Sowing Seeds

 fig. a:  Kamouraska style

You might remember a couple of posts having to do with Kamouraska, that fabled region of the Bas-Saint-Laurent, that we posted back in 2012.  One having to do with a late-summer weekend getaway?  The other having to do with eel hunting in early autumn?  Not ringing any bells?  Suffering from a case of memory loss?  Well, you can get reacquainted with our adventures here and here.

In any case, both trips were long-awaited pilgrimages of a sort--pilgrimages to la Société des plantes to visit our friend and permaculture hero, Patrice Fortier, who's been a recurring character in the pages of "...an endless banquet" since 2004 (!).

For years, we talked about going out to visit Fortier in the height of season to see the gardens of la Société des plantes in full bloom.  For years, we never made it out there, and had to rely on Patrice's occasional visits to Montreal to sell his phenomenal produce (first, in a series of guerrilla-style street sales; then in a number of different venues, from bike stores to wine importation houses; and, finally, directly to restaurants like Toqué and the Foodlab) and to pay social calls to sustain and nourish our relationship.  But now that we've gotten un p'tit goût de Kamou, we're hooked.

The physical splendour of Kamouraska is already something to behold.  And the same goes for the poetry, the abundance, and the passion of la Société des plantes.  But it's the spirit of the region that really makes it magical, and la Société des plantes--as a place, as a developing project, and as a labour of love--truly is a perfect embodiment of that spirit.


 figs. b & c:  permaculture

It's hard to fully capture the splendour of Kamouraska in words and photos.  And it can be equally challenging to fully express the beauty of la Société des plantes.  But, lucky for you, now there's a film about Patrice and la Société des plantes that does a fantastic job of doing both.  It's called Le Semeur (a.k.a., The Sower), it was directed by Julie Perron, it's received acclaimed at les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM), the Berlin Film Festival, and, most recently, the DOXA festival in Vancouver and Hot Docs in Toronto, and it's playing at Cinéma eXcentris here in Montreal this week.*

 fig. d:  Le Semeur

And we're maybe a little biased (after all, not only are we good friends with Patrice, but we just happened to chance upon the shooting of one of the film's principal scenes on our first visit, so we have a bit of a history with Le Semeur), but it truly is a beautiful film, one that wisely kept the focus primarily on Kamouraska, one that really provided a lot of space for Patrice's irrepressible personality to shine, and one that fully grasped the artisanal, artistic, and folkloric aspects of the project, as well as the dedication that's made it all possible.

 fig. e:  the art of food

Want to get a sense of what Le Semeur looks, sounds, and feels like?  You can check out the trailer here.

Want to order some of Patrice's heirloom seeds?  You can find them online here.

Bon cinéma et bonne dégustation!

aj

* French only.  There is a subtitled, English-language version, however.  If that version gets released here in Montreal, we'll let you know.

Fou de Kamou, rev. ed.

 fig. a:  Kamou view 1

Until this summer, Michelle had never set foot in Kamouraska.  Oh, sure, she'd heard lots about it.  In this part of the world, Kamouraska is a fabled region.  Situated at the point where the salt water of the Atlantic mingles with the freshwater flowing east along the mighty St. Lawrence River ("entre la mer et l'eau douce"), at the beginning of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the largest estuary in the world, and encompassing verdant fields, lush forest, impressive rock formations that shoot out of the landscape, and fantastic views of the river, its marshes, a number of its islands, and the mountainous north shore, Kamouraska is a pretty striking place.

 fig. b:  Kamou view 2

Michelle felt instantly at home.

 fig. c:  Kamou girl

She took to the landscape, and the landscape seemed to agree with her.  And she quickly adopted Kamouraska as a home away from home.

