We woke early on Friday with Lulu nestled between us and sunlight slipping through the bedroom blinds. Robins were singing in the trees outside our window and right away we knew the day would be beautiful. P. was off work, so we decided on a spontaneous trip to the beach and to pack a picnic.
Luckily, I’d visited the farmer’s market the day before, which made pulling together a simple picnic effortless.
My market basket held colorful radishes, sweet strawberries, purple spring onions and a fresh mesclun salad. That was enough to imagine a crisp radish salad to accompany a warm bowl of black quinoa with asparagus sauce that comes together in minutes.
“On va à la plage,” we told Lulu as we sat at the breakfast table with vanilla millet waffles. Her face lit up instantly.
“Vacances !” she shouted, and we all laughed—our little outing felt like a mini vacation.
With Lulu’s eager help, I packed the picnic lunch.
The day was simple and lovely. Dunes lined with bushes bloomed like scattered pieces of candy, and the air carried the gentle promise of summer without the crowded beaches or August heat.
Lulu had the most fun of all. Watching her run, skip and laugh on the sand was the best part of the day.
After her first dip in the sea I asked, “Tu as faim ?” and she answered immediately, “Oui.”
We settled on the blanket with our feet in the sand and ate, keeping to ourselves while a few curious seagulls watched. Lulu was clearly hungry—she happily let me feed her quinoa. P. and I enjoyed how the radish salad brought peppery crunch and freshness to the meal. I’d also packed a strawberry salad and apricots, and was pleased to find a couple of rhubarb muffins in the freezer that I’d wrapped and tossed into the picnic bag.
Around three o’clock we left the beach to stop at a nearby farm where we hoped to pick strawberries on the way home.
“We start tomorrow,” the tall, solidly built girl behind the counter said when I asked about picking. “You can buy what’s already picked, and you can go see the animals at the back of the farm.”
I bought two large containers of strawberries—one to enjoy right away and the other for a dessert I planned to bring to friends at a garden party the next day.
We wandered out to see chickens and geese, ducks and goats, sheep and ponies. The animals were friendly and curious, and Lulu loved every minute.
Walking back to the car I told Lulu, “On reviendra la semaine prochaine,” and she held P.’s hand while clutching a warm doughnut I’d bought at the farm stand.
“These are good!” P. said after his first bite. “I think I want a second one.”
I watched them smile at each other, each enjoying their doughnut, and guessed correctly that Lulu would fall asleep on the drive home. Within minutes she was fast asleep, content and full of the day’s pleasures.
(For 4 people)
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For the salad:
- 2 cups mixed mesclun salad
- 2 bunches of colored radishes, diced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and crumbled finely with a fork
- 1 red apple (Gala or Honeycrisp), cored and diced
- 1 avocado, diced and tossed with a little lime or lemon juice
- Shaved Manchego cheese, to taste
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For the dressing:
- Sea salt and pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons honey-flavored mustard
- 1.5 teaspoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1.5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 tablespoons pistachio oil
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1.5 tablespoons chopped parsley, dill and chives
Steps:
- To make the dressing: In a bowl, season with sea salt and pepper, then whisk together the honey mustard and honey. Add the vinegar and crushed garlic, then slowly whisk in the two oils to emulsify. Stir in the spring onion and the chopped herbs, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mesclun greens, diced radishes, crumbled egg, apple and avocado. Pour in the dressing and toss gently to coat. Scatter shaved Manchego over the salad and serve immediately.