” movement. Despite comparatively elevated prices at the market, these farmers live simple lives and constantly feel economic pressure. Farmers are already hard pressed to tend their land with small teams of workers, to transport their goods to the city, and to pay rent for a plae in the open-air markets. A rough winter (like the one we just had) can bring catastrophe, much like farmer Nicolas Thirard experienced when one of his three greenhouses collapsed during a harsh snowstorm that hit his farm in Northern France. Nicolas saw his lettuce crop freeze in the bitter cold and is only now rebuilding what was taken away.Farmers choose to continue or to undertake this lifestyle in order to feed us. That’s a pretty big job and an undeniably awesome gesture that I’m humbled by and appreciative of. So when farmer Hermione Boehrer wakes up early in the morning in her home- that could be generously described as a large shed- on her farm 39 miles outside of Paris and harvests the kale that she’ll bring to hungry ex-pats and curious French shoppers at Marché Batignolles or Marché Raspail, my first reaction isn’t to cost check, but to smile and say thanks- because you can’t put a price on the work that she and her colleagues do for us.

If you’re interested in locally grown produce and where to find it in Paris- or just love food in general, think about signing up for Paris Paysanne’s monthly newsletter which features our favorite markets, seasonal produce, recipes and market updates.

Seasonal vegetables at a market in Lausanne, Switzerland

In Season: Concombres

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Cucumbers at Marché Biologique des Batignolles

May is less than a week away and signs of spring are just barely making an appearance amongst the locally-grown produce at Paris markets. Tired of tubers and cabbage and the remnants of this long, long, winter I’m eager to introduce new ingredients into my home cooking rotation.

Signs of spring colors include rosy rhubarb, bright red radishes, spring onions, and ail frais, or fresh garlic. While I’m still waiting for some favorites- like asparagus and strawberries- to be brought to market by local farmers, I was thrilled to spot the first cucumbers of the season this weekend at the Marché Biologique des Batignolles.

The first of the season, cucumbers at the Val du Coûtant stand at Marché Biologique des Batignolles

What: Concombres (Cucumbers)

When: April 27, 2013

Where: Marché Biologique des Batignolles, Au Val du Coûtant stand

How:

The sight of cucumbers reminded me of a simple Moosewood recipe for cucumber salad with an apple cider vinegar based dressing that I used to whip up for picnics in the days when Paris seemed to provide appropriate weather for outdoor eating.

Tossed with the radishes and fresh garlic I picked up earlier in the week at Marché Bastille, this simple cucumber salad is a refreshing side dish to go with any spring meal.

Spring ingredients for a simple salad

Simple Spring Cucumber & Radish Salad

Ingredients:

2 Cucumbers (I used the Noa, or short variety), sliced into about 1/4 pieces

1 dozen or so radishes, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

2 1/2 tbsps olive oil

2 tbsps apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp mustard

1 sprig of fresh garlic* sprig, chopped (include some of the greens, as you would with a spring onion)

*Please note that fresh garlic does not refer to a clove of garlic but rather the variety that resembles spring onions in all but taste and the lack of a bulb.

1) In a bowl, add the apple cider vinegar to your olive oil. Whisk in mustard followed by the chopped fresh garlic. Add a dash of sugar and mix well. Adjust seasoning to your taste by adding more mustard or sugar.

2) Add cucumber and radish slices. Toss until covered with dressing.

3) If you have the time, let this salad marinade for a bit so that the cucumbers soak up some of the dressing. Tossing and storing the salad in a mason jar and then leaving it in your fridge for a few hours is a good way to do this.

Perfect for a picnic: Simple Spring Cucumber and Radish salad

Profil d’un Producteur: Le Trepied & Salah Lemaire

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Swiss chard from Le Trepied’s farm

Marché Saxe-Breteuil may be the only market in the 7th arrondissement but, with its photogenic setting aside the Eiffel Tower and its extensive choice of locally-grown ingredients, it has everything you could want out of a neighborhood marché.

Tourists and locals are drawn to this stretch on Avenue de Saxe twice a week to pick up fresh produce and browse the selection of cashmere sweaters and occasional antiques which remind you that you’re in one of the most posh neighborhoods of Paris.

On Thursdays, two or three independent producers set up stands and sell seasonal fruits and vegetables. Saturday sees the producteur population double in response to the hordes of weekend shoppers.

