La Calleville and frequin rouge or even the cemetery of Blangy… More than a hundred varieties of apples grow in Normandy, some for centuries… The region, land of fruits and delicacies, has more than 8,000 hectares of orchards in five departments. So to admire the boxes piled to incredible heights and wearing their shades of yellow, orange and red, head to the markets of the Pays d’Auge in autumn.
Between marketplaces and direct sales
Republic square, Lisieux, the market on Saturday is huge. Local merchants interact with individuals called “small baskets” who come to sell their surplus. Jewels are picked from their stands when the apple is most loaded with sugar, a product of true know-how. The whole region comes here to get it fresh off the tree. Firm and juicy, these fruits will never experience the pains of the cold room where many of their counterparts wait for months before reaching the supermarket shelves. Much smaller but postcard-worthy, housed in 12th-century halls, is the Monday morning market. Saint-Pierre-en-AugeIn Calvados, it’s also important when it comes to apples.
Meet at the Aleum family in early October to pick them for yourself Fourneville. Here everyone rushes and follows the course, from tree to tree, pushing their wheelbarrows. If you miss the harvest, which does not wait, the orchard sells its still fresh apples next week, and the prices remain ridiculous.
On the way to cider… and ale
In Normandy, the apple is transformed, whether it is “on the knife” and ends up on our plates or in cider. In recent years, we have witnessed the revival of the latter. Far from the rustic and traditional image, some young producers are reinventing cider, like Antoine Marois. This former agricultural engineer decided to settle on his grandfather’s farm Cambramer. On their land, he planted high-stemmed gardens, where the cows of the neighboring breeder come to graze on the grass.
It is here that he has his latest cuvées tasted by appointment. Casus Belli, the signature of this cider maker like no other, is an apple wine with a pleasant bitterness, slightly more alcoholic and less fizzy than plain cider. Another discovery to bring back in your luggage, the ciders on which Antoine Marois applies Pineau d’Aunis paste maceration from a winemaker friend for this year. In 2023, enthusiasts will be able to try ciders planted on Riesling and Mondeuse de Savoie marc.
Nothing beats the press experience on the juice side. To: Epaignes:, you bring your harvest and the association Les 3 épagnoles épagnoles helps you make your juice, but nothing prevents the curious without a garden to look and leave with a bottle and… apple cider. This latest invention is made from pressed pulp and, gluten-free, with a caramelized taste, partially replaces wheat flour in pastries. Push open the door to the nearby artisan chocolate factory, La Royale Normande, where gluten-free “Palets Normans” are made with these “Fari’pommes” but buttered according to the rules of the art, like Breton palettes.
Apple – a product of well-being
It is from this associative press of the Pays d’Auge that the apple juice from the garden. Farm of Saint-Simeon. Located atop Honfleur, this former farmhouse inn frequented by Claude Monet and Gustave Courbet no longer has a wine press, but the establishment’s last rooms have been built on its historic site. A luxury stop where every detail has been thought of, from the latest Hi-Fi to hammam baths in every bathroom.
To perfect this moment, treat yourself to a massage under the apple trees, scented with essential oils of the precious fruit. If the experience is worth passing up, it’s thanks to Patricia Verbes, spa manager and 2019 French massage champion, who knew how to rally her team around her. Many of the team’s practitioners have also won competitions under his leadership. The result: exceptional quality reception and care.
Relaxed and invigorated, a light aroma of apples upon your awakening, all you have to do is sit down at a table at La Boucane, the hotel’s bistronomic address. Chef Matthieu Pouleur delicately cultivates the local balsamic vinegar “Le Paulmier” made in the Camembert and Livarot valleys. A vinegar where the tartness of the apples adds freshness, avoiding the pitfall of the often overly syrupy balsamic. During the day, or after a fireside roast of beef, play the apple’s final point, the delicate house-made cake and its creamy calva ice cream, a creation worth detouring in and of itself.
Between Calvados and gin
To make this weekend perfect around apples, you need to experience Calvados, the ultimate transformation of this fruit. In the Touques Valley, a few kilometers from Deauville, Guillaume Drouin welcomes the curious and lovers of this Norman eau de vie to his Norman farm. This passionate cellar master loves to show visitors around his still-artificial distillery. We discover vintages dating back more than 80 years, and those most interested can book a course to harvest their own Calvados. Children will enjoy while waiting for the house apple juice, and cocktail lovers will discover the only apple-based gin, of which 30 types of fruits and 8 herbs are used in the composition, the creation of Guillaume Drouin, which attracts mixologists. around the world.
Finally, push open the doors before leaving Normandy Coppelia Gardens. This elegant mansion-turned-hotel is perched in the middle of an orchard. The restaurant’s chef, Damien Fremont, celebrates fall there with a Granny Smith gilded broom tartar flavored with nasturtium flowers.
Source: Le Figaro
