Ratatouille Jean-Yves showed me a big box of vegetables – zucchini, tomatoes, turnips, eggplant and mushrooms – he had purchased at the coop yesterday. “For ratatouille,” he said. “Very bueno! You cooking?” Umm, oui. I had never made ratatouille before but I figured it couldn’t be too difficult. I would sauté the veggies in a … Continue reading
Lucie and I woke up early on Saturday morning – market day. Jean-Yves handed me the keys to his van full of farm-fresh goods to sell and we were off. The market is in the town of Belley, about a 15 minute drive from Belmont. We set up two tables side by side, pieced the … Continue reading
Lucie is 19, Jean-Yves eldest child, and the only member of the Martinal family who can speak English. More importantly she is one of the most thoughtful, kind and inquisitive people I’ve met on this journey. She is in the middle of studying for her exam that will determine if she can go to university, … Continue reading
Recipe: Take the following two videos, mix and mash them together until thoroughly combined. Et voila! Then read below for more details…
Lunch and dinner are both very communal affairs. We eat only organic and local food that is cooked in one large pot and placed in the center of the table. Everyone gets a large spoon and we eat straight from the pot. No individual plates or bowls. For my first lunch, Jean-Yves prepared steamed rice … Continue reading
It is with hand signals, head-nodding, my ridiculous pocket-sized French travel phrasebook and dictionary (the French word for “before” is not listed, but I can find the word for “belt”) and lots of laughing that I have survived my first few days on the farm. Yet, it is the sheer goodwill and openness of my … Continue reading
I envisioned myself on a particular farm before leaving New York. I was making cheese, the sun was shining, and the backdrop was postcard perfect. And now I am here. I have found that farm minus a few romanticized comforts and plus an obscene amount of bug bites from Nice, one particularly itchy one on … Continue reading
