This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Did you know that some Arctic kiwi cultivars from eastern Asia grow in Quebec and can withstand temperatures of -30°C? Neither do we! At Ferme du Mihouli in Lacolle, Montérégie, mature kiwi trees are starting to produce fruit, mini, hairless kiwis that are no bigger than prunes and can be eaten whole. Welcome to the land of Nadine Gelly and Claude Gagnon, whose mission is to share the many possibilities of this fruit.
The Rang de la Barbotte runs along the Richelieu River. With its fertile clay soil, the bucolic charm of the place was ideal for growing Arctic kiwis. The couple settled there a little over two years ago, on 20 acres of land that had been fallow for a few years. It wasn’t necessarily their first choice: they initially dreamed of settling on Île d’Orléans. “There was a romantic side to it, since my family comes from the region—and, for the record, my great-uncle was the first to plant strawberries there—but the wind was too strong for growing kiwis, which are fragile to gusts of wind,” explains Nadine Gelly.
It was in the south of Montérégie, in an area sheltered from strong winds located a few kilometres from the American border, that the couple laid the foundations for their agritourism-themed project. Because this little-known fruit offers enormous potential, believe Nadine Gelly and Claude Gagnon. It can be eaten plain or transformed to make jams, ice cream, or even alcohol. “You bite into it like a berry, without peeling it,” says the entrepreneur. A little less tart than its cousin, the “hairy” kiwi from New Zealand that we know well, the Arctic variant also has interesting nutritional properties and is particularly known for its high vitamin C content.
New challenges in the fields
Nadine Gelly and Claude Gagnon, respectively a tourism manager and a banker by profession, did not embark on this second career blindly. Their project, which revolves around agritourism and innovation, allows each of them to exploit their strengths, and this, in a universe that fascinates them.
“I’ve always loved gardening,” says Nadine Gelly. “In fact, when I was very young, I wanted to become a botanist.” But before harvesting kiwis, they had to “do everything” on this land that had been abandoned. Among other things, the duo built a house there and installed drains in the ground.
Over the past year, he has also planted 522 kiwi trees; he hopes to eventually have no fewer than 2,000. “We are experimenting with about fifteen different cultivars to determine which ones are the most resilient in our latitudes,” explains Nadine Gelly. “We really like the innovation aspect. We wouldn’t have bought an orchard, because we like to have products that are out of the ordinary. Everyone knows about kiwi, but no one knows that it grows in Quebec!” Nor that each cultivar has a subtly distinct taste, like apples. Nadine Gelly’s favourite? “The Arguta kiwi, whose fruits are the size of a large prune,” she replies. Its yield is also very interesting: it can produce up to 45 kg of kiwi per plant when it reaches full maturity, after about seven years.
Generally speaking, growing kiwis is very similar to growing vines. This includes everything from maintaining the plants to winter protection methods, including the fruit harvest period, which runs from late August to late September. What’s more, mini kiwis grow in clusters! “Kiwis are also susceptible to fungal diseases, but less so than vines. They are really a plant that is well adapted to our climate,” says Nadine Gelly.
A community around the farm
La Ferme du Mihouli, which also grows kalette, a leafy vegetable that is not very well known here, a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts, aims to be a place where people can come together. Local residents and tourists alike will eventually be able to stock up on local products. They will also have the opportunity to share a country-style meal as part of the Grande Tablée des récoltes Mihouli, which should take place this month. Another unusual initiative: the possibility of adopting a kiwi tree and picking your own fruit.
How to adopt a kiwi tree
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.