[:de]Autumn – Thanksgiving time in Normandy[:]

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Autumn in Normandy has its own charm. It will be significantly quieter on the streets, in the towns and in nature. The wind becomes harsher and the light conjures up fantastic effects on the coast, in the dunes and forests. And autumn is the beginning of the enjoyment time in Normandy. There are fresh scallops and in many places people feast together. Taste it!

The scallops – freshly caught from Normandy

Scallops are a valued delicacy. The main scallop fishing ports are here in Normandy, on the doorstep of your holiday home: Port-en-Bessin, Grandcamp-Maisy or Granville. From October to mid-May, Norman fishermen are allowed to harvest the protected scallops off the coast of Normandy. Then you get the precious seafood fresh from the market, at a really affordable price. But it's not just the price that's remarkable, but above all the taste. It cannot be compared to that of frozen scallops. You can easily prepare scallops yourself in your holiday home: go to the market in La-Haye-du-Puits on Wednesday and buy small delicacies from one of the fish stalls. If you don't feel comfortable opening the mussels, ask the friendly seller to empty the shells. Before further preparation, remove the remains of the beard and the small membrane around the mussel meat. All you have to do is wash the mussels under running water, pat dry, season with a little salt or pepper and dust with flour. Then heat some neutral fat in the pan and fry the scallops for a minute and a half on each side. Under no circumstances should the nuts fry for too long; they should still be a little glassy. A lamb's lettuce and a fresh baguette taste great with this. For an appetizer you should allow for four mussels per person. And the Corail? The female mussels have orange roe attached to the mussel meat. You can simply leave this on and fry it too. Or you can remove the corail and use the shells and corails to make a sauce that you can drizzle over the prepared mussels.

Enjoy scallops at regional festivals

Especially on the Calvados coast, numerous festivals are celebrated in autumn that focus on scallops and other seafood. Here you can not only taste fine specialties, but also learn more about fishing: This year's dates are:

-Grandcamp-Maisy, December 1st and 2nd
-Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, November 10th and 11th
-Courseulles-sur-Mer, November 24th and 25th
-Ouistreham, October 20th and 21st
-Villers-sur-Mer, October 27th and 28th
-Trouville-sur-Mer, December 1st and 2nd

Richly laid table in Normandy

The department is also a leader in many agricultural goods. If you walk through the dunes around Créances, you will probably have seen the many carrot and leek fields. 74.000 tons of carrots are produced in the the Channel  grown annually, representing 14 percent of France's total production. For leeks there are around 38.000 tonnes. This puts the Manche in first place in France with a quarter of total production. By the way, some of the leeks grown here go to Germany. It's quite possible that you have a piece of Normandy on your plate when you prepare leek vegetables. The region is better known for its cider and Calvados. The apple harvest is in full swing and you can attend smaller and larger Fête du Cidre in many places.

Enjoy autumn with culinary delights in your holiday home in Normandy

Food is also served around your holiday apartment. On October 12th you can stroll through the orchards, visit the winery and taste the fine products from apple juice to liqueur at the GAEC open day in Claids. Regional products are the focus of Mange ta soupe from October 19th to 21st in Carentan les Marais. In its tenth year, the event has developed into a real gourmet festival. Here you can taste various soups, buy regional products and listen to live music. Also from October 19th to 21st Foire Saint-Luc in Gavray celebrated. As with all folk festivals in Normandy, fine specialties are served. In addition, a pumpkin festival awaits you. If you've always wanted to see how Border Collies herd, you should attend the demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.

By Barbara Homolka[:]