My 5 Culinary Discoveries from September

Visiting local farmers during harvest season is a joy that never gets old! In early September, I felt like hitting the road between Lévis and Sainte-Croix, with a few gourmet stops along the way. A cheese farm, a café, freshly picked fruit… in short, enough to fill the trunk and, most importantly, treat myself!

Among our favourites, Ferme Phylum makes our mouths water just thinking about its fine cheeses. Our favourites: the fresh cheese curds of the day, the François-Xavier with its melt-in-the-mouth texture and hints of fresh butter, and the Sir le Couteur, made from raw milk with rustic notes. We’ve also fallen for a new addition, La Coulée d’Alderney, a delight to share as an aperitif, where the creamy cheese is spooned, still melting, onto wood-fired pizza dough topped with spices and pine nuts!

Another must-visit is La Belle Binette (link in french) farm, their organic vegetables are always fresh, tasty and varied. Their self-service stall is incredibly inviting! Free-range hens, wildflowers and vast pastures for the children to run about in, this family-run business is a fine example of farming on a human scale, deeply involved in its community (they’re at the Ostara market every Sunday, by the way).

Otherwise, we always love making new discoveries. Our taste buds were delighted by the slushies and morello cherry jam at Fruit’Aki (link in french). The perfect balance between the sweetness of cherries and the tartness of morello cherries. The farm offers several varieties of seasonal berries: blueberries, blackcurrants, serviceberries, camerises and morello cherries; the site is charming and the welcome is warm.

We had a bite to eat at the Caravane Café (link in french), in the heart of the village of Ste-Croix. Simple, comforting meals are served in a friendly, slightly hippy atmosphere that makes you dream of travelling. Good coffee, tasty sandwiches, homemade pastries and board games, always a great option for the family!

On Sunday mornings, a trip to Ostara Market (link in french) is a must! A host of passionate producers come to offer the fruits of their labour against a backdrop of lively traditional music. It’s a festival of flavours, colours and textures , a delight for all the senses!

Among our favourites: petals and mushrooms : a perfect pairing in my opinion. Why choose when you can leave with a bouquet of local flowers in one hand and a box of hedgehog mushrooms in the other? Then, there are the succulent berries from La Rosée du Matin farm, the honeycombs (and their baklavas!) from Projet Miel, the fougasses and other baked goods from Le Joyeux Pétrin, the local ginger and fresh turmeric from Pomme d’Amour farm, and the organic produce from Le Courtil des bons vivants, are just some of the delights we’ve been able to get our hands on. The sense of community is also a joy; this direct contact with the producers certainly helps to give more meaning to the way we eat.

Going to the local market is a way of combining the practical with the enjoyable, and we must make the most of it during this season of abundance when our local produce is so bountiful!

Photos: Ange Hébert-Corriveau