The Saint Girons Market

Grocery shopping is just more pleasurable when it takes place under a grove of Sycamore trees, beside a river. 

And, the products in your basket are all the tastier when you've collected them from a little valley town, where all of the farmers in the Pyrenees mountains bring their goods. 

The Saint Girons market has been an institution for years. Scattered throughout hills, mountains and valleys are several fantastic farms, producing cheeses, honey, superb meats, vegetables and all things duck. Because of the great distances between each farm and the villages, every Saturday morning farmers have carted themselves down from their rural havens to sell their products to other rural customers, as well as gourmands from Toulouse, seeking hard to find products. Because this market is essentially a grocery store for most customers, goods are priced to sell to the average local consumer. In other words, the products are fantastic and the costs are low. 

Aside from these immediately local producers, the market also attracts produce from the greater area. Situated roughly two hours on either side from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, Saint Girons is within reach of the fantastic flavors of either region, from mussels, to Atlantic oysters, and Spanish paella. For a little rural town, there are also many vendors selling products from outside of France. A Vietnamese stand sells spring rolls and rice dishes. The middle eastern stands sell Kebabs, pita breads, and a variety of spreads.