Garden to Table: Organic and Farmer Direct Products in Paris
Marché biologique de Batignolles. Sam Nabi / Flickr
Rediscovering the picturesque in the 21st century concerns sustainability. Every garden is designed to be both utile et agreable (useful and beautiful) encouraging our appreciation of the kitchen garden or potager. A potager was both a place–a garden where vegetables were grown to make soups (potage) and a type of stove, where wood fires would produce a consistent temperature. The most famous kitchen garden in France was built for Louis XIV at Versailles from 1678-1683 laid out by the remarkably talents Jean Baptiste de la Quintinie. The Potager du Roi still produces fruits and vegetables today, participating in response to gardeners and consumers growing concerns about their food and the origins of what ends up on their plate. More and more people are rediscovering food gardens in the form of organic markets, locally sourced greengrocers and farmer direct sales outlets, often assisted by new technologies. Here are some of the best farm to table offerings in Paris.
