French Dirt #1

In May 2025, La Table des Amis de Provence offered “French Dirt #1” to members and friends.

In her late 50s, veteran photojournalist and teacher Hillary Sloss from Marin County, California mustered the courage in 2020 to upend her life in pursuit of a lifelong dream to move to the French countryside, find a farmhouse, and pursue another passion: biodynamic farming. We met with her this morning under brilliant blue skies at her potager shed as she described the transformation that has taken place on the farmland she now owns, nestled in La Galine at the foothills of les Alpilles. After five years of composting, planting, studying and learning from the farm community, Hillary is ready to share her knowledge and resources required for biodynamic farming on a small scale, and why it matters. Chatting over coffee in her exquisitely restored Provençal mas, we came up with an idea to do this in two parts. On Friday 30 May, we would gather on her farm for an interactive discussion of her story, why it is important that all of us — not just farmers but consumers as well, people who eat! — need to know why biodynamic farming is critical to our future on this planet.The dis cussion would be continued over lunch at the nearby Bistro de la Galine. Part II would take place in late July — an apéro dînatoire by the potager shed, under fairy lights, featuring produce from her garden as well as biodynamic wines. Bank cards are accepted.

Historical account reconstructed from La Table’s archived event materials.