The longer we live in France, the fewer processed foods in our diet. One reason is practicality - we can't find the foods we love (Mexican!) in this country, so when we crave a fajitas, we make it ourselves. Another reasons is that the basic ingredients in France are just better than what we ever found in the US. The French really care about the quality of their food. And since quality is often related to where the food comes from, most make deliberate decisions based on geography when buying their produce. For example, most prefer not to buy produce from Spain (I haven't quite figured out why yet. People have told me that they don't treat workers well, other say that its very industrial).
The idea of eating local products does make sense to me. Logic tells me that the closer the source, the higher probability that it was picked close to its peak ripeness. Local fruits and vegetables that are in season are also cheaper. More and more fruits and vegetables from France have found there way into our diets.
To go 100% local would mean that the selection would be seasonal or nonexistent (so long bananas). I'm not ready to give up my avocado smoothies just yet. However, since moving to France, we've at least been more aware of where our food comes from and have made more informed choices.
The other day we discovered the Les Fermes de Gally. The Gally family have been farming since 1746. Their farm is situated next to the park of Versailles, and on it there are 50 hectares (123 acres) where visitors can pick their own fruits, vegetables and flowers (it has more than that if but this is the part that interests us the most). You can't really get more fresh than pulling produce out of the ground and then having it for dinner that day,
The idea of eating local products does make sense to me. Logic tells me that the closer the source, the higher probability that it was picked close to its peak ripeness. Local fruits and vegetables that are in season are also cheaper. More and more fruits and vegetables from France have found there way into our diets.
To go 100% local would mean that the selection would be seasonal or nonexistent (so long bananas). I'm not ready to give up my avocado smoothies just yet. However, since moving to France, we've at least been more aware of where our food comes from and have made more informed choices.
The other day we discovered the Les Fermes de Gally. The Gally family have been farming since 1746. Their farm is situated next to the park of Versailles, and on it there are 50 hectares (123 acres) where visitors can pick their own fruits, vegetables and flowers (it has more than that if but this is the part that interests us the most). You can't really get more fresh than pulling produce out of the ground and then having it for dinner that day,
For this city (and suburb) girl, it was nice to get connected to where the food I eat every day comes from. It has made me aware of how hard it is for farm workers to be out in the sun, bent over, picking the produce we find in the grocery store. It has made me think about all the chemicals and additives that could be added at each step of the production process to turn fresh tomatoes into a can of spaghettios. To that end, we've simplified our meals so that they are quick, easy, with only a few fresh ingredients, grown in France where possible. This requires more planning, but in the end we are healthier.
Going to Les Fermes de Gally to pick our own vegetables is not more expensive than going to our Super U. It does take more time though. At least it makes for a nice Saturday afternoon outing.
France loves associations. You can't even do a sport or hobby without joining one. Even farms where people can pick their own produce has one: http://www.chapeaudepaille.fr/
The site is a good central location that can help you find a farm and see which produce is in season.