J-3 avant le Pari Fermier de Rambouillet !

“De nos fermes à vos paniers“  From our farms to your baskets”

One of the great joys of living in France 🇫🇷 is going to farmers markets held in and  outside Paris. 

As a visiting tourist, a French farmers markets is probably not top of your to-do list. “Hey, we have those at home. Where’s the Louvre?”

Paris Fermier is an organization that holds weekend events in Paris and the surrounding  Île-de-France. 

You’re buying directly from the producteur, so tastes are generous. Hey they’re farmers!

I have always wanted to visit the Pari Fermier marché at chateau de Rambouillet. They have a famous all-shell decorated cottage and other splendid rooms and artworks.

I convinced Rosemary to go with me yesterday. Crepes made with Ostrich eggs. They are big in France.

It’s a 30-minute TER train ride from Gare Montparnasse. 

A shuttle bus arrived to take us to the site - always a plus.

It’s wise to bring a granny cart. (We did not) Many items (jars of honey, wine bottles, olive oil etc.) you’ll be tempted to buy are too heavy to carry in a shoulder bag. 

Entry is free if you sign up on online. 

Early on I spotted a seafood purveyor and was ready to immediately eat some oysters 🦪. 

Rosemary wanted to browse further. She decided to go with a pile of classic French cheesy-potato mixup. No comment 😂

My plateau de mer (14€) Yum

Plenty of seating provided. Why did I bring a banana, boiled egg and pretzels in my bag? ‘Always be prepared’ my motto 🙃 Of course our neighbors were having a delicious-looking green salad of duck and figs stuffed with foie gras 😟 We should have waited…

I needed a sweet palate-cleanser after the seafood and got a small crepe with a dash of home-made framboise confiture. Doesn’t this Framboise fête look inviting? Where is Ajou? A small town in Normandy.

I’m always dreaming 😴 of going to these single product fêtes in France - strawberries, chestnuts, scallops. I loved ❤️ the Fete de la Brie. Fabulous! 

You can never go wrong buying strawberries/fraises 🍓 at farm fairs. I dragged Rosemary over to the fraises 🍓 stand. 

Adjacent was an ice cream counter, with a much longer line  waiting to buy parfaits of whipped cream - the best I’ve ever eaten. 

And that includes Chantilly where it was created. Plus fresh berries 🍓+ ice cream 🍦 Luckily 🍀 if you were buying berries, you could also buy the deluxe parfait (5€) at the same time and avoid the line 🤸‍♂️ Hooray! Anytime you can avoid a line in France is a major win 🏆 

We were too full to try a waffle 🧇 on a stick with prune jam

I was smitten by a flashing escargot/snail 🐌 The ingenuity of French purveyors never ceases to surprise 🙃 

Rosemary wanted to buy soaps. These are from mare’s milk 🥛 At some fairs you can buy donkey’s milk soaps, Rosemary informed me. She must have mountains ⛰ of soap at home 🏠

As a great lover of shellfish🦞❤️ I had high hopes of visiting la chaumière aux Coquillages/ seashell 🐚 cottage at the chateau. Rosemary had already been there, seen that. The logistics of getting there (3 kilometers away via the shuttle) and getting back in time to catch the train to Paris were sketchy at best. It’s always about planning ahead isn’t it.

I thought of going back today but for the weather.

I guess you can’t do everything. Perhaps next trip you’ll plan to visit a Pari Fermier marché?

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      🥛 🐚 🦪 🍓Have a great Dimanche dear PBers 🍓 🦪 🐚 🥛