Author Archives: nutmeg

About nutmeg

Ginger and Nutmeg is a Food and Travel blog for Active Foodies hooked on travelling. We love food, history and digging into cultural traditions. This is a blog with a bit of humour, informative travel information and some great recipes.

in.gredients for success

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in.gredients

Nutmeg has only met Christian and Joseph Lane the co-founders of in.gredients via Internet channels. She did not have to meet these two in person to be convinced that they had not only an intriguing concept, but also a solid business plan.

in.gredients is an exciting new food retail concept in Austin, Texas. As “the first zero-waste, package-free grocery store in the US,” in.gredients seeks to eliminate waste from unnecessary food packaging by encouraging customers bring their own containers to their store for filling.

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Fabulous Florence Italy

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Ginger and Nutmeg had been away from Canada for almost 10 months, and they were both experiencing the need for some interaction with their Calgary friends (read: a little too much one-on-one time). That sentiment was not quite strong enough to persuade Nutmeg to book a ticket home, no need to rush from the South of France. However, when they received an email invitation to a small gathering in Florence to celebrate a wedding, they said YES without hesitation, despite the 7-8 hour drive.

Piazza-dell-Santissima

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Provencal Vines Through The Seasons

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Anticipation is what Nutmeg would call this blog post. The labour of love required to persuade grapevines to produce their fruit year after year is one for only the most patient individuals. Owning a vineyard and producing your own wine certainly sounds romantic, to those who might be desk or office-bound. However, the reality of the yearlong process is one of hard physical labour and working with what Mother Nature delivers.

Ginger and Nutmeg have certainly sampled their fair share (possibly more) of wine, while in Europe. They certainly do not pretend to be experts in the field of growing grapes, nor producing wine. There is no reason to dive into the specifics of viticulture in a blog post, as there are many experts who have written tombs on the subject. Instead, here are some ABCs around wine that will make you sound like an expert (or an idiot) and some fun facts.

vines-through-the-year

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Easy Snack Solution for Biking in Low Gear

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One would think that when biking in France you would never need to worry about food. That is true to some degree, unless you get caught between hours.

Breakfast in France is straightforward; coffee, baguette and sometimes les viennoiserie (croissants and pain au chocolate). Be aware that as the morning wears on, you are more likely to eat stale baguette, than the fancy pastries. This meal is not one that will keep the energy stores high for a long bike ride.

Lunch starts around 12:30 and runs until 2pm. However, typically the traditional (“non-tourist”) restaurants actually do not want to serve much beyond 1:30pm. Then again, do you seriously want to eat a multi-course meal before that next big hill on your bike?  In theory, you could always stop at a boulangerie for a quick bite. Technically, yes but Ginger and Nutmeg have been caught numerous times in small villages where the bakery is closed at 12:30pm, until well into late afternoon.

Boulangerie

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Provence’s Gorgeous Gorges du Verdon

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Nutmeg’s “Top 10” list for Provence included a visit to the Gorges du Verdon. This magnificent area is sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon du Verdon, due to the natural chasm formed by the river. The turquoise-green Verdon River cuts a meandering path along the steep, limestone cliffs. The length of the gorge is roughly 25 kilometres (km), and at certain points, the cliffs reach 700m (2,300ft) in height.

The Gorges du Verdon is certainly extraordinary, but the comparison to the Grand Canyon might be an exaggeration. The Grand Canyon is 446km long, 29km across at its widest point and reaches depths of 1,800m (6000 ft).

Gorges du Verdon

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The Camino Documentary

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El Camino de Santiago was once an ancient Roman trade route, and a Christian pilgrimage journey. The Camino is also known as “The Way of St James” a series of footpaths and roads bejeweled with scallop shells. The shells are representative of those who covered the distance so many years ago with so little in the way of creature comforts. The pilgrims often used the shells as drinking vessels.

Camino Sea Shells

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Join the Book Party with Le French Book

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After much hard work, a notable book was launched today. Publisher, Le French Book, love both books and France and they have set out to share both by bringing acclaimed French books to an English audience.

French Flags

Edgar Award-winning author Thomas H. Cook calls Sylvie Granotier’s The Paris Lawyer “a beautifully written and elegantly structured novel of a woman’s attempt to solve the central mystery of her life, and several other mysteries along the way.”  Cosmopolitan says it “will keep you reading late into the night.”  The story takes you from sophisticated Paris to the rural outreaches of France, where rolling countryside holds dark secrets.

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Touring Canmore with Street Sherpa

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Are you visiting the Canadian Rockies?

Would you like to get a taste of real, off-the-beaten paths, small mountain town spirit?

As you already know, Nutmeg is a giant fan of Canmore. When she stumbled across this concept a journey that embraces the beautiful Bow Valley area, a bit of history and some shopping she simply could not resist uncovering more about Street Sherpa.

Street Sherpa

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