To delay subscribing to a weekly vegetable basket was, not so long ago, to risk having to do without it for the season. However, after a completely crazy summer in 2020, the offer is now greater than ever… So there is still time to choose your basket. And to protect themselves, as a result, from the vagaries of inflation.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
In 2020, Quebecers were very hungry for organic baskets, to the point where many farms were overwhelmed. “It was my biggest year ever,” says Yan Gordon, from Potager des nues mains, in Sutton.
Although this appetite has since waned somewhat, this basket rush has come at just the right time for more and more farms. “Agricultural schools train a lot of young people and there are many start-ups,” explains Caroline Poirier, from the Croque-Saison farm in Lingwick, in the Eastern Townships. Even today, we see the supply increasing. We therefore hope that people will continue to subscribe to organic baskets in large numbers. »
The offer is growing… and diversifying to better meet customer expectations. Many farms thus multiply the drop-off points, the formats of the baskets or the number of deliveries by subscription. Piece or winter baskets are also increasingly common.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Anna B. Trépanier, member of the Jardins de la Résistance cooperative, and Olivier Lamoureux, co-founder of the cooperative
And faced with increased competition from distributors such as Lufa or Fergus, which allow you to choose everything that will be in a weekly delivery, many farms are also abandoning the “closed” basket model, the content of which remains unknown until its delivery. .
“We are now betting on a mini-market formula, explains Olivier Lamoureux, from the Jardins de la Résistance, in Ormstown, in Montérégie. All the vegetables are delivered in bulk and people then put together their basket. »
On the side of Les Carottés farm, in Brigham, in the Eastern Townships, subscribers actually buy a credit to spend to fill baskets throughout the season. “People come to our markets in Brigham or Verdun and spend as they want, the weeks they want,” explains co-owner Laurence Harnois. They are given as much flexibility as possible. »
With inflation reaching peaks, some customers are reluctant to commit to large sums for the summer, observes Laurence Harnois. Yet, according to her, “it’s such an economical way to get supplies. With farmers, you have direct access to vegetables, without intermediaries to inflate prices. Especially for those who eat organic, it is really advantageous”.
There is no price variation during the season, which helps in planning a food budget.
Laurence Harnois, from Les Carottés farm
PHOTO FROM LES CAROTTÉS FARM WEBSITE
Laurence Harnois, from the Les Carottés farm, in Brigham, in the Eastern Townships
Subscribers who now pay a fixed sum for a given number of baskets also avoid unexpected price increases during the summer.
Seasonal vegetables
Regardless of the model offered, the contents of the baskets continue to vary according to the seasons. And that’s fine, says Caroline Poirier, until recently president of the Cooperative for Ecological Local Agriculture (CAPE), which oversees the network of family farmers.
“At the farm, we also give ourselves the mandate to let people know, in June, what we can grow, like bok choy, a delicious spring vegetable that people won’t choose right away. It’s also part of the fun of having a basket. At Croque-Saison, on a basket of 10 or 11 items, about half will be taxed, the rest is up to you. »
PHOTO ARCHIVES LA TRIBUNE
Caroline Poirier, from the Croque-Saison farm
What makes this form of agriculture possible is that people accept a certain form of constraint. For the schedule, but also that linked to the seasonality of agriculture. Everyone has their own way to go. But we evolve with the clientele and, over time, we can adapt to their preferences.
Caroline Poirier, from the Croque-Saison farm
“And there is a way to have a great variety of vegetables all year round,” continues the farmer. At home, we still have about fifteen different vegetables harvested in the fall. Among them, carrots, beets, cabbage, squash, celeriac, parsnips, rutabagas, onions, garlic and French shallots… in addition to potatoes, of course.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
In the greenhouses, greenery has already been growing for several weeks… like here at the Jardins de la Résistance.
“And that’s without counting on what we have in greenery in the greenhouse, arugula, spinach, kale, bok choy, which no longer need heating at this time of year. year,” adds Mr.me Pear tree.
fruit too
The baskets, generally delivered from the beginning of June, mainly contain vegetables… but not only. Les Carottes will grow strawberries and melons this year. And, for the first time in seven seasons, they will also be offering shiitake mushrooms.
The Éco Jardins de la Rive-Sud, in Sainte-Julie, near Montreal, advertise plums, blueberries, ground cherries, melons and apples, in addition to processed products (jams, pâtés, honey, etc.) that those who come to pick up their basket on site can buy it. Others also plan to deliver blackcurrants, rhubarb, grapes, pears, etc.
The Fermiers de famille network currently has more than 150 producers who practice sustainable agriculture throughout Quebec, and even in Acadie. The group’s site makes it possible to find a basket per farm or per drop-off point, also with the help of a map, which also indicates which producers offer meat.
Trying the organic basket, for most people, is to adopt it, notes Caroline Poirier, whose clientele has been growing steadily for 15 years. “The pleasure of eating foods that are tasty, the freshness and the choice of varieties, that has nothing to do with what you find in the grocery store,” she concludes. What’s more, people tell us, they don’t want to lose a single crumb of what we deliver to them each week. It even reduces food waste! »