Mamie Clafoutis & Getting Summery

Delicious baked goods from Mamie Clafoutis and trips to local organic farms in Quebec!

Hope you all enjoyed your spring harvest this week! As promised, we’re back to tell you more about the inimitable farmers who are growing your fruits and vegetables this summer. Fadi visited Les Jardins Glenorra and Le potager d’Émylou, as well as Les Vallons Maraîchers to see their asparagus. We also have an exciting new partnership with Mamie Clafoutis, one of the best bakeries in the city.

 

Mamie Clafoutis

We know that Lufavores have a special appreciation for incredible breads and pastries, so we’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with Mamie Clafoutis, which is among the best bakeries in Montreal.

Mamie Clafoutis was founded by Nicolas Delourmel, a patissier, and Joseph Sabatier, a boulanger. They wanted to start a neighborhood bakery that offered the tastes and aromas of childhood; as Marie-Carole, the bakery’s General Manager, put it, they’re trying to “recreate the moment when you ate a tart prepared by your grandmother.” For them Montreal is the perfect place to accomplish this because of the number of foodies and the cultural diversity that promotes entrepreneurship and discovery.

Marie-Carole at the bakery

When we asked Marie-Carole what their specialty is, she said that she it wasn’t necessary one product, but their style: artisanal, familial, convivial. This style grows naturally out of their great respect for tradition, their emphasis on work well done, and their use of the highest quality ingredients such as local organic flour. “The perfect summary would be ‘Oh my God,’” Marie-Carole told us, “Pastries for true gourmands.”

On the Marketplace this week, you’ll find five different breads from Mamie Clafoutis alongside these heavenly pastries.

 

Les Vallons Maraîchers

Asparagus is now in full bloom throughout Quebec. This week we had the great pleasure of visiting one of the main partner farms growing the asparagus for your baskets. Les Vallons Maraîchers was founded in 1997 by Jacques Blain and Josée Gaudet. This spring, Karine Giguère and Jean-Phillippe Labbé also joined the farm as partners.

Josée Gaudet and Karine Giguère have a bite of asparagus.

Based in the beautiful Compton landscape, their 75 acres produce a huge variety of organic vegetables. While the farm doesn’t have just one specialty, three of these acres are dedicated to asparagus, and another three acres of asparagus have been planted for a 2016 harvest. In addition, Jacques and Josée also grow plenty of root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and parsnips, as well as black and daikon radishes, turnips, and rutabagas on a smaller scale.

Talking with co-founder Jacques Blain

The most important quality for Les Vallons Maraîchers is taste, so they choose varieties that are well known for their flavor. For this reason, they’ve been growing more and more Nantaise carrots, which are sweeter. They also wait for parsnips to encounter a bit of frost before harvesting them, since this develops a sweeter flavor and more pleasant texture. It’s this attention to detail and the love and passion they put into growing that makes Les Vallons Maraîchers such a treasure.

 

Les Jardins Glenorra

You’ve no doubt tasted some of Les Jardins Glenorra’s delicious vegetables. In the past, they’ve helped us bring local organic beets, kohlrabi, celeriac, kale, Pattypan squash, zucchini, radishes and more to Lufavores. Recently, we also started selling their handcrafted relish—made from Sweeter Yet cucumbers—on the Marketplace.

Les Jardins Glenorra is the farm of Ian Aldridge and Julie Tardif. In 2003 they started growing on just 3 acres of clay and they now have 25 acres of fertile black soil, with an eye towards expanding to 35 acres next year. They specialize particularly in root vegetables such as carrots and beets during the summertime, and switch to vegetables that store well such as daikon radishes for winter.

Ian and Julie show a dedication to their farm that goes above and beyond. During the heavy rains this spring, their main road was washed out and wasn’t usable. For a full week, Ian and Julie would get on their tractor—with kids and supplies in tow—to get over to their greenhouses and continue cultivating their crops. Now that’s commitment!

 

Le potager d’Émylou

The last stop on our tour is le potager d’Émylou. Founded by Pierre Legault, Rémy Boucher, and Émylou Desrosier Legault, le potager d’Émylou grows a large variety of vegetables and fine herbs. When we her to tell us a story about the history of the farm, Émylou did just that:

Once upon a time a pretty young damsel who lived on her family’s farm preoccupied herself by growing gardens of vegetables and providing them with sunlight and rainbows. Among several tomato plants, her prince charming was hiding and their love grew in her flourishing garden. It was in those bonds of love and family that le potager d’Émylou was born.

Émylou at the farm

 

Drumroll please…

Remember this photo from Pur Délys in last week’s blog?

Well, next week be on the lookout for something that looks a little more like this:

That’s right, the first batch of Pur Délys strawberries is coming in! We only have a few portions, so make sure to get to the Marketplace as soon as it opens. If you don’t make it in time, don’t worry: there will be plenty more where these came from in the following weeks.

And come back next week for a visit with RISE Kombucha, a check-in with our friends at Rustique Pie Kitchen, and more. Happy eating!