We were only in Kamouraska for a little over two days on that visit, but we had a pretty active couple of days:



 figs. d & e:  sowing seeds

We attended a traditional seed-sowing ceremony, featuring live musical accompaniment and an elaborate fertility ritual, at Patrice Fortier's magical Société des Plantes.





 figs. f, g, & h:  there will be eels

We visited a cultural centre dedicated to eels and eel fishing.  (Eel fishing has been a staple of the local economy for hundreds and hundreds of years, long before the settlers arrived.  Eel was a traditional part of maritime Quebec's diet, but has decreased in popularity over the last several decades, due in part to the misconceptions that surround it.  Still, the eel hunt persists, with most of the catch shipped to either Japan or Europe, but mostly to Japan.)

 fig. i:  Boulangerie Niemand

We checked out Boulangerie Niemand, perhaps Quebec's very best bakery (and almost certainly its most beautiful), and a real hub for the local community,

 fig. j:  côté ouest de Côté Est

as well as Côté Est, right next door, a fine new addition to the local dining scene, with wonderful views on the river, a convivial atmosphere, and a menu that specializes in local delicacies like eel and locally raised salt-marsh lamb, as well as natural wines from Montreal's own La QV.

 fig. k:  got fish?

We made sure to pick up some smoked eel, sturgeon, and salmon before we skipped town.

 fig. l:  faire du pouce

And although the idea of hitchhiking from Kamouraska to La Pocatière to visit our friends at Fou du Cochon (the very same ones who'd made the wonderful charcuterie pictured above at Côté Est) held a certain romantic appeal, ultimately we opted for other means of transportation.

 fig. m:  golden age

When we got to Fou du Cochon we were blown away by how meticulous an operation it is, but we were especially impressed by the hand-crafted maplewood architecture they'd created to age their vast array of charcuterie, which not only looked beautiful, with its golden hues, its aromas also imparted an additional goût du terroir to their product.

 fig. n:  après Kamou

When we got back home, we celebrated our trip with an après-Kamou feast.  And Michelle immediately started to put the plans together for an Hommage à Kamouraska menu for the fall.

Notes:

Kamouraska is roughly 400 km away from Montreal along Autoroute 20/the Trans-Canada, but it pays to follow Hwy 132 along the river soon after you pass Quebec City--it's one of my favourite drives in Quebec.

 fig. o:  beauty queens

If you'd like to experience the flavours of Kamouraska, but you're not in a position to make a trip out to that region anytime soon, you might want to visit Seth & Michelle at Foodlab over the next couple of weeks for their Hommage à Kamouraska menu.  That's right:  it's now fall, and their Kamou menu has gone live.  It features bread from Boulangerie Niemand, charcuterie from Fou du Cochon, smoked fish from Poisonnerie Lauzier, and a truly amazing array of fresh produce from our good friend Patrice at la Société des Plantes.

For an extra special treat, you might want to attend tomorrow night's (November 15) Fou du Beaujo festivities at Foodlab, featuring the entire Hommage à Kamouraska menu, plus some amazing Beaujolais wines from La QV.  If you happen to be in Kamouraska that night, you can attend the tandem Fou du Beaujo event at Côté Est (!).  How's that for inter-regional togetherness?

And if all that wasn't enough, the Hommage à Kamouraska menu features one my favourite Michelle Marek desserts in recent memory:  a phenomenal maple custard with caramelized apples and pecans.

Fou du Beaujo info:

Foodlab, 1201 boulevard St-Laurent, November 15, hours:  5 à 7

Fou de Kamou addresses:

Boulangerie Niemand, 82 avenue Morel, Kamouraska, QC, (418) 492-1236 

Côté Est, 76 avenue Morel, Kamouraska, QC, (418) 308-0739 

Poissonerie Lauzier, 57 avenue Morel, Kamouraska, QC, (418) 492-7988 

Site d'interprétation de l'anguille de Kamouraska, 205 avenue Morel, Kamouraska, QC, (418) 492-3935 

