The Living Mushroom Cave in Le Puy Notre Dame on the Loire, France

Just have to share this unique story with you and the world...
Open for Tourism and as restaurant and shop!

We met the person Jacky Roulleau who is running this!
See link at the very bottom under final photo...

In French: variété blonde du champignon de Paris

This is the brown variety of the champignon de Paris, what we call button mushroom or Agaricus

Okay, on Sunday, January 8 of 1989, husband Pieter left via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (we lived in Shillington, Pennsylvania at the time) to Kalamazoo, in Michigan for meeting with 6 French men. One of them was Jacky Roulleau.

They went to the Glenn Farm, one of Campbell's mushroom farms on January 9 and to the Brighton Farm on January 10. 

On January 11, Pieter flew back to Philadelphia with lots of delay, his 1st time with Piedmont airlines... 

In the evening Pieter did take me along to the Sheraton hotel in Reading to meet with the French men. We all went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner together.

We received a tile from Le Puy Notre Dame with it's Church

Also a bottle of Fiji eau de toilette and a Taste Vin...

This French Pewter Taste Vin from ETAINS DU MANOIR was a gift from our French mushroom colleagues.

Inside you read the French Wine Quote: Beuvez toujours ne mourrez jamais. 

Drink always and never die. Widely attributed to François Rabelais.

Below post is a link to my previous post for learning more about this piece...

A special card from Le Puy Notre Dame

Le Puy Notre Dame seen by... Richard Kleeman

Edition The Corner of the Eye

On January 26, 1989 Jacky Roulleau wrote a very nice letter:

Dear Friend,

I don't know how to thank you for everything you did for us. Having been all my life around mushrooms, I've always wanted to shake hands with a man we only knew from his book, the famous Vedder.

I won't say more except that I'm sure our fathers would have loved to be with us.

My colleagues and myself have understood that simplicity and efficiency are the keys to success in the mushroom world.

Please give our best regards to your charming wife, and I hope we'll see you soon in France.

Sincerely,

Jacky Roulleau

Another treasured 'mushroom' editorial review.

CULTURE MODERNE DES CHAMPIGNONS is the book Jacky was referring to.

Pieter's French edition, out of 8 official languages being published.

~

We met again on May 20, 1989 during the Tecno Mico in Verona, Italy where Pieter worked out a construction design for them and Gerard Derks built it in France, in late summer.

At that time we already lived and worked in Italy and on May 27, Gerard and his wife Pauline Derks came to dinner at our apartment and they delivered 4 bottles of French Chinon wine from the French men! Surprise...

~

Small world and now Jacky and his son Julian, are running their business of mushroom growing inside the cave and opening it for tourism from end of March through early October.

The Living Mushroom Cave - Tourist Attraction from end of March till early October in Le Puy Notre Dame on the Loire, France click link

Year round they sell their product and also other varieties of mushrooms they grow inside the cave.

Regional restaurants buy their produce and prepare delicious food, a wonderful way for visiting and learning!

Look at those broad stems as a good mushroom quality criteria...

Hope you enjoyed this post!

{French Pewter Taste Vin} | previous post

modern mushroom growing 2020 harvesting | post about our newest publication

{Antique French Léonard Bernardaud (1856-1923) Limoges Table Lamp}

A very rare and unique find from France... being only available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique Mariette's Back to Basics: Antique French Léonard Bernardaud (1856-1923) Limoges Table Lamp ←click hyperlink.
FREE SHIPPING WITHIN USA: spectrenoir just click it.
You will not even find one at CHRISTIE'S or 1stDibs.com...

This is a beautiful piece of antique, fine white porcelain Limoges table lamp with high glaze from the famous Léonard Bernardaud who lived from 1856-1923.
In EXCELLENT condition and it has been wired by my husband and handyman Pieter.
This in order to change it from French to American wiring.
An Energy Saving light bulb, for going green, has been placed in it, together with a brand new white fabric lamp shade with harp.
Undoubtedly you all know the modern day Bernardaud Lithophane lamps.
The porcelain pattern is called 'VINCENNES' and Replacements Ltd. <(click) does have this in the color purple in their china listing. 

Château de Vincennes is a beautiful Castle in Paris, France. 

Showing you the lovely details of this cobalt blue pattern. At my on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics (see link at top of post) you can also find the measurements of this beauty. 
A true French Country Style 19th Century TREASURE!

Such a romantic design...

It absolutely makes an elegant statement!

Detail of the Bernardaud Limoges Porcelain Marks 

See above Théodore Bernardaud porcelain B & Cie marks sale from Christie's <(click it) and check the value for comparison!

Bernardaud marks

History link

On page 96 in the Collectors Encyclopedia of Limoges Porcelain you will find all the info, history and marks of Bernardaud.
Also the book: Living With Limoges is a very helpful source.

Sold out...

Do you personally own some valuable antique Limoges porcelain?

{1950s Handmade Silk Roses Framed in Gilded Wood under Bubble Convex Glass}

Such a unique and very romantic, gilded wooden frame with dark pink roses that are handmade out of silk. 

They look so realistic atop the burgundy velvet. 

The bubble convex glass makes it into a very rare and special wall hanging. 

