It’s truffle season in Provence

A winter visit to Provence would be incomplete without a visit to the little town of Aups situated at the foothills of the Alps and just south of the Verdon national Park and the second largest gorge in the world after the Grand Canyan! 

Aups has the third largest black truffle market in France every Thursday morning so we set off early yesterday and what a wonderful day we had!

The truffle market takes place in the central market area and four stall holders were exhibiting their wares. One stall was selling truffles from Catalonia Spain but we wanted the best which are sourced in Aups itself. We soon found our man!

Unfortunately the price of truffles goes up each year and global warming has meant it is getting harder and more difficult to farm these black diamonds. A visit to the truffle museum in Aups is a must to learn about the history of this unique product and the science behind the industry. 

We left with our little cache of diamonds safely stashed away in our car and €400 poorer! 

Our dog Scoobeaudoo was also very interested with the overpowering aroma of truffles in the car as we all headed up higher into the mountains and the forests of Provence. 

Sea Urchin Festival at Carry-le-Rouet

Today we joined hundreds of people who headed to the little port of Carry-le-Rouet to enjoy « Les Oursinades » Festival of the sea urchins! The weather was warm and sunny and just right to enjoys a glass of wine and a few of those tasty orange gonads!! The urchins are served cut in half and either spoon out the soft roe or spread on to a nice buttery slice of quality bread. The urchins are only sold two months per year  (January and February) for conservation reasons, and can be added to a pasta sauce as a gastronomic delight. 

Thanks to Karine & Christophe for their assistance in the compilation of this article.