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Fruit

French plums are source of pride and celebrated in Agen in late August

Sue Adams looks at the many uses of this ancient fruit – and why harvest time is a wonderful sight

‘Highly damaging’ fruit-eating fly at risk of spreading in France

Damage could range from 20-100% of harvests, experts have warned

Fruit and veg prices in France: are imports always cheaper?

We look at official data on prices, including organic options, of tomatoes, courgettes, leeks, cucumbers, garlic, clementines and kiwis

news

It was not all bad: Five positive French news stories to start weekend

From five big cats being saved from a circus to a 12-year-old boy’s rescue from a well, we round up the happy stories from this week

My tips for successfully growing lemons in France

We looks at the citrus fruit’s origins and offers cultivation tips

Oranges sold at French supermarkets recalled over banned pesticide

They were sold in bunches and loose form at retail outlets including Auchan, Intermarché and Leclerc

Mild winter in France wreaks havoc on fruit producers and in gardens

Warmer-than-average temperatures this season have caused fruit plants to flower early, despite the still-present risk of frost

Gardening tips for growing and grafting apples in France

Grafting, rootstocks and growing from seed - advice on apple trees this autumn

Ideas to avoid wasting fruit – and pick some for free – in France

From a mobile juicing van to an ancestral right to pick your own for free, we round up some ideas for how to avoid fruit waste (and other food waste too)

French farmer grows crops without water, fertiliser or pesticide

By burying organic matter underground and turning the earth in winter to trap moisture, he gives his fruit and vegetables the tools to survive

MAP: A tour of France by local fruits and vegetables

From Brittany artichokes to Vosges blueberries, almost every corner of France has a local, healthy speciality

How to grow redcurrants in your French garden

Used to make luxury jam ‘caviar de Lorraine’, redcurrants can thrive anywhere in France

France’s Carpentras strawberry crops bring juicy joy

One of the first French strawberries of the year, the ‘fraise de Carpentras’ is grown on the sunny Vaucluse plains

La fraise: The strange history of France's strawberry family

With strawberry season now upon us we look at the story of a family that bore the fruits name and wwere instrumental in the creation of the modern-day variety in France

En douce and more ‘sweet’ French expressions

Climate change is resulting in less acidic clementines in Corsica. We look at three French expressions with the word douce (sweet).

Price of fruit and vegetables falls by 8% in France, melons down 21%

Most products have returned to the same prices as before the pandemic a study finds, but cherries, apricots and apples are still more expensive

Fruit basket artist shows creations at Cannes Film Festival

A young French greengrocer's daughter - and granddaughter - makes works of art out of fresh fruit and vegetables and recently made an appearance at the prominent film festival

Wholesaler accused of relabelling tonnes of Spanish veg as French

The fraud is known as ‘Francisation’. The wholesaler is suspected of relabelling boxes and invoices to sell Spanish produce to supermarkets at higher, French-grown prices

France: Virus affects melons, cucumbers and courgettes

The virus, identified in the South of France, does not pose a risk to human health

Cost of fresh fruit up 17% in France, veg up 4%

The price of fresh fruit from conventional (non-organic) agriculture has increased 17% compared to last year, with the global pandemic partly, but not entirely, to blame, says a new report.

Too much fruit and veg in your garden? You can sell it here

Gardeners with surplus fruit and vegetables now have a handy way to make sure they do not go to waste.

Where to buy the juiciest melons in France this summer

Across France, you will see shoppers prodding and sniffing as they search for the perfect juicy melon. Connexion looks at the fruit’s history and meets a passionate producer.

French people have gained weight during lockdown

Most French people have gained weight during home confinement, a study shows.

Fruit, veg and Covid-19: France issues safety advice

Advice has been issued in France on how to safely eat fresh fruits and vegetables during the Covid-19 crisis, answering key questions on how to prepare, eat, and clean fresh food. We translate.

Food basket: what to eat in March in France

Every month France issues official advice of what food is in season and good to eat now – this month it lists Mimolette, a cheese made with little insects, as well as leeks, whelks and pineapple.

What's good to eat in France in January

Two cheeses, cancoillotte and boulette d’Avesnes, are in season in January and so goods to eat, according to the latest food advice from the French government.

December food basket: what to eat this month

Three types of cheese – Beaufort, Cantal and Pélardon – are in season this month, as well as parsnip and scallops, according to the latest food advice from the French government.

Fresh local strawberries in winter? No issue in Paris

Capital start-up sells fresh, locally-grown strawberries all year round

French garden diary - May 2019

’Tis the season for tender loving. Cathy Thompson reveals her choice of May veg, and gives seasonal flower tips

How to buy, eat and store the best French strawberries

As spring approaches and strawberries come into season, experts have given advice on buying the best fruit, as well as storing it and preparing it for optimum flavour.

The least-contaminated fruit and veg to eat in France

A new TV report on pesticides including the controversial herbicide glyphosate has drawn up a list of the best fruits and vegetables to eat in France to avoid the worst chemical residues.

French seasonal basket - September 2018

En saison: What to put on your plate this month Because the French never eat strawberries in winter and even different types of goat’s cheese have seasonality...

French public ‘not satisfied’ by supermarket fruit

The French public is less than impressed by the flavour and quality of fruits and veg sold in national supermarkets, a new study has shown.

Cost of fruit and veg in France 'not reality'

The cost of fruit and vegetables in France is “disconnected from reality” due to artificially high prices and the sale of foreign produce, the president of French vegetable federation Légumes de France has said.

Mystery of the pink-tinged pomme

Jane Hanks reveals the production methods and ideal recipes for the famed Limousin ‘Golden’, a prize pick among French apples

Start-up rents pollination bees to boost fruit farms

A Nouvelle-Aquitaine start-up is renting super-productive pollination bees to agricultural fruit farmers to boost their returns and help address the “disappearing bee” crisis.

Mediterranean oranges risk ‘yellow dragon’ extinction

Mediterranean oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits could be at risk of extinction if a disease that has decimated orange trees in Florida takes hold closer to home.

Apricots arrive early amid ‘unfair Spain competition’

Apricots from the Pyrénées-Orientales region have arrived two weeks early in ideal climate conditions, but, despite this good news, producers are accusing Spanish farmers of “unfair competition”.

Market gardeners launch 'Zero Pesticide' label

New logo promises fruit and vegetables will contain no more than 0.01mg of pesticides per kilogramme

Meet the producers: clementines

Learn more about the production of Corsican clementines

Unsold shop fruit is turned into jam – and jobs

Looking like any other pot of jam on the Monoprix shelf, there is more to Re-Belle jam than meets the eye – each is made with fruit that has been recovered unsold from supermarkets and was otherwise destined for the bin.

What to put on your plate in October

What's in season in France this month?

Apple harvest gets under way early

From Tarn-et-Garonne to Brittany, the pickers are out

Revival for forgotten fruit

About 75% of the world’s mirabelles come from Lorraine, where the harvest starts this month and where producers are finding new ways to promote this small, very sweet and tasty fruit.

Fig season arrives early

Figs usually go on sale in France around August 20, but this year’s heat has brought the harvest early

Early harvest puts apricot farmers at loggerheads

Prices collapse as French apricots hit shelves at the same time as cheaper fruit from Spain

Gariguette strawberries arrive at market

France's favourite early-season fraise can be yours - at the right price

Volunteers pick surplus fruit from your trees

Many fruit trees in private gardens produce more fruit than their owners can use – but an association is offering to harvest the unwanted crop and turn it into jam to be sold.