La Société des Plantes, 207 rang de l'Embarras, Kamouraska, QC, (418) 492-2493 

Fou du Cochon et Scie, La Pocatière, QC (available in fine food establishments across the province)

aj

Saturday/Sobota/Samedi/Sábado, rev. ed

Saturday's looking busier and busier. Now we've got tacos to look forward to too. Check it out (#3)!

fig. a: it's back

1. It's been flying under the radar this year (no mention in the Gazette's listing of "fall fairs," no mention anywhere except on the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada website), but the annual Czech-Slovak Bazaar is taking place this Saturday, November 6, at St. Ignatius Parish Hall, 4455 West Broadway in NDG, adjacent to Concordia's Loyola campus. The bazaar lasts from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Not sure if you're the Czech-Slovak Bazaar type? Well, this report from 2007 might help you decide.

More 411:

Bazar - 6. listopadu 2010, sál kostela sv. Ignáce, 11.00 - 15.00 h
Náš již 55. DOBROČINNÝ BAZAR se bude konat v sobotu 6. listopadu 2010 v St. Ignatius Parish Hall, 4455 West Broadway (Loyola Campus). Bazar je otevřen od 11 hodin ráno do 3 hodin odpoledne. Teplá a studená jídla během dne, domácí pečivo.

fig. b: satisfied customer

2. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, master gardener Patrice Fortier, of Kamouraska's incredible La Société des plantes, brings his annual roadshow to town this Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. This year Patrice's sale will be taking place at salon de dégustation La QV (29, rue Beaubien) and there will be privately imported wine (courtesy of La QV) and charcuterie (courtesy of Fou du cochon), in addition to a selection of vegetables, herbs, preserves, teas and other goodies.

Again, not sure if you're the Société des plantes type? You can find earlier posts on La Société des plantes here, here, and here.

More 411:

Vente annuelle de La société des plantes : le samedi 6 novembre, de 11 h à 16 h

On renouvelle la tradition cette année : la vente n’aura pas lieu au coin de rue habituel, mais plutôt au 29, rue Beaubien (au coin de St-Laurent) dans le salon de dégustation de La QV où il sera possible de se procurer, en plus de nos produits, des vins d’importation privée à la bouteille ainsi que les cochonailles du Fou du Cochon.

Du jardin :

-Des tisanes (ortie, framboisier, jeunes pousses de sapin, angélique...)
-Des tomates séchées
-Quelques aromates
-Des courges sucrées
-Des pâtissons à purée
-Du chou branchu
-De petites et grosses racines blanches (crosnes, topis, chervis, betteraves, raifort)
-Des pommes de terre sans papiers
-Et ce qui se manifestera d’ici vendredi...

fig. c: Grumman '78 by day & by night*

3. And if all that wasn't enough. The good folks at the new Nouveau Palais and the good folks at Grumman '78 tacos are teaming up to offer two nights of Mexican mayhem, featuring cheap drinks, lo-fi stereo sounds, and, from midnite till 3 a.m., tacos, tacos, tacos (really good ones, too).

times: Friday night/Saturday morning: 12 a.m. - 3 a.m.
Saturday night/Sunday morning (including an extra hour of daylight savings time): 12 a.m. - 3 a.m.

location: Restaurant Nouveau Palais, 281 Bernard St. West, 273-1180 (Mile End)

Happy hunting!

aj

* photo by Sharon Davies

Kamouraska Konnection I

By the time we got to 5550 Casgrain, a covered carport right in the thick of Mile End's manufacturing district, last Saturday,



there was already a crowd, and they'd pretty much cleaned out a lot of Patrice's more popular items, like the fingerling potatoes. There was still plenty left, though, and Michelle was particular excited to see that there were 4-ft. cardoons for sale. No joke. She picked one up and put it aside



and then we picked out other selections: baby leeks and baby fennel bulbs, golden beets, fresh horseradish, tomatillos. Patrice's sales are always something to behold--you almost feel as though you've suddenly chanced upon some exotic botanical display that's mysteriously and inexplicably found its way into a hidden corner of the city. With those humongous cardoons dominating the scene, this one was particularly surreal. It was also particularly convivial. In addition to getting to see Patrice again after many months, we ran into all kinds of friends, old and new.



