Assumptions!

The August 15th French fête.

Village Flea Market

Bonne Fête, everyone! Here in the very southwest of France, we are in the midst of the last long summer weekend—August 15th, that mid-August feria, feast, or fête that is celebrated across France and Europe. In the neighboring villages, there will be vide-greniers ( literally “empty-attics” or flea markets), village bals and discos, night markets, and 11:00 PM fireworks. It’s been a long-standing tradition here at Camont to make the Feast of the Assumption into a celebration of conviviality that started in 1996 when my friend Jhon and nine of his New-Yorkais friends arrived for a 3-day fête here at Camont and a cruise on the Julia Hoyt to a medieval dinner complete with home-made costumes.

This year, I am off a beat and still awaiting the arrival of the Camont Crew later this week. I am taking advantage of the pause and writing like mad through all the cooler mornings outlining the 12-month serialization of Finding France, which I will share here on Substack starting in September—more to come soon! In the meantime, here’s a little look back behind the paywall at last year’s August madness when I affectionately call Camont La Gare de Nord. When the usually calm and quiet ambiance of my canalside farmhouse explodes for a week or two of frivolity, late-night conversation, big tables, BBQs, and multi-generational hijinks, I cook like mad. Enjoy this recipe for my Croustade aux Pruneaux (worth making with any summer fruit), a silly video with those Gascon beret-toting Gueuleton Guys- Vincent and Arthur, and a sweet tasting of living in the slow French lane.