Garlic’s apparent beneficial properties range from improved digestion, reduced inflammation and warding off colds. These and many other medicinal attributes were discovered long ago in central Asia and were documented in a Sanskrit manuscript from 350 – 375 AD.

Market tables heavy with thousands of braided strands of garlic are a certain sign that fall is approaching in Provence. Large, fresh, peppery cloves – nothing like Nutmeg had ever bought at the grocery store in Alberta. Or so she thought before she discovered Jackie Chalmers the owner and cultivator of New Oxley Garlic based in Claresholm, Alberta.

Tags: Garlic, Garlic cloves, New Oxley Ranch, New Oxley Ranche, Travel Alberta

This entry was posted on Monday, January 27th, 2014 at 6:00 am and is filed under Condiment, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

The plan was to spend some time touring with Nutmeg’s parents in early October. The original thought was to explore parts of Hungary and Poland. Then the reality of fitting four people, one dog and luggage into a car settled the holiday plans. Nutmeg made a decision on behalf of the group that a two hour drive was the limit, and booked a guest villa at Domaine du Cayrat located just a few kilometres from Pezenas in the Languedoc Roussillon region.

Jacques welcomed the group, he had stocked the fridge with some chilled wine and provisions for breakfast. It did not stop there, the next morning he arrived with fresh bread and apricot jam “fait à la maison”. Perfect!

Now the hard part, getting four people to agree what to explore in an area that is currently 27,376 (sq) km – Impossible! The region has something for every taste, age and interest. There are sandy beaches, port towns, vineyards galore, medieval villages and modern cities. Given the breadth of the region, Nutmeg has divided their visit into three separate posts: a bit of history, the food and wine, and the not to be missed see sights.

Tags: Easy Appetizer Recipes, French Food, Healthy Zucchini Recipes, Travel in France, Travel Languedoc, Travel Languedoc Roussillon

This entry was posted on Monday, November 19th, 2012 at 6:00 am and is filed under Recipes, Starters and Appetizers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Nutmeg believes that the celebration of Halloween is perfect timing for this post.

Trust the French to come up with an annual event that is sophisticated, classy, a bit rebellious and a whole lot of fun. Diner en Blanc started in 1988, when a group of 100 friends got together for a reunion in the Bois de Boulogne. The story is that François Pasquier instructed everyone to wear white in order to recognize each other. This was a brilliant idea, given those were the days before fancy cell phones, text messaging, Facebook and Twitter.

Tags: Diner en Blanc, Dinner Parties, Easy Appetizer Recipes, French Food, Recipes for Savoury Tarts, Recipes for Tomatoes, Travel in France, Travel to Paris

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 at 12:01 am and is filed under Recipes, Starters and Appetizers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Don’t let your mother tell you that the Internet is a scary place! Nutmeg has met so many interesting people via Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest that she has decided to start a Guest Blog Thursdays, so they can share their stories. Volia:

Aidan Larson is an American mom of three navigating her way through life in France and writing about it on her blog: Conjugating Irregular Verbs. She writes from her dining room table in the south of France in between motherhood, French lessons and perfecting her oeuf en croute. If you want to read more from Aidan she can be found on her blog site Conjugating Irregular Verbs (letters from my dining table in the south of France).

Tags: French Food, Provencal Traditions, Savoury Tarts, Soup, Travel in France

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 19th, 2012 at 3:00 am and is filed under Casserole, Desserts, Recipes, Soup Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Nutmeg can hardly believe that she is actually going to put this in writing; she is almost ready for the summer silly season to be over. Totally out of character, right? For anyone who knows Nutmeg, there is no doubt that summer is her favourite season.

Summer, in a Provencal village, translates into plenty of socializing. The town fills with owners who have their holiday homes in the area, and throngs of tourists enjoying the scenery. The cafés are filled at all hours of the day with clients enjoying a morning coffee, a light lunch, or a tempting beverage and bar snack in the early evening. That is exactly the problem. Apero Hour!

Tags: Provencal Food, Recipes for Olive Tapanade, Recipes with Olives, Travel in France

This entry was posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011 at 6:00 am and is filed under Condiment, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.