La Ferme de Viltain

 

La Ferme de Viltain David, 15 Aug It’s not a drag to be in Paris in August. In fact, those who stay in town always say the same thing – “This is the best time of year to be in Paris.” (Or, “Wouldn’t it be incroyable if it was like this all year?”) Even though Paris is a lot smaller, imagine if 85% of the people left New York City or San Francisco in the summer, how different the cities would be. My friends who have kids have told me they wish they could go on vacation during another month because it’s harder to travel in August; Airfares, trains, and hotels are more expensive, and there are strikes to contend with. But for those of us who remain in the city, we have almost the whole city to ourselves. One paradoxical thing about August in France is that many of the vendors at the markets also go away on vacation, which is exactly when all the great summer fruits and vegetables are in season. But I guess since there are fewer customers, they figure that they may as well close up shop and hit the road, too. Open all year is La Ferme de Viltain. Cows, goats, and sheep don’t stop producing milk just because the humans want to go away, and some of the best ice cream makers in Paris, including Martine Lambert, Berthillion (who close their shop in August), and Glazed, get their milk from the Ferme de Viltain. La Ferme de Viltain not only is a dairy and cheese producer, but is a farm. And you can pick your own produce at la cueillette, as they’re called in France, or the “you pick,” as we say in English. Continue Reading La Ferme de Viltain...