On Saturday morning at 10am, Julie arranged a food tour around Saint Remy on electric bicycles. Jeff, a charming Frenchman was my guide. We met at the Sun-E-Bike shop a few minutes before 10am, so we could get our bicycles. Sun-E-Bike shop was generous in supplying my bicycle rental free of charge. The studious and helpful staff made sure I knew everything I needed to know about how the bicycle operates and they let me take it for a short test spin before the tour to make sure I had the right bicycle. Our guide Jeff seemed to be a serious cycler with his helmet, pumped up bicycle, and other biking gear.
It was a sunny, clear day, but there was a bit of a mistral, so I think it was a good thing to be riding an electric bicycle. We glided through the bucolic countryside with the breeze chasing us and at one point we took a narrow path alongside a brook, which was so peaceful and serene with just the sounds of nature in the air. I so appreciated the quiet because since March, I’ve been working from home, where the noise from my building and the street in front of my building has been unbearable.
The first stop on the tour was Moulin de Calanquet, a five generation, family owned olive oil factory and grove. Joseph, an amiable young man, guided us through the step by step process of how the olives are made into oil. The olives are still handpicked but the pickers use a stick especially designed to grab olives easier from the tops of the trees. Much like wine, the olives are picked once a year, usually in September or October, depending on the weather from the summer, and there’s only about a 30-day window of opportunity to pick the olives before they are overripe. Next the olives are put through two machines to extract the oil and the oil is eventually stored in massive metal vats. Joseph told us that even though the process of turning the olives into olive oil was automated and done my machine, the quality and pureness was better than if the process was done by the old fashioned, press machines worked by hand.
After the tour, we were offered tastings in the retail shop of the various oils, and Joseph explained in great detail, the subtleties of taste and texture for each oil. There were also tastings of their tapenades served on dried toast. The shop sells a superior line of jams, jellies, and preserves and I nearly swooned at the taste of the olive and lemon preserves.
Moulin de Calanquet can ship to the U.S. and the shipping cost of a seven-bottle box, is 61€, which is still worth it for the exquisite oil.
https://boutique-olives.moulinducalanquet.fr/en/
Our next stop was Le Nectar des Alpilles, where fresh honey is cultivated from their own beehives. The manufacturing area was in a hangar with a number of processing machines to convert the liquid from the honeycombs into actual honey, and then pour it into jars. Le Nectar des Alpilles maintains 250 beehives on a multi-acre farm next to the plant. Late March till the mid-June is the period when the queen bees are bred. The various plants and fauna on grounds and weather conditions will add to the taste of the honey, thus producing the different flavors. July is the big month, when most of the honey is produced. Le Nectar des Alpilles belongs to ANERCEA (association of queen breeders), which is dedicated to the continuation of beekeeping breeding, which is paramount for the industry to survive. I bought Vincent a small jar of rosemary scented honey, which he loved.
https://www.lenectardesalpilles.fr/
The last stop of the tour was my favorite, a visit to a goat cheese farm. Dani, short for Danielle owns a small farm that raises goats to produce goat cheese along with her partner and her 12 year old son. We were taken to grassy area where the adorable goats were grazing, and Dani spontaneously milked a goat in front of us and used a pitcher to store the milk. She then poured it into glasses and offered it to us. The milk was sweet and a tad warm. Her son affectionately cuddled and nuzzled the goats, and then held one in his arms for us to pet. I was smitten.
We later entered the rooms where the cheese was made and Dani served us three different types of goat cheese, one, creamy, one medium, and the third, a firm one. They were all delicious and fresh and I had to be careful to not hog down too much, as the purity of the cheeses made them quite rich.
A few moments later Dani took us out to a meadow on the farm, where she showed us her prized rescue bull.
I bought three cheeses for the ridiculously low price of six euros. I was so excited when I got home to share them with Vincent, furiously scavenging by bag to find them, but finally realized I stupidly left them in the refrigerator of the apartment I was staying at in Saint Remy. Ouch!
Well oiled, honeyed, and cheesed, we headed back into Saint Remy at about 1pm. My train was at 6pm, so I had a few hours left to explore the center of Saint Remy, with its quaint narrow streets, cool boutiques, and appealing restaurants and cafes.
My last food stop was the award-winning Joel Durand chocolate shop. When I entered the small boutique, where the chocolate is also produced, the chocolate scent was so seductive, I could have bought out the store. I let it sink in for a moment and went about my business trying to select nine chocolates for a small box. Among the more unusual flavors, I chose cloves and lemons, Provence thyme, coffee and barley water, lavender, and tiramisu.
I loved every minute of the tours Julie planned, so Bravo! Julie for doing a great job.
You can view more info about Julie and her services at the two websites below
https://www.provenceposttravel.com
Also check out her blog
Click here to read Part #1 of My Excellent Provence Adventure
Julie keeps a large database of villas, townhomes and apartments for rent across Provence and loves to help her clients choose the perfect place.She connected me with Karen Stride, an Australian woman who has a three bedroom apartment rental in the center of Saint Remy. Karen was kind enough to put me up overnight. Karen, an interior decorator, recently bought and renovated the apartment, and has done a beautiful job. The apartment is filled with high quality, locally purchased antiques and new furniture and objets in the Provencal style. I appreciated there was no sign of IKEA, as that’s usually the go to furniture used in rental apartments. Each bedroom had a full bathroom, each with a rain shower head. There's also a full kitchen, and air conditioning. The apartment is centrally located on a narrow street, and it is exceptionally quiet. A cool feature is a rooftop deck where there are fabulous views of Saint Remy, and where I took the first and last photo in this blog. Karen rents the apartment out by the night (two night minimum) and by the week.
To learn more about booking Karen’s apartment, contact her at [email protected]. Or, contact Julie who will be happy to help.
Below are photos of Karen Stride's fab apartment
Please watch my latest A Bite of Paris video, where I make and bake a Dark, Chocolate, Chestnut Cake.
Click here to watch the video.
What an amazing day! But so sorry about the cheese....
Posted by: Cheryl | October 15, 2020 at 04:16 PM