Prunes

The Agen prune produces 96% of prunes in France so you’ll not be surprised that there are a number Plum orchards here in the Lot et Garonne (76% production)!

The blossom from these orchards in Spring, although short-lived, is simply beautiful.  Then in August the harvest of plums begin, a lot of tree shaking can be seen, and the plums are caught by long trailers positioned on both sides of the tree. Then off they go to one of the local prune drying units. One of our local prune producers also happens to be the chocolate shop Maison Guinguet, well it’s much more than that but I won’t diverse! Here you can buy prunes in a number of ways, dried, semi-dried (delicious), covered in chocolate (my favorite), soaked in Armagnac, or as a confiture or juice.

I can see a lot of noses scrunched up at the thought of prunes, and I would once be the same, but they are quite different to the packs of shriveled prunes found on the supermarket shelves.  Now I have used them in many recipes, generally Armagnac is involved but when in Rome! Only last weekend I made a sticky toffee cake (James Martin of course) but had to improvise a bit as I was missing the main ingredient - dates - so I made an adult version using prunes soaked in Armagnac! It was a great success!

Rick Stein has a great recipe for pork with prunes and cognac in his cook book from his latest tv series “secret France”. Another favorite of mine is from Paeola Westbeek My Winter Kitchen, Cake with Prunes, Almonds, and Armagnac, simply delicious 😋

Strawberries

Once Spring arrives it’s not long before our favorite strawberry of the region, Gariguette, is seen at markets and in the supermarkets.

Thanks to ideal temperatures and soils, the strawberry season lasts from April to October, and in addition to our personal favorite, other varieties include Ciflorette, Cléry, Charlotte and Mara des Bois.

Yum yum

The “Marmande” Tomato

A classic French heirloom that dates back to the end of the 19th century, it originated in Marmande, France, where they are still considered a specialty. Marmande tomatoes were first bred by Vilmorin Seed Company, France and released about 1897.

Walnuts

We have our fair share of Walnuts but they are more prevalent in the Perigord where it has found everything it needs to flourish in the Périgord’s lands. Fresh walnuts are picked as of mid-September when ripe, not dry, and are sold straight away for just a few weeks. Dried walnuts are picked at the beginning of October and can keep for the whole year when stored away from direct sunlight (as is the case for the kernels), in a cool, dry place.

Walnuts are an unrivalled nutritional product: invaluable in fighting cholesterol, a true ally in preventing cardiovascular diseases, a source of essential fatty acids such as Omega 3, a high-energy food, the list goes on.

As old as the trade in walnuts, the trade in walnut oil is also an emblem of the Périgord and there a a number of mills to visit and buy flour, oils, and other products. If you don’t have time to visit a mill then the epicerie le Comptoir de Marguerite in Duras stocks a wide range of regional products.

If you’re looking for recipes head over to Noix du Perigord website for inspiration.