It was our exploration of the link between health and nutrition that first ignited our passion for overall health and vitality, catalysed several years ago now by a deepening sense that the pains and lethargy that we were experiencing was more than just 'modern life' wearing us down. A bit of internet searching and a few books later and we had started to revolutionise our diet and our physical health, rediscovering that health (not just the absence of disease) is actually our natural state. It is a journey that we have continued to navigate ever since, even if that journey hasn't always gone smoothly and today, even though more recently we having been learning more and more about other aspects of overall health and bringing in new elements such as mindfulness, meditation, prioritising time outdoors etc. we still get great joy from seeking out and eating the freshest, tastiest and cleanest (i.e. organic) produce we can find on the road. Perhaps this explains why we just love local markets so much and why I feel compelled to share this mornings wonderful experience.
The beautiful mountain village of Ceillac in the French Alps is visited each Thursday morning by a small variety of market stalls offering a diversity of foods, including the standard fare of bread, cheese and meats, local tarts, honeys and jams etc but also by several fresh produce stalls packed full with seasonal, fresh and wonderful food. This morning there was an abundance of tomatoes, nectarines, peaches and melons for instance, along with aubergines, courgettes, lettuces.....all fresh out of the ground or off the tree.
But special mention has to go to our favourite stall, the small but colourful table stocked with organic lettuce, rocket, basil, courgettes, peppers and carrots grown locally at a small farmstead in Guillestre (which uses only horse power to plough the crops) and manned by the cheerful and friendly Stefan. Today was our third visit to the stall to chat with Stefan (and his friend Thomas) and buy food literally taken out of the ground that morning - just a few hours before we bought it. Standing in the morning sun, surrounded by trees and mountains and talking to like minded people so full of life was just a wonderful moment for both of us.
Back at the motorhome with our colourful haul and feeling the urge for breakfast we briefly considered our options, maybe fruit, maybe a juice....? No, we wanted salad! That very salad that up until a few hours before had been growing in the fields was calling to our bodies with the promise of nourishment and vivid flavours. So we whipped up a quick salad of organic carrots, lettuce, peppers, basil and courgettes along with fresh tomatoes, nectarines and shallots and a few seeds (a special mention has to go to the tomatoes here, grown organically personally by one of the other vegetable stall holders and the taste is not like anything we have ever tasted. So many varieties and flavours...it's beyond tasty!)
The taste was incredible and the feeling that it was as close to ideal nourishment infused us with such energy and happiness that less than half an hour after finishing our meal I find myself writing these words.
Does food get any better than fresh picked, locally grown, organic fruit and vegetables? Not everyone might agree, but for us the answer is no.
No comments
Post a Comment