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Fruit and veg prices tumble in France

Good weather and weak demand have sent fruit and vegetable prices tumbling in France this summer. However, one of France’s favorite edibles is poised to spike in cost.

Fruit and veg prices tumble in France
Nice weather has caused Fruit and veg prices to drop in France. Photo: David Flores/Flickr

If you enjoyed the mild spring this year, so did France’s fruit and vegetables farms,  which as a result of pleasant weather have churned out a bumper crop of produce this summer.

The overabundance has driven down fruit prices by 12 percent and that of vegetables by three percent, which is great news for budget conscious chefs and consumers in food-obsessed France.

Though it's not so great for farmers already struggling with the effects of the Russian trade embargo on certain European products. Moscow implimented the bans in response to western sanctions over the situation in Ukraine.

An average kilo of fruit came in at €3.34 this year, over €3.78 in 2013, according to a report out on Thursday from advocacy group Familles Rurales.

Some produce, especially types synonymous with summer like melons, lettuce, peaches and pears have plunged in price by up to 20 percent.  

The reason for the bounty of produce is mainly the weather. At the end of July, France Agrimer, which is responsible for keeping an eye on the markets for the Ministry of Agriculture, pointed to the “mild spring temperatures” when explaining the abundance.

Heavy competition between online retailers, which allow people to bargain shop without leaving home, has also led to lower prices. It’s a situation the national farmer’s union Federation Nationale des Producteurs de Fruits attacked in a press release.

“It’s not about selling more vegetables, nor more fruits, nor better meeting customers’ expectations, or making them happy,” the group wrote. “It is, in reality, an effort to make consumers believe brand X is the cheapest and to sell all the other products, which aren’t on special offer, at a higher price.”

But not all food prices are falling France. The chocolatey spread Nutella, of which the French are the world's second largest consumers behind the Germans, may see its price go up. A disastrous hazelnut harvest is posed to push up the cost of making the chocolate spread.

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FOOD AND DRINK

9 delicious French dishes to try this summer

It’s almost impossible to imagine a ‘bad time’ for food lovers in France – summer certainly isn’t one, with a huge range of fresh, flavourful and light produce easily available. Here’s a few of our favourites.

9 delicious French dishes to try this summer

Salade niçoise

Summer is the season of salads and seafood in France. Which brings us immediately to arguably the most classic of French summer classic dishes, traditionally made with tomatoes and anchovies, dressed with olive oil.

All the extra stuff you’ll see in a modern version – hard-boiled eggs, olives, lettuce, green beans, tuna were added later and French people can get quite agitated over the question of potatoes in a salade niçoise.

Speaking of . . .

Pan bagnat

A pan bagnat is, basically, salad niçoise in sandwich form. But the secret to a proper pan bagnat is in the bread. It’s a traditional, rustic sandwich made using stale bread that has been refreshed by a trickle of water.

The clue is in the name – it literally means ‘bathed bread’. And a proper pan bagnat can only come from and use ingredients from Provence. Otherwise it’s just a (mostly) vegetable sandwich.

Tomates farcies

Potagers up and down France have tomato plants in them right now, and they’re all – hopefully – giving good fruit. Enter the many stuffed tomato recipes to cope with the glut. Expect variations on a sausage meat, onions, garlic, salt-and-pepper theme.

Of course, a simple tomato salad (perhaps with a little cheese and a sprinkle of basil) is also a joy to behold.

Flan de courgette

As it is with tomatoes, so it is with courgettes. Gardeners the length and breadth of France are wondering what to do with the sheer mass of fruit their plants are giving out.

The simple and delicious courgette flan covers many a base – and also incorporates French cuisine favourites ham and cheese. Usually served warm.

Ratatouille

It’s probably illegal not to mention the famously rustic ratatouille in any piece about French summer recipes.

The dish you probably know – with tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, pepper and garlic – is from Provence. But there are variation on this vegetable stew that you’ll find across the Mediterranean arc – think piperade, from southwest France, bohémienne, from Vaucluse, or chichoumeille, from Languedoc. 

They’re all delicious and they’ll all give you your five-a-day.

Tarte au chèvre et au concombre

Cucumbers are typical salad fare. They can be added to drinks, used to make chilled soups and detox cocktails. But you can also cook with them. Seek out a recipe for goat’s cheese and cucumber tart.

Vichyssoise

A chilled soup, perfect on a summer’s day, with a French name, created by a French chef. This chilled leek-and-potato soup actually first appeared, around 1910, as a dish at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York. But it has its basis in France. The chef who created it, Louis Félix Diat, said that it was inspired by his mother, who taught him how to cook. 

Chilled soups are a great bet on a hot day and you’ll see dozens of variations on menus, from cucumber to melon via variations on gazpacho (which is Spanish but the French very sensibly embrace it).

Tapenade

Black olives, garlic, anchovies, capers, olive oil. A blender. And you’ve got a delicious, simple ‘tartiner’ for a slice of toast or crusty bread. Try it. You’ll thank us.

Moules à la crème

Shellfish and summer go hand in glove. Moules-frites are hugely popular, with good reason.

But this summer moules recipe is, despite the creaminess, a little lighter overall. As always, there are always regional variations on a theme – do look out for moules à la normande, in particular.

What’s your favourite French dish on a hot day? Share your recommendations in the comments section below

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