We were turning heads left and right as we rode down St-Viateur and then St-Urbain with those massive cardoon fronds swaying in the wind behind Michelle's bike like some strange vegetal plumage. "What the...?" "Did you just see what I saw?" "What is that thing?" In spite of its ridiculous size, Michelle found that cardoon to be remarkably aerodynamic, and we made it home in no time.

When we got back to SoJo [the little-known South of St-Joseph part of Mile End], we spread our haul out on the kitchen table and the Inspector came by to do his job.



When we'd passed inspection, it was time to stop simply admiring our purchases and actually do something with them. Having never tried them before, that cardoon was what we found ourselves most enticed by. So that's what we got started on first.

aj

Straight outta Kamouraska

The incomparable Patrice Fortier--who we've written about on a few occasions over the past couple of years--will be back in town this Saturday, October 14, selling produce, herbs, and canned goods from his legendary Kamouraska farm/garden/orchard, La Société des Plantes. He'll be in the parking lot at 5550 Casgrain from 11am to 4pm. I know, it doesn't sound very romantic, but his prices are very good and he always has the most extraordinary stuff in tow. Everything is organic and heirloom and some of his varieties are unique in North America (!).

According to Patrice, highlights this time around will include:

pommes de terre 'German Finger', confitures de petites prunes, cardons, chou-palmier de Toscane (kale noir), choux de Savoie, poireaux, céleri aromatique, mini-fenouils, chicorée à feuille de pissenlit, topinambours, raifort, sarriette séchée, tomatillos, feuilles de mauve crépue, mini-betteraves 'Golden', ficoïde glaciale, fleurs de pois-asperge.

For more on past encounters with Patrice, including guerrilla streetside sales (like the one planned for tomorrow), a bike shop sale, and even an impromptu home delivery, check out the following:

November 2004
October 2005
November 2005

aj

Top Ten #1

1. The Traveler's Lunchbox (Edinburgh)

2. quinces



3. John Thorne with Matt Lewis Thorne, Serious Pig: An American Cook in Search of His Roots (North Point Press)

4. Bob Dylan, "Ballad of a Thin Man," Live at the ABC Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, May 20, 1966 (Columbia) & Martin Scorsese, No Direction Home

5. Beverley Nichols, Down the Garden Path (Jonathan Cape)

6. La Société des Plantes (Kamouraska)

7. the scent of white truffle

8. The Gossip, "Standing in the Way of Control" (Kill Rock Stars)

9. Orangette (Seattle)

10. George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck

ONE DAY ONLY! Patrice Fortier in Montreal, Saturday, November 5

trio of squashes II
Originally uploaded by ajkinik.

We sincerely apologize for the last-minute announcement, but...

That's right, our friend Patrice Fortier (of La Société des Plantes fame) is in town today and he's holding one of his famous impromptu street sales at Villeneuve Bicycle at the corner of (you guessed it!) Villeneuve and St. Urbain from 11 a.m. till about 4 p.m. (or whenever he sells out). He's got squashes (Hubbard and decorative), shallots, baby yellow onions, celeriac, turnips, rare French beets, fingerling potatoes, parsley, chard, Jerusalem artichokes, espelette peppers, and a few other goodies. You won't find produce like this anywhere else in town and his prices are very reasonable. Pay Patrice a visit. You won't regret it.

aj

pommes/pommes de terre

heirloom apples
Originally uploaded by michelle1975.

As indicated in our last post, and as confirmed by the photo above, our apple kick definitely isn't over. Hell, we're even contemplating going back to Franklin for Round 2.

