You say tomato, i say tomate

A Tomato Festival in Clapiers

Aaand, it’s September! Fall weather hasn’t yet arrived here, although the mornings are often pleasant enough to sip coffee on the terrace. On Sunday, we were planning to go to the farmers’ market in our neighborhood, but then I saw a Facebook post about something far more interesting: a tomato festival in nearby Clapiers! When we lived in Boston, we were regular attendees at the annual tomato festival, where visitors could sample hundreds of varieties, learn how to make mozzarella, and participate in a food foraging hike (all of which we loved!). So when we realized Clapiers was just a 20-minute drive from home, we hopped in the car.

The fates were with us, as we found a parking spot near the crowded park. As we entered the festival, we were greeted by a men’s chorus singing lustily, if not entirely together, songs from the Occitane, the region of France where we live. This group is hilarious and fun; if you want to translate, you can read about them here. 

The festival was packed with food stands, activity centers, and information booths touting everything from recycling to growing herbs. After running into friends (!) and chatting a bit, we decided to follow their example and do our shopping first, as the festival featured a bountiful famers’ market.

One of several cheese vendors

But when we came upon the huge booth display of tomatologist Eric Pédebas, which featured over 250 varieties of tomatoes, we had to stop for a while. We chatted with M Pédebas about the varieties–at least as much as I could manage in my toddler-level French–and bought as much as we thought we could use, before buying a tasting plate to share.

Our tasting plate, complete with gazpacho, several varieties of tomatoes, olive oil, and salt: delicious!

I was tempted to eat all these tomatoes before Phil got back from buying a potato pancake topped with sautéed onions and cheese to share. My favorite was the yellow tomato, the name of which I’ve forgotten. But everything was delicious, including the gallette de pommes de terre. Here is a recipe that’s similar to what we ate.

After eating, we returned to the tomato display for a while, just to see all the different varieties. Seeds were on sale, but since our terrace faces north, I haven’t had good luck growing tomatoes, so we settled for as many tomatoes as we could use up in a few days.

Gorgeous tomato display

We finished our shopping and dropped it at the car before continuing our wander through the festival. We saw goats, dogs for adoption, artwork, crafts, and so. much. food. We were tempted by everything, but in the end we simply bought a beautiful tourtière (savory hand pie) to take home. Filled with lardons, onions, two kinds of cheese, and herbs, it made a wonderful late lunch with a crisp white wine. Followed by a nap.

Al fresco munching at the festival

We wandered back to the car, stopping once more to listen to the chorus, and decided to drive aimlessly through the town and surrounding countryside before finding our way home (without using GPS!!!). With the basil we bought, I made pesto to keep in the freezer for a taste of summer in winter. The olive oil is delicious, and we’ll use the apricot nectar for cocktails. We bought several fabulous confits–sun-dried tomato and morels!–along with a beautiful loaf of crusty bread and a golden pattypan squash. And the tomatoes? Well, they will be gone tomorrow.

Our haul from the market