Mr. Le Trepied’s farm is located 95 miles south of Paris

My favorite stand at Marché Saxe-Breteuil belongs to Mr. Le Trepied a farmer from Jargeau in the Loiret department of France. Located about 95 miles south of Paris, the farm specializes in heirloom varieties. Their harvest never fails to surprise with a wide selection of légumes oubliés. This truly is a great place to stop if you’re suffering from the end of season I’m-totally-over-eating-beets blues.

Shoppers gather at Le Trepied’s stand not just for the exceptional produce, but also to visit Salah Lemaire the charismatic vendor who brings life to this vegetable booth. Carefully slicing a chervil root, Salah will distribute samples among a line of ladies who then confer, exchanging opinions, interjections, and eventual recipes.

Salah Lemaire is the charming vendor at Mr. Le Trepied’s stand

While selling seems to come naturally to Salah, he didn’t start at the market stand. His first year and a half with Mr. Le Trepied were spent working on the farm, where he was one of the few young people on the team. “It’s hard work” Salah explained to me- citing this as one reason the younger crowd stays away from agricultural work.

Le Trepied eventually split his team into two- a farming team and a market team, and Salah took to his new post at the marché. Twice a week he makes the two-hour trip to Marché Saxe-Breteuil where he competes with wholesale vegetable vendors and other stands stocked with unseasonal anomalies.

Chervil root at the Le Trepied stand

Market goers aren’t the only ones happy to have Le Trepied’s farm-fresh produce on site, Salah explained to me that the city of Paris specifically invited the farm to be present at Marché Saxe-Breteuil in a commendable effort to bring farmers back to the markets.

“If you go 20 kilometers outside the city the markets are filled with farmers” Salah explained, “many farmers prefer to go to the local markets or have people come to their farms to buy vegetables”- an economic and logical alternative to renting space and splitting your team in two in order to manage both farm and the market duties.

With all the obstacles that challenge farmers- smaller farming teams and the time constraints they face, the cost of transport and distribution, and the impact of imported industrial foods that flood the markets- Parisians can count themselves lucky to have farmers like Le Trepied who will come to the city, especially when they bring someone like Salah to our markets!

Thanks so much to Salah for taking the time to talk with me!

Marché Saxe-Breteuil is on Thursday & Saturday 7h-14h30, Avenue de Saxe, 75007

Winter vegetables from the Le Trepied farm

Terresa’s Loire Valley Vineyard Tours provide a doorway into the world of Natural Wines

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Tasting from the barrels at a Loire Valley natural wine vineyard- photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

Why didn’t I do this earlier? I asked myself as I slowly pulled into a rocky driveway off a winding road in the Loire Valley. After eight years of living in France and enjoying its local traditions and treasures- the Fête de Lumière in Lyon, fresh fish in Normandy, the adorable accents and warming sun of the sud- I had never immersed myself in the country’s most celebrated natural resource: wine.

My first French natural wine tasting tour began at the Domaine des Maisons Brulées, where winemaker Michel Augé led me through rows of vines, encouraging me to touch the soil and inspect the rich ecosystem thriving at root level. We wandered the vineyards I learned more about a non-intervention approach to wine making and the history of the region. Our tour ended on a sunny porch where Michel’s wife Béatrice joined us to taste a selection of the Augés vin naturels. I savored my first Pineau d’Aunis and came back to my previous pondering- why didn’t I do this earlier?

The question was simple and the response, upon deeper reflection, was a bit more complicated. While my visit to the Loire Valley’s natural wineries was both relaxed and unstructured, the terroir tours, sun-soaked terrasse tastings, and candid chats with winemakers did not come about without a certain amount of effort.

Grapevines in the Loire Valley- photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

In order to plan a French vineyard visit a number of elements must be aligned. A certain control of the French language helps, as exchange and building a relationship with the wine and its maker are such an important part of the experience. Then you have to know when and where to visit- no easy task given that small-sized vineyards demand an enormous amount of attention from their vignerons and they are not always available to accept visitors. Add to that the many regions in France to chose from- it’s hard to know where to start!

When it comes to tasting natural wines, arguably the most important decision is who to visit. To truly understand what makes a wine natural you need a good guide. Wine makers that embrace a “nothing added, nothing taken away” approach from the vine to the bottle are by far the best suited to introducing you to the traditional methods of wine production.

Wine barrels, Loire Valley- photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

The umbrella term of “natural wine” is used quite liberally and refers to wines made with varying degrees of intervention. Ambiguity in wine labels and certifications means that knowing the wine maker-or a caviste or other intermediary who has a relationship with the winemakers- is the only way to be sure you are getting the real deal.

Overwhelming, right? Especially if you only have a week or so in France and want to scratch your oenophile itch while in town.