Anyway, today we had a conversation with Adam about why we got in this food blog racket in the first place. We're just about to hit our first anniversary, so this is something we've been giving some thought to over the last little while, and something I'm sure we'll be writing about when we hit that milestone. What I can tell you at present, though, is that there've been a number of surprises (pleasant ones) that have fallen into our laps over the last 12 months because of "...an endless banquet," and our friend Adam's visit today was representative of just how pleasant these surprises can be. We knew Adam was heading down to New York and possibly even New Hampshire to do some research on a book he's been working on on the topic of fruit, and we knew he was planning on hitting a couple of very interesting sounding apple orchards. We'd even put in a request for a few prime specimens, but we had no idea if he'd actually be able to come back with anything, and what he'd be able to come back with if he managed to bring anything back. Needless to say, we were pretty excited when we got a phone call from Adam announcing that he'd come back to Montreal with treats for us, excited to see just what he had in store for us. You see, Adam had an appointment to visit the U.S. germplasm repository for apples in Geneva, NY. This wasn't just any old orchard, it wasn't even a first-rate orchard like Red Jacket (also in Geneva), this was a "living museum" of the apple, an apple "library," a collection of apple trees that numbered 5,000 and that encompassed some 2,500 varieties. The germplasm depository had been created in the mid-19th century as a kind of Noachian attempt to preserve and document the 1,800-odd varieties of apple available in the U.S. at the time, as well as to ensure the future development of apple varieties. It's an endeavor that appears to have succeeded. Adam biked over this afternoon, we sat down at our kitchen table, and he told us about his tour of the repository and everything he'd seen. Then he gave us the assortment of apples, mostly heirlooms, that he'd brought back for us: two court-pendus, a rare French variety, a russett-golden delicious hybrid, a Cox's orange pippin, a Monroe, a big, firm variety developed in the more recent past, a jonah gold, and--get this--an Esopus Spitzenberg, another rare variety native to the U.S. that dates back to at least the early 19th century. As I'm sure you've been able to tell over the last few weeks, dear readers, we love our apples. Few things make us happier than an assortment of rare apples, especially when they're as beautiful as these ones. We've been warned that most of them might not necessarily be the best eating apples, but there's also a magic to just coming across strange types of apple you never would have imagined existed (like the court-pendus).

Similarly, a week ago we got a completely unexpected visit from our friend Patrice Fortier, the gardener/farmer who runs the wondrous La Société des Plantes in Kamouraska. We knew he was in town, because he'd emailed me to let me know he was going to be around and that he was going to try to stage one of his informal vegetable & herb street sales, but then we didn't hear back from him. The last thing we were expecting was that he would show up at our doorstep, bearing freshly dug up heirloom fingerling potatoes no less.

fingerling potatoes
Originally uploaded by michelle1975.

It was a Friday evening and I was just getting home from work. We sat in the dining room, had a beer and some Haldiram's All In One, caught up, talked about life at La Société des Plantes, picked out our potatoes, traded some pear-vanilla-bourbon butter for some of Patrice's delicious persillade, a pesto made with parsley, garlic, and sunflower seeds, and generally got the weekend started right. After a couple of hours, Patrice headed out the door to meet up with another friend, and we rolled up our sleeves and prepared our dinner. We turned up the music and found ourselves in the best mood. It's hard enough to get fingerling potatoes in Montreal (although there are signs that that situation is improving). Getting them delivered to your door and turning their delivery into an excuse for an impromptu Happy Hour is beyond ideal. Patrice is due back in town in the next week or so, and he's promised to come laden with white carrots, white beets, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, herbs, and other specialties. If he organizes a street sale, we'll be sure to let you know.

Like I said, these little surprises aren't the reason we started "...an endless banquet," but they're certainly one of the reasons we've enjoyed working on "...an endless banquet" over the last year and are looking forward to year 2.

aj

Streetside Finds

Earlier this fall, not long after I got back from a year-long stint in Germany, M. found out about an unusual street sale. Our friend Benoit knew of a guy who was going to be selling organic vegetables in front of someone’s walk-up on Casgrain. Montreal has its fair share of organic deliveries that take place on its side streets during the summer and fall (like the one we go to on Jeanne-Mance run by Fred), but those are co-operative ventures that you have to be a member of. In this case, the farmer was going to be selling to anyone who came by and he was said to specialize in heirloom vegetables. We didn’t know much else.