Quite large with 12.5 x 16.5 x 2"

Please visit my on line boutique for more information on this vintage French Country Style piece. Spectrenoir ← click on link.

Just an enlarged corner of this beautiful piece which I got at a Dutch Estate Sale.

Due to the bubble convex (domed) glass it is extremely hard to capture on camera without any glare. 

 The photo below shows the flash that I used, but less glare...

This one shows more the true color of the silk roses and the burgundy velvet on which they are mounted.

The photo below, taken from the side, gives a lighter color of the velvet but that is just because of the

nap. 

Photo below pretty much shows the true colors of the silk roses.

Don't you love something timeless romantic?

{3 French LINEN Embroidered HEARTS Amitié - Bonheur - Tendresse}

AMITIÉ - BONHEUR - TRENDRESSE or FRIENDSHIP - HAPPINESS - TENDERNESS

3 Perfect all linen French Country Style hearts in a large size with two-sided embroidered names, as written above in French.

These special Home Décor items are available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique Mariette's Back to Basics: Three Large French Country Style Linen Hearts.
They measure 17.5 x 19 cm or 7 x 7.5 inch without the loop!
Perfect Gift for Saint Valentine's Day!

To give these three virtues freely, is a gift in itself!

Even more so in the form of these meaningful heart pillows...

These hearts are to be hung from their linen twine.

Amitié - Friendship

Bonheur - Happiness

Tendresse - Tenderness

{French Comptoir de Famille Candle Wreath}

Inspired by the French Countryside, 

nostalgic home décor items by 
Comptoir de Famille.

Needless to say that I feel fortunate for being able to offer you these lovely French Country Style Candle Wreath at my on line boutique: French Comptoir de Famille Candle Wreath.  ←click it.

Adorned with Roses and Berries this is also perfect for a romantic  Christmas Day setting...

Works with the LED pillars as well, for a clean and safe candle setting.

♥ Pour Toi ♥

{Fleur de Lys Cushions}

Via German blogger friend Claudia from Nu-Nu's Garn-und Stofflabor I did obtain these lovely cotton Fleur de Lys print covers for the cushions in our Veranda.
Matching the cotton/viscose upholstery and also the Fleur de Lys wall hanging with Angels...

When I did see this lovely Fleur de Lys fabric on Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista's blog: Precious Blessings in Our Family, I started searching for it...

Dolcedreams did no longer have any of it in stock... so I went across the ocean for locating any of this 'Vive La France Fleur De Lis' in navy by Monaluna.

Sure enough Claudia from Nunu's Garn-und Stofflabor Die Fleur de Lis found some fabric in Europe and she created the pillows and a table runner as well. You just click on the link to her blog.

Thank you very much Claudia, you made it work!

She posted about it on November 25, but I got way behind with my surgery and all our water control projects and right after that, the trip to The Netherlands.

Never got to posting about it and when the days are so dark, photos are very hard to capture...

And YES, in yesterday's post you already did get to see a glimpse of them with those Bunnies posing for you.
Frankly, I call them always Fleur de Lys; guess I'm a Francophile that LOVES French Country Style!

Related links:

{Our Veranda} | previous post showing you the Fleur de Lys influence in our Veranda
{Fleur de Lys in our Veranda} | previous post showing our Fleur de Lys in detail
{March 2, 1809 and My French Connection} | previous post about my heritage



{French Pewter Taste Vin}

Do you know a Taste Vin? Ancient Greeks used already its forerunner for wine tasting as a glazed clay krater or wine cup. In medieval times they got made of faience, ceramic and pewter. In Louisiana, USA they briefly served another function as taste-indigo for testing the crystallization of indigo dye.

Shown here is our French Pewter Taste Vin with a a Royal Selangor pewter vase.

Royal Selangor is established in 1885 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 Our lovely daughter Anita inside metal frame...

This French Pewter Taste Vin from ETAINS DU MANOIR was a gift from our French colleagues.

Inside you read the French Wine Quote: Beuvez toujours ne mourrez jamais...

Beuvez toujours, vous ne mourrez jamais. Loosely: Drink always and never die. Also: Drink constantly; never die. Widely attributed to François Rabelais.

Meanwhile I am the lucky owner of the hardcover book: The Epicurean Collector: Exploring the World of Culinary Antiques by Patrick Dunne from Luculluss Antiques in New Orleans, who did write this book together with the Editors of Southern Accents. The photo below is on page 109. Available at Amazon.

Patrick Dunne does explain a lot better than I ever can but he is writing about some pure silver Taste Vins...

These are Patrick Dunne's silver Taste Vins...

There is one thing in common with our French Pewter Taste Vin however; the coiled serpent loop handle is similar to ours! You can read more about that in the last copy of Patrick Dunne's pages.

His book is a very valuable piece of information for serious collectors.

Sadly the beautiful magazine of Southern Accents is no more but this book is as close as you can come to that!

Above is the mention of the use for taste-indigo in Louisiana.

One of the enigmatic motifs that frequently appear on taste-vins is a loop handle formed by a coiled serpent...

Hope you enjoyed this Taste Vin post. Do you have one at your home?