I’m writing my Summer French chronicles while it’s raining outside. I really like this kind of weather (if it’s foggy, it’s even better), and I’m really glad not to be suffering from the summer heat yet. This weather is good for the trees and flowers, a little less so for the tomatoes which, even though they’re already well formed, suffer a little from the low temperatures at night. But the fact that they are rather mild also means that I’m able to do a lot more than usual, as we don’t stay cooped up in the house with the shutters closed, waiting for the heat to subside. It’s also good weather for the dahlias, which suffered greatly last year from lack of water. I’m really happy because this will give me the opportunity to decorate the house with pretty bouquets this summer. Not to mention the fact that July is jam-making month and we celebrate quite a few birthdays this month in our family, so we spend a lot of time in our French country kitchen…
Speaking about cooking, I may be making a return trip to Brittany in August, and I’m looking forward to picking figs from my grandmother’s garden to make pies with almond cream. Many years ago, my mother bought a beautiful young fig tree producing delicious figs from Plantymen (famous landscape designer Erwan Tymen’s nursery, which unfortunately no longer exists). I’ve always wanted to make jam with them but I’ve never had time. In the meantime, I’m enjoying Paris in the weekdays – we Parisians are starting to leave on vacation so it’s nice to walk among the tourists and pretend to be one as well. There is always something to discover in our beautiful city!
The perfect month to make jams at home
Every year, my Mom and I make about thirty jars of jam with fruits from our garden. We don’t usually buy jam at the grocery store, because we know we’re only using organic produce and simple ingredients, and mainly because it’s a real pleasure to make them together. What a pleasure it is to open a good homemade jam for breakfast on a foggy autumn morning!
We’ve got lots of blackcurrants and blackberries in the garden, so this year we’ll also make crumbles and ice cream. I cannot wait.
Country bouquets have the advantage of being easy to make and not demanding perfection. And they’re lovely with airy, colorful flowers and fern leaves to complement them. I like to set a rustic, prairie-style table while sharing a good, simple meal with my family and friends. I always try to set the table outdoors during the summer and make it look poetic. Flowers from the garden or the prairies around wild be picked, vintage tableware and country style napkins will be used. Add a few candles in funny hues and you’re ready to invite your loved ones over! I share more photos of this tablescape below.
Dahlias are one of the most interesting flowers we grow, thanks to their great variety and the different colors that you can pick. I love having lots of dahlias because they bloom from July to October, and they hold up well in bouquets. Also, dahlias have different heights (depending on what variety you chose to plant), so they are perfect for small, medium and large arrangements.
I plan to write an article on my favorite dahlias soon, and share with you some planting and care advice.
In the meantime, take a look at the page dedicated to bouquets, and in particular those made with these magnificent flowers.
Weekends are always very busy in the countryside, so we took a little break with friends to go to the Chantilly jumping competition and admire these incredible athletes, horses and riders.
The setting was perfect, as the Chantilly Classic took place on the racecourse, with the Grandes Écuries and the Château de Chantilly as its backdrop. It was a beautiful day, punctuated by numerous showers (which didn’t stop me – strangely enough – from getting sunstroke!).
A nice country walk
The day after the jumping, we went for a country walk in the surrounding area. A pleasant little excursion along the water to admire nature and our beautiful heritage. As well as the little château on the edge of the pond, there was this beautiful building that had fallen into disrepair, and you can imagine that my mind was already thinking about how to renovate it! What a shame to leave our beautiful heritage in such a state of disrepair. It makes me think of the beautiful, derelict factories and plants in Alsace that would be sublime if they were restored…
One evening, one of my friends and I met up for dinner in the Palais-Royal district of Paris. We’d planned to go to a small Japanese restaurant, but they were all full of tourists. In fact, I could hardly reach her as I walked under the arcades in front of the Louvre, such was the flow of tourists. We finally decided to buy a bento from a Japanese pastry shop and have a picnic in the gardens of the Palais-Royal, which turned out to be a very good idea! And the sesame paste éclair was simply stunning.
At home, summer is synonymous with three things: jam, preserves and dahlia bouquets! I add new varieties to my flower beds every year, and what a pleasure it is to see them bloom in July and make bouquets to decorate the house or to set a nice summer table. We really have a lot of them now in the garden, and I feel very lucky to be able to let my imagination run wild when I make bouquets. They give me the opportunity to be creative, which makes me love them even more. I know it is a bit soon for that, but I’m looking forward to the start of autumn to create darker bouquets in more « dramatic » tones.
I’m in the middle of reading this novel by Julian Fellowes, the man behind the Downton Abbey series. I’d already seen the Belgravia saga on DVD and was keen to immerse myself in this world of scandal and intrigue in 19th-century London.
