Summer Candy

Blue Bottle

I religiously visited the Ferry Building farmers market in San Francisco every Saturday morning.  Waking up, grabbing a cup of coffee at the wonderful Blue Bottle directly across the street from my old apartment, and walking all the way there.  My attendance was especially frequent in the summertime when there were fresh sweet amazing tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, basil, and my favorite part.... candy!  It came in the form of white nectarines.  I would lovingly pick 6 big juicy wonderful candy nectarines, one to go with my plain yogurt every morning, until there was no more candy at the market.  It was always one of my favorite things about summer, it NEVER got old!

Kooka Boora

Since moving to Paris, I've found a great market.  It's also on Saturday mornings, it's within walking distance, and though great coffee isn't across the street, it only requires a short detour to grab a latte or long white at the local, Australian inspired, Kooka Boora cafe. ... I am a creature of habit...  My new farmers market, Marche Bio de Batignolles (M Place de Clichy)  is a little different than the old.  First, bio=organic so everything is organic, it has lots of stinky cheese stalls, butchers, a few fish mongers, fruit and veggie stalls, continuous endless people handing out of political flyers, and the most heavenly traiteur Italian. I am addicted! But, I think I'll do a whole post about that later.

Right.  The point.  While I have found some great produce, oh the tomatoes, I have yet to find my candy.  There are a few teeny white peaches, I bought some, and they're ok, they still have that sour bite.  But as I was walking down Rue du Poteau, the local french street of awesomeness, butchers, boulangeries, and frommageries, I ran into the fruit store to check for my favorite summertime treat.  (cue the heavenly high pitched Ahhhhhhhhh)  There they were, white nectarines, red from the sun, beautiful, perfect, glistening, and only 12euros a kilo, gulp (1kilo ~ 2 lbs).  I didn't care, I wanted my candy.  This morning I was so excited to wake up and make my plain yogurt + fruit breakfast.  I cut one open, it was even red inside (interesting?!) sliced it into a beautiful MichaelFlaherty ramekin and couldn't wait for the yogurt, so I slurped a juicy piece into my mouth and almost died, it was so sour.  I grudgingly ate it with sugar sweetened blueberry yogurt,  then had a corn cherry scone, of which I made yesterday, to console myself.  I can only hope that it was some strange plum nectarine hybrid, it was lost in translation, supposed to be sour, and my candy has yet to arrive at the market... I'm still on the hunt.  If you happen to be reading this blog, and live in Paris, and know where I can find 'candy nectarines' for less than 20euros a kg, I'll trade you the location for a scone!