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In Quebec, several varieties from our grandmas’ gardens have disappeared or are not accessible anymore. First Nations have also grown precious varieties; some of them have stood the test of time, but most of them have also gone extinct.

This conference discusses the richness of heirloom varieties and their importance for food security through the history of a few example cases. We will go through an overview of old gardens, looking at forgotten and Quebec historical varieties.

Topics discussed: Historically used varieties within their social contect, Canadien Blanc corn history, Tante Alice cucumber history, fibre flax use and disappearance, lost broad beans from Lac St-Jean and Charlevoix, First Nations and their beans.

This workshop is meant for people who already attended the Level 1 workshop, or those who already have good seed saving knowledge.

Topics discussed: Pollination, flower anatomy, hand pollination techniques, biennial winter storage, choice of seed crops, dormancy breakage techniques, how to breed new varieties.

Permaculture and agrology might be approaches that, in the upcoming years, might help solving pressing issues like climate change, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and many more.

This conference uses Terre Promise as a case example. It includes presentation of our no-till permanent bed technique, efforts to protect pollinators and beneficial insects, and the obstacles and challenging of non-mechanized/manual agriculture.

This workshop is meant for people who already attended the Level 1 workshop, or those who already have good seed saving knowledge.

Topics discussed: Pollination, flower anatomy, hand pollination techniques, biennial winter storage, choice of seed crops, dormancy breakage techniques, how to breed new varieties.

In this workshop, you will discover ancient, unknown, or endangered garden plants and learn the basics of seed saving. You will notably learn about harvesting techniques, and how to dry and preserve different types of seeds. Bean, lettuce and tomato seeds, as well as many others won’t hold any secrets for you anymore!

Topics discussed: seed history, pollination, isolation distances, heirloom varieties, harvest, drying, storage, germination tests.

Autrice: Lyne Bellemare
Illustrations: Laucolo
Résumé: Au cours du siècle dernier, 75 % des variétés de plantes qui servaient à notre alimentation ont disparu. En ce sens, apprendre à cultiver ses semences constitue plus que jamais un acte militant en faveur du contrôle de notre système alimentaire et contre le monopole de l’industrie.

De l’extraction des graines à l’art de la pollinisation manuelle, en passant par l’entreposage et la conservation des semences artisanales, cet ouvrage vous dévoile littéralement tout ce qu’il y a à savoir pour prélever vos propres semences de la façon la plus optimale possible afin de cultiver vos légumes, fruits et herbes en toute autonomie.
Préface de Mélanie Grégoire.

🌸 Celebrate maternal love with our Mother's Day Trio! An original and sustainable idea designed to make summer even more memorable. 🎁

Varieties included in the Mother's Day Trio:

Sunflower mix
Pink Hollyhock
Cosmos mix

For more information on these 3 varieties, feel free to check their individual fact sheets!


Offer valid until May 12th: get all 3 packets for $10 + taxes!

** CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CANADA **

KEEP REFRIGERATED FROM RECEIVING TO PLANTING!
Perennial climbing plant native to Quebec. It belongs to the legume family. It is suitable for banks and shores, but also for cultivated gardens. With its very fragrant flowers, it is reminiscent of wisteria. It is also called tuberous glycine. Its other name, wild bean, refers to the edible bean produced (in a favorable climate) by its flowers. Its tubers, also edible, are connected to each other by a vine root, hence its name of potato in a string. It was widely consumed by First Nations. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see it growing on the site of former Native American villages. Very nutritious (it contains up to 18% protein, three times more than potatoes), it can be eaten boiled or fried. On the other hand, the peel contains latex, so it must be peeled.

*Note Rare people may be indisposed by consumption
Package 8 tubers of small size.
Germination rate 100%

For spring orders, plant in pots until you have access to the ground and can transplant them outside. Each tuber can germinate and give a plant. Cut the rosary into as many parts as it contains tubers. Place each tuber in a flat position, about 5-6 cm deep, much like you would a potato. (However, the Apios does not cut into several pieces like the latter).
You can mulch lightly, the stem will pass through a mulch. Stake.

After two weeks, a stem will emerge from the ground. It will roll up like a bean.
Harvest in the fall. When the leaves are dry, dig up the tubers with a pitchfork. A single tuber will give two to three “chains”.
You will have to dig a little further than where you planted. Put a single tuber back in the same place in anticipation of next year's harvest. Mulch. Apios americana is very resistant to Quebec winters.

Taste the rest. Be sure to peel and boil or fry well before eating, as the peel contains latex, which can cause stomach bloating.

