I am delighted to return with my summer chronicles and share a bit of my life (at least the good moments) in France with you. I must confess that I don’t handle summer well because I dislike the heat; I am someone who appreciates autumn and spring more. Therefore, I rarely go on vacation during this time of year because I can’t enjoy being outside and visiting places when temperatures are very high. However, summer means an abundance of fruits and large gatherings with family or friends. We spend a lot of time outside in the evenings, whether in the garden when we are in the countryside or walking along the Seine River when we are in Paris. I have always enjoyed setting tables to entertain my loved ones. I particularly like the moment in the evening when we start lighting candles, fetching a sweater because it’s getting chilly, and continuing to chat until the night is as black as ink. My most beautiful memories often involve a table with my family and friends and good, simple food.
So let’s see how we spend the summer at home (when we are not working, of course, or just dealing with life)!
1. Enjoying Seasonal Fruits
As I was saying, the abundance of fruits and vegetables allows me to make jams and preserves when I’m at my parents’ country house on weekends. We don’t have many fruits in the garden except for tomatoes and grapes; we mostly plant beans, salads, carrots, Chioggia beets, and aromatic plants. We are also fortunate to have many options in terms of grocery stores and markets in the region, but I particularly like going to the farm to get what I’m missing (I also take the opportunity to pick zinnias and beautiful tall cosmos that the farmers grow). It is there that I get my strawberries in the summer and pumpkins in the fall. Generally, we pick strawberries by the kilo and make jams, pies, and smoothies as soon as we get back home! There are so many things you can do with them! Picking and preparing the fruits brings back childhood memories, especially when I was at my grandmother’s house in Brittany. If there was one thing (or rather two) she knew how to do well, it was making delicious jams and fruit compotes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to paint an idyllic picture here; she has never really enjoyed cooking, nor been interested in children at all, preferring to play cards with her friends 🙂 ! Nevertheless, these memories in that beautiful big kitchen of hers deeply marked me.
2. The apéro
The apéro is a great tradition in France; it should even be part of our national heritage! If there is a season in France that is perfect for apéro, it’s summer. Everything is an excuse to serve something to drink and snack on little appetizers. It’s mostly a good excuse to chat with friends who drop by unexpectedly or with neighbors. My mother prefers drinking Champagne, while I’m more of a white Martini or Gin and Tonic person. But the French really like drinking Pastis and Kir Royal too. Always store those at home with some tonic, whiskey, and Malibu. Let me reassure you we are NOT heavy drinkers, I swear). We like receiving friends or neighbors (neighbor friends too) in the countryside, and we have more apéros there because it is so much better to host them in the garden. We always have puff pastry and mini-sausages in the freezer, as well as little Italian garlic-flavored biscuits that we serve with tomato or eggplant dips. Those are delicious and easy to make. We also always have several packs of English chips from Pipers (they are definitely the best and I saw they sold whole buckets at the Chatsworth Farm Shop when I was there last year). They are not easy to find and I’ve tried to order them online, but the only place you can buy them nearby is at the garden center, believe it or not. For those who are more adventurous and have some time on their hands, a platter of crudités with a cottage cheese sauce is always welcome.
3. Making Bouquets with Flowers from the Garden
Each year, we plant new varieties of flowers or new colors in anticipation of our floral arrangements. Each season has its specific planting period, and sometimes we are reluctant to do it (which is often in autumn when you have to plant tulip bulbs in the rain and cold instead of reading a Louise Penny book by the fireside or watching a K-drama). But what a joy it is several months later to be able to go out in the morning and pick flowers that you’ll never find at your local florist’s! Sometimes I make a large and imposing bouquet, but most often, I like to make small bouquets that I can place all around the house. I enjoy them more this way. There is also always a small floral arrangement in the kitchen because it’s the most important room in our house.
4. Visiting Villages or Places of Interest Near the House
Since it’s usually hot in France during the summer, I often don’t want to go out during the day (except during the week when I have to go to work) and it is also very humid because our village is surrounded by the forest. But on weekends, we like to do things to clear our minds. We are fortunate to have many very pretty villages not very far from us (for instance, Gerberoy, one of the most beautiful villages in France) and also very famous castles (Chantilly, Compiègne, Pierrefonds…), which means we always have the option to go somewhere, discover an exhibition in these places, or wander around beautiful old villages before stopping at a café or tea room to rest a little.
5. Setting Al Fresco Tables and Enjoying the Simple Pleasures of Life
The French are a bit like the Italians. We say that we have « La Belle Vie » and they have « La Dolce Vita ». It’s pretty much the same meaning in a different language though. We love spending time on terraces, surrounded by our family, eating good food (it’s quite impressive the number of Italian grocery stores in Paris), chatting until late at night… I’ve always thought that it is a sign of respect and affection to welcome your guests by setting a lovely table. I usually put out a colorful tablecloth (the tablecloths in the photo at the top are Provençal tablecloths from Souleiado, typical of the region), patterned plates, create one or two floral arrangements, and decorate with some fruits placed here and there on the table or in beautiful artisan bowls. I would also suggest installing tall candles in candlesticks or old chandeliers to light them as soon as light starts to decrease: the atmosphere changes and it feels very special.
