Vegetarian Experiences in Paris

I love Paris markets. It’s truly one of the greatest joys of living in this city.

However, I also work long hours and can’t always make it to my local markets in the morning. This leaves Saturday or Sunday for markets that are a few metro stops away. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an organic produce market come to you?

This is the concept behind Le Campanier, a company delivers a weekly bag filled with seasonal, organic vegetables or fruit to your local organic grocery store. You simply subscribe to the service on their web site and pick up your bag on Tuesday afternoon. The bags also feature recipes and information about the farmers and food.

Sample Deliveries

Vegetable Bag

• Fresh Corn (France)
• Carrots (Italy)
• Cucumber (Spain)
• Tomato (Spain)
• Lettuce (France - Manche)

Fruit Bag

• Melon (Vergeze)
• Peaches (Italy)
• Mini Watermelons (Spain)

It’s worth noting that the produce included in the bags are often times hard to find in the markets. For instance, I have been looking for fresh corn in the markets without any success. They also tend to include some of the ignored vegetables of yesteryear.

Clotilde Dusoulier has a nice description of the vegetables she received one week:

I was really happy to get parsnips : they belong to what is sometimes referred to as “les légumes oubliés” (forgotten vegetables), those vegetables we used to eat a lot in the past, but which have been more or less abandoned : panais, rutabagas, salsifis, pâtissons, crosnes…

I have read that most of these were what people had to live on during the second world war, so they were promptly pushed aside after the war, because of the bad memories they brought back. Nowadays these vegetables aren’t very widely cultivated and can seldom be found at produce stands. Of course, I find the idea of forgetting a vegetable heart-breaking and cruel and terrible and saddening, it makes me want to save the vegetable and bring it back home and give it love and affection and decorate a little room for it with a little bed it can sleep in. Ahem. Anyway, I was glad to welcome those parsnips into my vegetable drawer.
Le Campanier - A lucky bag of produce

Prices are reasonable, but not super cheap. Vegetable bags are 8-12 Euros and Fruit bags are 10 Euros. However, it’s important to remember that you are supporting sustainable, organic farming and enjoying the convenience of fresh food delivered to your closest organic store.

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