Thank Bacchus for Terresa of La Cucina di Terresa, who is now offering Loire Valley wine tours which organize a day around cooking classes, vineyard visits, and tastings of the best natural wines the region has to offer.

Meet Terresa- your guide to natural wine in the Loire Valley!

Terresa will meet you in one of two Loire towns, Blois or Angers, and whisk you off to a nearby winery. Prepare yourself for a wine tasting like no other- this is not your typical Napa Valley affair and no stuffy tasting rooms await. Here you will meet winemakers who make wine not for profit, but for their living.

The first part of the day will have you set up in a rustic country kitchen, where you will use fresh, seasonal ingredients to make a three-course vegetarian meal. Terresa will hold the class in English, instructing you in her Italian- inspired cooking techniques as you appreciate the change of scenery from big city to rural countryside.

Enjoy an intimate wine tasting with the winemakers – photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

While waiting for lunch, stroll the grounds and enjoy the fresh air as you notice the defining characteristics of a natural vineyard- wandering animals, untamed flora, wild vines and an unpretentious setting.

Lunch is eaten with the winemaker, who will serve a selection of wines and suggest pairings as you go. This is the occasion to ask questions and learn more about the process of natural wine making as well as the differences you notice between natural and industrial wines and just about any other wine related question you may have. Always wondered how to use acidity, tannins, or terroir in a sentence? Here’s your chance! Question about dry farming, sulfur, or oxidation? Ask the experts!

Share a three-course vegetarian meal of your making your group- photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

Farming and vinification methods will be explained to visitors and tastings of wines that are in the process of fermenting in the barrels can be tasted to experience young wines that are not yet ready for bottling.

Your day will conclude with an opportunity to buy bottles to take home- or to last you through the rest of your trip- up until that last Seine-side picnic. Terresa and the winemakers can also advise you on where to find these wines, and others like them, once you get back home.

A “nothing added, nothing taken away” bottle of wine- photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

I am sincerely excited about these tours and equally eager to spread the word about them. It was thanks to Terresa that I had the opportunity to meet natural wine makers such as Michel, and it is thanks to her that many more will be able to have this invaluable and authentic experience.

For more information on Terresa’s Loire Valley Wine Tours visit her site to find dates, availability, and pricing. Tours booked before May 31, 2013 will benefit from a 10% discount- so don’t wait to make a date to discover the world of natural wines!

Healthy vines make happy wines – photo courtesy of Terresa Murphy

In Season: Oignons Blancs

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Spring Onions at Marché Ornano

The calendar tells us that spring is here but the sky is sending us mixed messages. While rays of sun occasionally reach the streets, the Paris air has a glacial sting to it and winter wardrobes are far from being stored away.

Despite the fact that Paris is disappointingly living up to Joni Mitchell’s accusation of being “old and cold”, youth and colors are slowly beginning to appear in the markets- with baby greens, young violet-tinted turnips, and spring onions being brought to the city from nearby farms.

I stopped by Marché Ornano last week to see what local producer Jean-Michel Delahaye had in stock. Hoping for some signs of the change in season I kept my eye out for new arrivals at his market stand.

Winter squash and spring onions at the market

Young greens and dandelion leaves were snuggled up against winter vegetables and bunches of oignons blancs- an onion which has a bulb that is smaller than that of an onion but larger than that of a scallion (there seems to be some confusion about the difference between spring onions, scallions, and green onions- this article was helpful in determining which terms were correct).

Spring onions are known for their mild taste and their accompanying green stalk which can be prepared along with the onions in a variety of dishes.

Spring onion bulbs

What: Oignons Blancs (Spring Onions)

When: March 29th, 2013

Where: Marché Ornano, 75018- chez Jean-Michel Delahaye (grown 34km/21miles from Paris)

How: I enlisted my husband to help make a simple Tarte aux Oignons Blancs for our lunch, which is a recipe perfectly suited to his dogma that no recipe should have more than a handful of ingredients and mine that good locally-grown vegetables should be allowed to shine.

A simple spring recipe: Tarte aux Oignons Blancs

Tarte aux Oignons Blancs

Ingredients:

Simple tarte crust- you can use my recipe here

One bunch (3-4 bulbs) of spring onions

2 tbsps butter

2 eggs

1/2 c crème fraîche

salt & pepper

1/4 grated emmental cheese

Spring onions sautéed in butter

1. Preheat oven to 100°C/215°F

2. Coat a shallow pie/tarte tin with 1 tbsp butter before spreading out the crust.

3. Heat 1 tbsp butter on medium high heat. While waiting for the butter to heat up, remove the outer layer and roots then wash and chop your spring onions using the entire bulb and about an inch or so of the green stalk.

