Discovering Labrador Tea
It's 6am, it's 7 degrees outside and you can find the morning dew on the windshields of cars. It's August and the night is not that far away, but Fernand Simard is sipping his coffee and watching the entrance of the forest through the window of his house in Dolbeau. The first rays of the sun illuminate the trees that sit on his land. Grabbing his Morille Québec harvest bag, he goes to his old Ford Econoline for what will be the first stage of the Labrador tea's great journey to get to your kitchen. With his bare hands, he picks up handfuls of the precious leaves that he gently deposits at the bottom of his bag. Back home, his back is sore from carrying the 50 pounds of the precious plant and he spreads his loot to be dried during the next 8 hours. The day after, his precious products arrive at Morille Québec's offices in Chicoutimi.
Simon Pierre and his team are not only wild mushrooms enthusiasts and experts, they specialize in everything that the forest has to offer gastronomically. Kim Girard-Larouche, Director of Sales for Morille Québec explains: "Offering Labrador tea to Quebecers is part of our vision to become THE expert in forest gastronomy in the province. We are particularly committed to research and development, to providing the widest possible range of products from the boreal biomasse, in the finest quality and as accessible as possible. This is the goal we work for each day at Morille Québec."
From the forest to your cup
How to enjoy your tea
Ideal as an infusion (about a tablespoon per cup of water), to be used as a spice (with your favorite meat or in sauces), or with lemon juice as lemonade.
Check out the interesting research from UQAC (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi) conducted to identify the properties of the Labrador tea...seems it can be good for your skin too ;)
Free sample this week
If you add the free sample of this wonderful tea to your basket this week, you'll receive an explanatory brochure in your basket this week. Feel free to share with us the ways you incorporate this new local ingredient to your plates.
Have a good week!