Our friend Mimi Giboin just got back from a trip to France (she was visiting her parents, who live in the town of Royan on the southwest coast). Lucky for us; she pulled out her camera and took some snaps of an out-of-the-ordinary herb stand run by Christine Boutquet (yes, that's her name) at the local farmer's market.
"Christine's stall is bit disheveled, in a good way," Mimi says. "The herbs she offers, you just don't find them anywhere else in the market. Christine's mother raised and sold flowers, and Christine worked alongside her throughout her school years. She ended up buying her grandparents' farm, and now she runs an organic herb, vegetable, and spice garden. She works from dawn until dusk; she's on a mission to make us comfortable using foreign flavors in cooking."
Photography by Mimi Giboin for Remodelista.
Above: Braided garlic bulbs hanging from a pole.
Above: Mint and sage on display.
Above: Christine at her stand.
Above: Christine stacks wooden crates to display her produce.
Above: A wheat sheaf braided around the head of a garlic flower.
Above: One of Christine's favorites, salicornia, is an algae that grows in the regional swamps.
Above: An array of tomatillos.
Above: Vintage scales used for weighing produce.
Above: L'hélichrysum Italicum or what Christine calls the "curry plant"; she uses it in Indian cooking.
We recently spotted salicornia at Far West Fungi in San Francisco's Ferry Plaza. We'd love to know if you have any great sources for herbs; tell us your finds!