Sarlat Market

My family has been in France for a couple of weeks now and while I've been photographing quite a bit, I've mostly been enjoying our time together and dealing with house-related tasks and projects.  If you've ever owned and/or renovated a very old home, then you know how easy it is to fill your time with an endless to-do list!  This is definitely a working vacation, but we love this little cottage so much that we plow through these issues with gladness (most of the time!).  We keep saying that "next time we will do this {insert fun activity}" and "next time we will resist the temptation to work on this {insert time-consuming house project}", but inevitably we cannot resist.  What can I say?  This sweet maisonnette is our baby. And quite honestly, just being here is vacation enough for us.  We are so grateful to be here. 

One thing we always allow time for is going to the Sarlat market on Saturdays.  I prefer to do all of my produce shopping at the market, so it's easy to justify piling into the van and heading fifteen minutes away to this fantastic outdoor market.  There are parts of the market that feel a bit touristy, but there are enough locals here to make it feel authentic and certainly worthwhile.  My limited French gets me by in simple situations like this, so the market is an experience I can thoroughly enjoy.  I love it.  

Favorites include homemade jam, homemade pressed juices, strawberries, walnuts, mushrooms, cheese, sausages and white asparagus--all local and all delicious.  Also, not-to-be missed are the Sarlandaise potatoes (similar to a gratin, but baked with duck fat) and crepes from a woman I call the Crepe Lady.  She is often near the paella/Sarlandaise potato vendor, which makes her easy to spot. Seeing her dark hair peeking out of her hoodie and cheerful, yellow awning always makes me smile. On our most recent visit yesterday, we stopped by for a savory crepe on the way in to the market and then for a sweet crepe on our way out.  Since I hadn't seen her at the market in almost 2 years, I justified the repeated visit!  Little details like homemade nut spread, fresh berries, and interesting combinations make her crepes my favorite in France.

Here are a few snapshots from our outing...

p.s. more images here and here if you're curious.

images by me