Author Archives: nutmeg

About nutmeg

Ginger and Nutmeg is a Food and Travel blog for Active Foodies hooked on travelling. We love food, history and digging into cultural traditions. This is a blog with a bit of humour, informative travel information and some great recipes.

Provence’s Olives Start to Finish

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Ginger has long loved olives, for their salty taste.  Nutmeg’s appreciation for olives has been acquired in recent years and certainly more so after spending time in Provence.  The olive tree is probably as old as the earth and may have even been one of the plants in the “Garden of Eden”. The Olive Story will give you more details on olives if you are interested. Nutmeg is fascinated by the olive, for its history, the tiny spring buds, the widespread use in Mediterranean cooking and of course because they taste fabulous. The following post is a photo expose and a new favourite recipe in honour of the olive.

Market Olives

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Aioli On Fridays in Provence

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Aioli is the name of a garlic mayonnaise.  Aioli is also a traditional Provencal dish that was typically served on Fridays.  The classic dish le grand “Aïoli” Provençal is served with salted cod and potatoes. A meal suitable for the days of penance. Practised cooks would methodically re-hydrate the cod and transform it back into an edible protein. The preparation of the traditional ingredients requires time to soak and desalinate the cod. This process involves removing the excess salt, cutting the cod in pieces, and soaking in fresh water for up to 15 hours (changing the water 2-3 times). Once the salt is removed the fish is poached gently in a pot with milk and water. The cod should not boil as it becomes rubbery. Interested yet?

Aioli Provencal

You should be!

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Key West Florida To Do List

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Key West is mile zero on Florida’s Highway 1 (U.S. Route 1).

In 1928, it was also point zero for Ernest Hemingway and his pregnant (7-months) wife Pauline. Their Model-A Ford was not ready when they disembarked in Key West from Cuba, a 90-mile ferry crossing. They were going nowhere fast. The car dealer found accommodation for the couple in an attempt to make amends (try that today…).90 miles to Cuba #KeyWest #Florida @GingerandNutmeg

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Pitcher and Powell International Culinary Tours

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Recently launched, Pitcher and Powell is a travel concept that combines the creative talents and cooking passions of two accomplished ladies. Even their last names work well together!

Barbara Pitcher is a Canadian by birth, with an international spirit, she is a painter who lives in Provence with her family. Like many artists who have lived in the region (think: Cezanne, Picasso and Van Gogh) the Provencal light decidedly inspires her artwork. This is what Barbara shared regarding her approach to the canvas,

“There is the cliché of “the light is beautiful in Provence” well it truly is!  The colours of the landscapes beg to be painted.  I have been painting since the early 90’s.  In Provence, when I arrived eight years ago I changed my style altogether, I have embraced abstract that I love because I never know where it will take me.”

Please read the rest of Barbara’s story here. Continue reading →

New Orleans Jazz Fest A-Z for Foodies

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The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is held annually over two weekends (seven days) at the end of April and beginning of May. This event rivals Mardi Gras for its commercial impact on the city, an estimated $300million (2012).

Read more about the Five (5) essentials for New Orleans Jazz Fest here. NOLA trollies #Nola #NewOrleans

 

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Wine Scholar Guild Provence Wine Study Program – Giveaway

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Wine lover?

This contest is for you (details below).

 

The Wine Scholar Guild (WSG), formerly the French Wine Society, is in the process of evolving the 10-year old organization and pursuing a lofty goal. The WSG wants to be the recognized global leader in wine study programs for France, Italy and Spain.

Provence Master level Program WSG @WineScholarGuil

Guild members range from certified wine experts to enthusiastic drinkers. What the group has in common, aside from the obvious appreciate for wine, is a desire to expand their industry knowledge and specific regional comprehension. Whether the goal is to develop wine lists for the restaurant trade or understand which bottle to order with your dinner, WSG certification will help. Continue reading →

Uncovering Glanum from a Pile of Rocks in Provence

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Nutmeg is reasonably certain she is not the first person to walk through the Glanum archaeological site, near St Remy de Provence, and consider that mankind is relatively insignificant in the passage of time.

Ashes to ashes

Dust to dust

Rocks to rocks

A previous G&N blog post “Glanum Glorious Views” covers much of the history of this site. The following post is a short overview only as an excuse to show off a few new photos. The main street in Glanum is below.

Main Street in Glanum

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Rhone Valley Grape Vine Tours with Linda Garson

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Linda Garson spent her youth in Manchester, in the United Kingdom, a place best known for soccer matches and beer-filled celebrations, not necessarily for wine expertise. A visual communications graduate, Linda relocated to Canada (Calgary) in 2003 on a contract with Trade UK – the British Government’s export division. The contract was for 13-months, and Linda is still in Calgary.

Linda Garson Calgary @vineanddine

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5 Essentials for New Orleans Jazz Fest

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Bourbon Street @JazzJest #JazzFest #NOLA #NewOrleansThe friendly guy behind the counter at Community Coffee in the French Quarter asked

“Are y’all you going to the Fest this mornin?”

G&N were visiting New Orleans or NOLA, as some like to call it, for the second time.
They had forgotten about the je ne c’est quoi smell that defines Bourbon Street or Calle De Borbon. It is difficult to determine which is worse; the humid evening whiffs, a combination of stale booze and its fresh side effects, or those same odors reawakened in the morning during street cleaning.

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