The king, the princes, and the green pea

the green pea

Did you know that before being small and green, the brown peas had fed men and animals since the Neolithic era in order to survive the harshest winters? In fact, easy to produce and well kept in a dry place, it is the best food to face periods of scarcity as its nutritional power surpasses meat. The pea belongs to the “fabaceae” family, like lentils or beans. Its destiny changed when in 1660, a daring cook named Audigier offered peas, still green, and in the middle of January, to the Sun King. And as it was the fashion in Italy, they loved it. Continue reading “The king, the princes, and the green pea”

Rosemary, the elixir of youth

Who hasn’t heard of the famous Hungarian water, perfume, made with rosemary, rose water and orange blossom? This recipe for beauty and health would have enabled Queen Isabella of Hungary to regain at the age of 72, strength and beauty. So much so that the King of Poland would have asked her to marry him. Even if it is a legend created by perfumers from Montpellier, the revitalizing virtues of rosemary have indeed been confirmed. Continue reading “Rosemary, the elixir of youth”

Rose Festival at Château du Rivau

Garden sketchbook workshops on Saturday June 4th and Sunday June 5th.
Workshop fee included in the garden entrance ticket, drawing materials included.

Practical information
Adults: 9 € per person
Children from 5 to 18 years old: 6 €.
Students, job seekers, adults with disabilities, RHS: 7 €.
Family package 2 adults and 2 children: from 26 €.
For less affluence prefer Saturday.
Catering and refreshments on site – Please reserve at 02 47 95 77 47

www.chateaudurivau.com
9, rue du Château – 37120 Lémeré

The Jardins du Rivau is a paradise for roses, with its collection of more than 475 varieties of fragrant roses, labelled CCVS*.

Fête de la rose au château du Rivau

Garden Sketchbook Workshop

Saturday, May 14, 2022
as part of the 48 hours of urban agriculture.

The nomadic workshop lasts 1h30 with light but quality material.

The workshop is limited to 10 participants and must be booked in advance:
raphaele-bb @ wanadoo.fr
Rate of the workshop 30 €
with a participation for the organizing association Le Jardin d’Amélie
https://lejardindamelie.wixsite.com/lejardindamelie

15 Rue Porto Riche
92190 Meudon
Price: 30€ for the workshop
Minimum age: 15 years old
At 10.30am and 3pm

 

Exhibition in Saint-Briac

Spring is going to be colorful and pastel is in the spotlight.
Easter vacations, from April 9 to May 9, 2022
Opening on Saturday, April 16 from 6 pm.

Gallery La Boucherie, 7 rue des Préaux, 35800 Saint-Briac
The gallery is open every day from 10:30 am to 1 pm and from 4:30 pm to 7 pm except on Monday afternoon.

“Raphaèle BERNARD-BACOT returns to the gallery La Boucherie for a solo exhibition with about thirty pastels. Passionate about vegetable gardens, small plots of land patiently cultivated, she picks, with the tip of her pastels, the fruits and vegetables she finds there and makes them dance on the paper.
She works on the ground, meets the gardeners and keeps track of her encounters in numerous sketchbooks.
One of them is the subject of a book published by Rue de l’Echiquier “City Gardeners, Portraits Sketched On The Spot” (Jardiniers des villes, portraits croqués sur le vif) which she will sign on the evening of the opening.

Carton de l'exposition à Saint-Briac

Invitation à l'exposition à Saint-Briac

Saint-Cloud Authors’ Salon

The 2nd Salon des auteurs clodoaldiens will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2022 from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm at Le Carré, 3 bis, rue d’Orléans in Saint-Cloud.

The originality of this salon is it was created by an author and his collective, who then contacted the town of Saint-Cloud and not the other way round!
It is an opportunity to sign my book on city gardeners.
And also a lot of meetings, workshops and competitions in perspective with the public and the 39 other authors.

Poster of the 2nd Saint-Cloud Authors' Fair

From garden to cellar

Endives, winter salad

How can you imagine that the endives, so pale with their leaves barely edged with yellow, have one day become as green as lettuce? And yet, in a first life, they looked like big dandelions, growing in broad daylight in spring and summer. The chlorophyll gave them their green and crunchy appearance like any salad. This is also the only period of their life when the sun is necessary for them. Then it’s the other way around. The less light, the better the endives. Continue reading “From garden to cellar”

Upcoming workshops in Ville-d’Avray

Nature Sketchbook Workshops
March 3rd, 4th and 5th 2022
at the ponds of Ville-d’Avray

Meeting point at the Colombier, place Charles-de-Gaulle, 92410 Ville d’Avray
Tel. +33 1 47 50 37 50
Access Paris Saint-Lazare: Line L towards Versailles Rive-Droite, stop Sèvres-Ville d’Avray
From Pont de Sèvres: bus 426, stop Eglise de Ville d’Avray

Registration on the website frenchpleinairpainters.com

Pond of Ville d'Avray