Local strawberries and ravioli for Ange and her family

I’ve been interested in local agriculture for several years now! Small-scale farming projects that are in harmony with the environment and built by passionate, innovative people touch me deeply. As soon as spring comes around, I can’t wait to stock up again on tasty local produce grown (or concocted) with love at farm stands!

So it wasn’t long before we headed to two of our favourite farms, Chez Roch le fermier and À ciel ouvert, just a few days after their seasonal opening at the end of June.

When we arrived at Roch le fermier (link in french) in St-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Julie greeted us with a smile in front of her pastures. Nutritionist, author, lecturer and creator of this magnificent project, Julie Aubé carries her message of inspiring people to ‘eat close’ as much as possible in a variety of ways. The plan for our afternoon was to make farmhouse pasta, take a tour of the site to learn more about this agroecology and agroforestry project, and then take our delicious loot home to enjoy when we got home.

So we start by making the dough with two ingredients that couldn’t be more local: eggs from her rockeuses (her red-haired pullets) and organic flour from Seigneurie des Aulnaies (the village mill). We do a bit of mathematics to arrive at the perfect dough, and while it’s resting, we follow Julie to her farm, where she tells us all about her project. Everything is well thought out and makes sense, and the children are curious and take part in Julie’s reflections.

After falling in love with the baby pears, we went back to the barn to make our ravioli, stuffed with sausage and Quebec cheese. The fun aspect of the workshop is really enjoyable for young and old alike. We can let our creativity run wild in the different shapes our pasta will take. Seeing Julie so committed to her project is certainly a great way of conveying the importance of ecological agriculture on a human scale.

Visits and workshops must be booked in advance, but a self-service kiosk is open at all times. Here you can get your hands on fresh eggs, delicious farmhouse pasta and fresh vegetables. The farm opens its doors on days of the month finishing by 9 (9, 19, 29), another great opportunity to take part in special activities and learn new things!

We continued on to our second stop at another favourite farm: Ferme À ciel ouvert (link in french). Justine and Samuel are also lovers of healthy, local agriculture. They are developing their gourmet fruit farm in the village of Saint-Vallier-de-Bellechasse.

The stars of the moment: certified organic strawberries! Fresh (they’re just starting to pick their own), but also made from rebellious produce to reduce food waste. What a great idea! Transforming strawberries that don’t meet the standards or that are surplus to requirements into delicacies. Sorbets, jams, nectars, oat milk ice creams and strawberry slush are all worth a diversion.