Since its first steps in the 1950s, walnut cultivation in Quebec has been on the move. Rich in years of research and development, around twenty nurseries and orchards are now working on this exceptional forest product. If the interest for these unusual fruits is now very present, it is the raw material that is still too rare.
Butternuts are part of Monique Dumontier’s childhood memories, from the fruits picked in the fall to the shells broken one by one with a hammer, to the filling of the sugar cream. His growing curiosity fueled the work and, 40 years later, these same nuts became his livelihood.
It was in 2007 that the trained agronomist began digging to undertake commercial walnut cultivation; the family plot in Berthierville, in Lanaudière, abounds with butternut trees and also with black walnut trees that his father had planted in order to sell the highly prized wood. Monique Dumontier sees the potential in this to supply consumers with local and eco-responsible nuts. A way to preserve the ecosystem and enhance the forest heritage. Thus was born Jolies Mi-Noix.
Located in Ferme-Neuve in the Hautes-Laurentides, the breaking and processing center also perpetuates the family passion. Helped by her seven sisters and friends, Mme Dumontier began concocting processed products, including a nougat, her own version of the nut dessert.
At the same time, in Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare, near Sorel-Tracy, the brothers Alain and Yvan Perreault started growing hazelnuts, black walnuts and a hybrid made of butternut and heart walnut. . Of the 35 acres they bought back from their parents, their Walnut Garden will yield some 7,500 kilos of walnuts this year. In 2030, Yvan Perreault estimates that the yield will be 30,000. “If we succeed in having more productive trees, the portrait of walnuts in Quebec will not be the same in 20 years. »
About 80% of its production is sold to the consumer directly at the orchard, another part goes to processors, restaurants or is sold in public markets. For Mr. Perrault the observation is clear: after having tasted it for the first time, the purchase becomes recurrent. “The black walnut has a more interesting aromatic profile than the walnut, he gives as an example. There are notes of mushrooms and blue cheese, it surprises you and you have to do a little education, but when you taste them one after the other, it’s very rare that people prefer the nut from Grenoble. »
Potential to develop
Although most nuts found in grocery stores come from China, the United States or Turkey, Canada has about 20 species of native nuts, many of which are found in British Columbia, region famous for its hazelnuts, or in Nova Scotia, which became known for its pecan cultivars. If it is possible to cultivate a dozen varieties of hard-shelled fruits in Quebec, the province has everything to develop the black walnut, the butternut and the hazelnut; three native species on which we must rely, indicates Jacques Blais. And he knows something about it.
Jacques Blais was the first walnut producer in the province. From 1950, he grew these fruits on the grounds of the family home in Chaudière-Appalaches. A curiosity that will become his life project for more than 30 years, with his company Les Amandes du Québec. He will accumulate as many tests as errors – the cultivation of walnuts being very little documented -, learning on the job and noting down his discoveries until he succeeds. He even created a type of hazelnut that bears his name.
The main nuts of Quebec
Today, at the age of 84, he reiterates that if people want to grow nut trees, “everything is possible, but you have to give them time”, philosopher Mr. Blais. A time that can be counted in fifteen or even twenty years before harvesting in abundance.
To have full potential for producing almonds — the name of the fruit, regardless of the species — “you have to try to understand the soil, the light and the humidity that the trees need. The first five years are crucial.” At the same time, he deplored the plantations left behind at Cap Tourmente, near Quebec, and in the Ottawa region, where he had been called as a consultant.
Fortunately, a group of Beauce enthusiasts asked for his help to start their orchard project. To which Mr. Blais replies: “It’s good because it’s now that I really understand what we have to do with nature! »
A project for generations
Yvan Perreault looks favorably on new projects in this agricultural sector. Like the truffle fields that are multiplying in Quebec, he wants to encourage farmers to exploit part of their land for the cultivation of nut trees. “It’s a project that could be done on 250 acres and only requires one thing: time. It’s full of potential and it’s passed down from generation to generation. We are very open to sharing our information and our expertise. Our interest is that we are several to produce the volume to make the nuts affordable. At first, we are called “crazy”, but those who have the patience will harvest for 100, 150 years! »
When Jacques Blais retired from his business, demand skyrocketed and he no longer had the age to meet it. We must invest in innovation to further mechanize the breaking stage and be more productive, believes Monique Dumontier.
Between the picking in the fall and the drying time (between three and four months), the entrepreneur intends to continue to promote her products and no doubt pique the interest of future producers to meet demand.
It also hopes to enter into partnerships with other catering trades, in particular cheese dairies to broaden horizons and seduce palates. ” I am optimistic ! We are very far from self-sufficiency, but each person who tastes it takes a step further! »