4. Sautée onions in butter for about 5 mins. or until wilted and slightly browned.

5. In a bowl stir together eggs, crème fraîche and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in sautéed onions.

6. Transfer the egg and onion mixture to your pit tin and spread evenly on the bottom. Sprinkle cheese on top and move to the top rack of oven.

7. Bake for 25-30 mins. Serve hot.

Bon appetit!

Profil d’un Producteur: Nicolas Thirard’s Snowy Struggles & La Ruche Qui Dit Oui

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

In addition to the numerous open-air and covered markets in Paris, some of which date back to over 400 years, a new wave of markets are sprouting up around the city. These markets embrace supporting local farmers and putting consumers in direct contact with the people who grow their food.

Shoppers at La Ruche Qui Dit Oui in the 10th arrondissement

One of these unique approaches to markets is La Ruche Qui Dit Oui which counts on farmers to bring their products to the point of sale themselves. Designated sites known as Ruches, or beehives, are scattered across the city (and country). Farmers and consumers come together at these rendez-vous points to pick up locally and naturally grown products that they have ordered online up to 3 days prior.

A compelling mixture of both market and farm share, La Ruche Qui Dit Oui allows shoppers to pre-pay and pre-select their purchases, while maintaining direct contact with the producer.

Buying kale at La Ruche Qui Dit Oui- photo courtesy of Kristen Beddard

Even though I live in the 18th, I often visit La Ruche in the 10th arrondissement in part because I love the Comptoir Général, where the vendors meet on Saturday afternoons, but mainly because of Picardie farmer Nicolas Thirard who was a steady source of kale a few months back.

I first visited Nicolas with Kristen from The Kale Project and kept going back to for more overthe following weeks, adding his beautiful betterave chiogga, panais, pimpernel and pommes to my shopping bag as the kale supply dwindled away.

I looked forward to the new discoveries that Nicolas varied harvest brought and that is why I was so sad to hear that tragedy had befallen his farm. Located an hour and a half North of Paris, the Omignon Valley is home to Nicolas’ organic farm and the region was hit particularly hard by the recent strong winds and snow storms that occurred recently in Northern France.

Sign at Nicolas Thirard’s stand, “No roquette or lettuce due to frost”

Heavy snowfall ravaged one of Nicolas’ three greenhouses and exposed his lettuce, pimpernel and roquette crop to freezing temperatures, destroying the fragile plants. You can see heartbreaking photos of the “coup de blizzard” here.

Luckily, the Thirard farm has some root cellar vegetables stowed away in a cold room and can also count on their conserved products such as soups, purées, and ratatouille for income, but this is nonetheless a staggering financial blow to a small farm.

Soup and Ratatouille at Nicolas Thirard’s stand

In response to this unfortunate incident, I encourage you to come out and support Nicolas Thirard, who will be present and next week’s Ruche rendez-vous (Saturday, March 23) in the 10th arrondissement. You can support this local farmer by enrolling in La Ruche Qui Dit Oui and pre-ordering vegetables for a Saturday pick-up.

If you are already enrolled in a Ruche, check to see if Nicolas’ products are sold there. Apparently he is present in a few different Ruches in France, but the website does not allow for a sweeping search of all the different Ruches and vendors. If Nicolas will be at a Ruche near you, please let me know and I will add that information to a shared list.

Guest Post: Stacey’s Sprouted Lentils

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

I’m so happy to share this guest post from Stacey Pedersen with you. Stacey lives in Boulder, CO where she spends her free time tending to various fermentation and sprouting projects around her bursting-with-probiotics kitchen.

A dear friend, Stacey also takes time to make batch upon batch of coconut oiled kale chips for weary Parisians when they come to town. Oh how I miss your kale chips, Stacey!

Kale chips à la Stacey

Today Stacey shares with us her method of sprouting lentils to assure maximum health benefits and digestibility. Check out her simple instructions and great ideas for how to include sprouted lentils in healthy meals.

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With spring just around the corner, I find myself analyzing every tree or shrubbery I pass, searching for any sign of new, green leaves peaking out from what has appeared to be dead for so many months. By the end of winter I am nearly willing to give my right pinky finger to start seeing some small sign of spring. Fortunately, I can get a jump-start on spring right in my own kitchen – without having to sacrifice any body parts – by sprouting lentils.

