French Market Days

Mirepoix Market – Ariège (09) – Monday Mornings

For Ariege, I think the Monday market at Mirepoix (and not just because of the way it sounds) is one of the best known in the department. Certainly anyone who is renting a house/gite in the area makes mention of it.

Here’s a link for general Ariege market info:
http://www.ariege-aude-lifestyles.com/markets_ariege.html

also: http://www.ariege.com/marches/schedule.html and have you seen this one? http://www.redgage.com/blogs/brianrs/french-food-markets-in-and-around-languedoc-rousillon.html

Mentions in blogs and other websites:
http://deepsouthoffrance.blogspot.com/2010/05/mirepoixs-annual-triple-market.html

http://www.laroumaude.com/en/en_area.htm says: “This magnificent market is held every Monday morning throughout the year. As well as fresh home grown produce you can buy antiques, clothing, wine, trinkets, in fact just about anything. Musicians play around the cafés which surround the square. Not to be missed.”

http://pauseforpurpose.com/2007/10/mirepoix-farmers-market

Lynda says… “I had already booked a house in Mirepoix before I heard about the market. I had never been outside the US and having landed in Perpignan around midnight, driven on the Deux Mers peage to arrive in the early am in Mirepoix, it was a fantastic (in the best sense of the word) introduction to France, and especially the south of France.”

“I have lived in a rural area and had my own garden for a couple years and in the city I now live in there are numerous farmers markets with excellent choices, many of the suppliers offering organics (and such a blessing when one wants strawberries and other items that are ususally over treated with chemicals if not bio) so a farmers market wasn’t a new concept… but this one… I only wish I liked chevre–but I don’t.”

“But certain enough of everything else and if I wasn’t certain about something, I’d watch one of the locals selecting something, and follow her criteria. A friend came down from Amsterdam but missed the market.”

“The next year we got the same house and he loved the market. That was 10 years ago so this past April I rented the same house for sort of a farewell visit (retired, don’t have the income for trips to France anymore) to France, and felt it sould include Mirepoix and the house.”

“A lot of English people have settled in the area, or have 2nd homes here, so it’s rather like a farmyard with both ducks and chickens chattering away….”

“I’ve never been to Leran but I read a bit about in in the Guardian account of the Tour as it went through the area as being famous and the center of so much bio agriculture…perhaps…but I’ve never heard the locals (I now have French friends around the Ariege) talk about Leran…”

“Anyway, as you can see, I am a fan of the Mirepoix market, but to be fair, the market in Esperaza (Aude) on Sunday is well worth a look.”

“www.audeflyer.com is a newsletter from an expat who now lives in Aude (close to Ariege) and each issue contains a list of the markets (food, brocante, vide grenier and such) as well as discussions on food…”

Bon appetit!

Lynda Akin
Mt Washington/Los Angeles

This article about Mirepoix Market was… written by Lynda Akin – Mt Washington/Los Angeles

All the best