Later that evening (I remember it was warm and sunny—a far cry from the way things are now) we met up with Benoit, Hermine, and Gabe and we walked over to Casgrain. We found Benoit’s friend Patrice selling an assortment of yellow and orange carrots, large zucchinis, Jerusalem artichokes, and shallots, some lovely small, purple plums, and one plant we’d never seen before: he called it “ice plant,” and it was a strange succulent from South Africa that had a mild sweetness to it and a crisp texture. Patrice’s farm is an organic farm located in the Kamouraska region of Quebec, and, as we’d been told, he deals exclusively in heirloom fruits and vegetables and other exotic varieties. He calls his farm La Société des Plantes, and when he we isn’t selling his produce to the likes of us on the streets of Montreal, he’s supplying some of Montreal’s finest restaurants, packaging and selling his seeds, and putting together his beautiful catalogue [Note: Don’t worry, we’ll have a full feature article on Patrice and La Société des Plantes some time next year, after we’ve had a chance to make it out to Kamouraska to check out the scene]. We bought a big bag of carrots and a little of everything else. We started eating the carrots right there on the street and they were among the sweetest I’ve ever had.

We split up not long afterwards in order to pick up everything we needed for dinner: trout filets, bread, cheese, wine. When we reconvened Hermine made roasted trout filets with miso-maple glaze, Benoit shredded the carrots and zucchini into long, thin strands, and then I sautéed them in olive oil with garlic and herbes de Provence, and we set the table. We busted out some tapenade I’d brought back from Nice, and we were all set. Everything was excellent—Hermine’s trout was particularly delicious, delicate and sweet—but the real stars that evening were the carrots and zucchinis. It wasn’t the preparation, it was just the flavor of the vegetables themselves. They were so good I had to make two batches to satisfy us.

A few weeks later M. found out that Patrice was back. On a wet and blustery Saturday evening we raced out to Gilford east of Papineau to find him before he closed up for the night. This time around he had white carrots and white beets, tomatillos, chervil, homemade plum preserve, homemade herbes salées, and fresh horseradish. We raced back home afterwards I decided to make an impromptu borscht with garlic and onions, the carrots and beets, the chervil, a teaspoon of the herbes salées, and some dill I had in the refrigerator. This white borscht didn’t have the look of a classic borscht, for obvious reasons, but the flavor was out of this world, with a broth that was rich and sweet. I’d never tasted beets that were so sweet and delicious. I wish I’d had beets like that when I was a kid—I would have learned to love them about eighteen years earlier than I did. The next day Michelle took the fresh horseradish and prepared it. It’s definitely the most potent horseradish either of us has come across. We’ve been making the most of it, putting it on sandwiches, serving it with all kinds of meals, making hors d’oeuvres with it. Two weeks later we found yet another use for it…

Of the side dishes that we made to accompany last Sunday’s leg of lamb [Note: story and recipe to follow], the highlight was definitely the following:

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, washed
salt
1/3 c. freshly grated horseradish
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. heavy cream
3 Tbsp. butter
black pepper

Boil the potatoes in water and salt until tender. Drain.
Grate horseradish, keeping eyes as far away from the grater as possible, and add lemon juice right away.
Crush potatoes with a masher, add horseradish, cream, 2 Tbsp. butter, salt and pepper to taste. Mash until desired consistency is reached.
Heat remaining Tbsp. of butter in a medium pot, add potatoes, cover, place over medium heat, and stir until they are served.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Note: we used table cream instead of heavy cream and it turned out perfectly fine.

(This recipe comes from The Cook and the Gardener by Amanda Hesser)

aj/m