Lentils are a staple in my diet. Not only are they very inexpensive, but they are also highly nutritious with great stuff like protein, fiber and iron even before sprouting them. Sprouting actually increases the nutritional value (even adding vitamin C and chlorophyll) and makes the lentil more easily digestible because it is now living again. An added bonus is that it doubles the amount of food you have – a little definitely goes a long way!

What you will need:

Ingredients for sprouting lentils- photo courtesy of Stacey Pedersen

1. A clean jar

2. 1/2 cup of dried green lentils, rinsed well

3. 1 cup water

4. Cheesecloth or muslin

5. A rubber band

How to sprout them:

Put the lentils and water into the jar. Cover with a piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band. Your sprouting jar should look like this:

Dried Lentils in a covered jar- photo courtesy of Stacey Pedersen

Dried lentils with water in a covered jar- photo courtesy of Stacey Pedersen

Let the lentils sit like this for 12-24 hours, until all the water has been absorbed. From now on, you just have to rinse the lentils twice a day (or more if it is really warm in your house). That’s where the cheesecloth comes in handy. Just fill the jar with water (leaving the cloth and rubber band on) and then pour the water out a few times each morning and evening, making sure to drain out as much water as possible. Also, be sure you leave the jar near a window if you want green sprouts. If left in a dark spot, they will still sprout but you’ll miss out on the chlorophyll. By around day 3-5 you should have something that looks like this:

Sprouted lentils after 3-5 days- photo courtesy of Stacey Pedersen

Isn’t it amazing how so few dried lentils can fill up a jar after they have sprouted? Once you have sprouted your lentils, you can either cook them up in your favorite recipe (they won’t take as long to cook now that they are sprouted, so keep an eye on them while you are cooking) or add them raw to salads, which is what I did today:

Sprouted lentils make a great addition to salads- photo courtesy of Stacey Pedersen

I made up some of Paris Paysanne’s salad dressing in the bottom of the jar, and then filled it with the lentils and whatever else I had on hand.

Kept in an airtight container, the sprouted lentils will last up to 3 weeks in your refrigerator, although mine are always gone within a week because I love them so much!

Thanks so much for sharing Stacey! I can’t wait to hear about more of your food projects!

Marché du Mois: Marché Place des Fêtes

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Emily Dilling Poulain

Guy Barrais’ stand at Marché Place des Fêtes

Paris has taught me that venturing out of my neighborhood can often lead to intriguing discoveries and welcome surprises. The same holds true when traveling from market to market.

In the quest to find locally grown produce I have encountered a friendly gentleman selling homemade Polish specialties at Marché Père-Lachaise, the chaotic and exciting ambience of Marché Belleville, and delicious Portuguese pastries at Marché couvert St. Martin.

Discovering the varying elements that make each market unique is part of the fun of my market adventures, but finding fresh vegetables from the Ile-de-France region remains the Holy Grail of my quest.

I never know when I will find the next local producer and that is what motivates me to tour markets both near and far, filling up my shopping bag along the way.

A need for a change in scenery during a bitter bout with the winter blues brought me to the Marché Place des Fêtes on a frosty February day. Exiting the metro of the same name I was happy to find myself plunged into the middle of the market, where seasonal vegetables were immediately in sight.

Not surprising, but always encouraging to see, the two stands operated by local producers were circled by steadily long lines of shoppers with discriminating tastes. Behind me in line at Guy Barrais’ stand, an on-duty police office spoke with an equally on-duty mother of two, “I don’t care if it’s not bio,” he explained to her “here the vegetables are always good.” The mother agreed while herding a toddler back in line, and the police officer greeted the vendor and exchanged their weekly updates before ordering the makings of a pot-au-feu.

Guy Barrais’ farm is located in the Seine-et-Marne, not farm from Fontainebleau which is just south of Paris. The stand is staffed with friendly vendors and stocked with seasonal treats such as endives, pears, apples, swiss chard, cauliflower, and leeks.

Fans of seasonal and local produce gather at Patrick Messant’s stand

Marché Place des Fêtes is also home to Patrick Messant whose farm is located an hour east of Paris. Visit this stand early if you want the best selection of his homegrown spinach, rutabaga, lettuce, onions, and beets.

Two organic vendors are in attendance at Marché Place des Fêtes selling certified organic foods if you’re seeking something out-of-season or from a far-off land.

Marché Place des Fêtes also has two organic vegetable vendors

Marché Place des Fêtes

Place des Fêtes, 75019

m° Place des Fêtes (line 7bis, 11)

Open Tuesday, Friday, Sunday 7h-14h30