With the glorious French blue sky overhead, we ventured out to the cliffs of Cassis to gather herbes du Provence (Herbs from Provence). We drove up as far as we could, and then walked out to the cliff. The view was spectacular, though it was freezing.
Along the Provencal country side herbes de Provence grows wildly in the dry rocky soil. When walking along the paths the scent is intoxicating especially underfoot. At this moment, late winter, the vineyards are being pruned. The burning of the vines mingled with the herbes de Provence makes one want to have a picnic… but the cold mistral soon blows that idea away.
I was hoping to dress like this Provencal woman.
Flat straw hat with blue satin ribbon…check.
Black velvet choker…check.
Handmade lace shawl and cuffs…check.
Bouquet of flowers…easy to do.
Long cotton skirt and vest…Could wipe something up.
Thin waist, voluptuous brown hair and youthful sweetness… could be tough to pull out of my bag of tricks.
We wore black coats, jeans, wool sweaters, and yesterday's lunch.
The ingredients for herbes de Provence varies depended on the cook, and how many of the classic herbs you can find. Since the 70's you can buy herbes de Provence. Though going out into the countryside, finding them, picking them carefully, drying them, then crushing the dried leaves is more fun…
Even if you do so in the winter and your hands falls off due to the cold.
Even if you have friends who like to walk on the wild side making you forget about collecting herbs, screaming,
"Get back!"
Recipe-
In the morning collect the following herbs,
Then dry them before crushing.
Place the crushed dried herbs in an air tight container.
2 Tbsp. Oregano
2 Tbsp. Thyme
2 Tbsp. Sage
2 Tbsp. Rosemary
2 Tbsp. Savory
2 Tbsp. Marjoram
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Some add: Lavender, fennel, and basil.
Some sip Pastis while waiting for the herbs to dry.
Slow food bouquet.
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Note:
Thank you for your supporting my crazy passion for the brocante. I will show my friend's gallery soon, and as Janet said,
"you (Corey) do not need to use the word "brocante". simply refer to the good things as "items of interest to my blog readers". duh."
I love that you love items of interest too!
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