Sale between july 20th and november 15th only

** CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CANADA **
This product is only available to order between July 1 and November 1 of each year. Treasures of our Quebec heritage, the Sainte-Anne shallot is a perfectly perennial alliaceae. It comfortably spends our Quebec winters under the cover of snow without any damage. It grows in the spring, very early, and we can then taste it as a green shallot. Then it multiplies and its foliage dries up. We will pull it out on June 24, on St-Jean Baptiste Day. Then we will dry it completely at home, to eat it but also to replant it at Ste-Anne, on July 26th. It will begin to grow again and store up for the winter. Then we start again in the spring!This product is only available between July 1 and November 1 of each year.Package of 8 shallots from Ste-Anne;For more information, * The price of this item is a little higher than our regular pouches to cover shipping costs*

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Allium ascalonicum
Common names: Shallots of Saint-Anne
English: Saint-Anne shallots
Family: Liliaceae

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
The shallot winters well in Quebec, under the snow cover, but does not keep well indoors.

This perennial plant forms clumps of linear green leaves and exudes a delicious sweet, vanilla scent when dried. Also called "buffalo grass", this plant is considered sacred by the indigenous peoples of North America. For many of them, it represents a keystone species of the culture and is a reflection of their collective identity, their values ​​and their beliefs. In the form of an incense or a braid, sweetgrass will intoxicate you with its subtle fragrance.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION
Latin name: Hierochloe odorata
Common names: Bison grass, Sweet oats, Sweet hulk
English: Vanilla Grass
Family: Poaceae

** CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CANADA *****

The name of this edible perennial comes from the old French, rais fors meaning “strong root” in reference to the pungent but fine taste of its vigorous taproot. It was formerly called “poor man’s pepper”. Grated horseradish root is used as a condiment, as a substitute for mustard.

Envelope: 4 to 5 root splints (depending on size) to keep in the fridge moist until planting.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Keep the cuttings in the fridge until planting, and make sure they stay moist. Plant the roots by laying them down, either as seeds in April, or directly in the garden at the end of May. It is better to wait until the second year of cultivation to start harvesting, then between September and April. Pull out the roots with a strong spade; there will always be a fragment left in the soil to start again in the spring.

Sale between july 20th and november 15th only

** CANNOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE CANADA ** The 'Catawissa' or Egyptian onion has long been grown in Quebec. It is mentioned as far back as 1820, and it would have arrived with the first settlers. But its origin is unclear, with some saying it comes from Catawissa, a city in Pennsylvania, and others from China. Grapes. We mainly harvest the bulblets or the bulb, but the foliage is also delicious chopped like chives. After 2-3 years, the plant will benefit from being divided and then replanted individually. The surpluses can then be eaten like a green onion. The 'Catawissa' onion has a small to medium, elongated, red bulb.;;Quantity Approximately 8 small bulbils per order.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Benefits from a division after a few years.

Also known by the English name of "Montreal Market Muskmelon", or "Montreal Nutmeg Melon", this melon with green flesh and a slight taste of nutmeg has practically disappeared. The first traces of the Montreal melon come from the Jesuits, who cultivated it in 1684. It enjoyed strong popularity in the early 1900s and until the 1950s, when galloping urbanization, the lack of succession and the high cost of labor signed its death warrant. It was cultivated by three families, the Aubins, the Décaries and the Gormans. According to the Potager d'antan, the melon was meticulously selected from the middle of the 17th century before being stabilized in 1870 under the name Melon de Montréal. In the 1880s, the American seed merchant wrote in his catalog that he was one of the biggest sellers throughout New England. In short, it was forgotten when the farms disappeared from the Island of Montreal, before being found by a journalist in a gene bank in the United States. Here it is now, smaller than it was in the original photos, but with the same great taste! Please note that if you wish to save your own seeds, you must ensure that no other variety of melon grows at a kilometer around, otherwise you will have to pollinate it by hand.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Cultivation of the Montreal Melon is difficult. It requires rich soil, abundant watering and heat. The maturity of the melon is difficult to establish and, once picked, it keeps for a very short time. However, it is delicious!

Despite its name, the royal nettle is not a nettle! It is a false nettle, easily recognizable by its square stem and the presence of a swelling beneath the nodes (at the leaf insertion points). It is hairy but not stinging. It can reach up to 80 cm in height and has purplish (pink) flowers, speckled with yellow or white. They are grouped together and form a crown of spines: this is the calyx. Flowering occurs from July to October. Like the rest of the nettles (true or false), it is a undemanding plant: it is found in hedges, clearings, along paths or even in fields.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Nettle seeds do not all germinate simultaneously. CAUTION, invasive plant.

Remarkable and decorative plant, with finely cut and aromatic silvery-green leaves, and white flowering in panicles. Recognized for its medicinal properties since antiquity, it thrives in well-drained, sandy, or rocky soils, such as road edges and wastelands. Attracting pollinators, its leaves emit enchanting scents of marjoram, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Traditionally appreciated for its digestive virtues, this herbaceous plant, originating from temperate regions like Europe, North America, and Asia, was once associated with women's health, hence its name Artemisia, derived from the goddess Artemis.

Garden chervil, highly prized in Europe, is a biennial plant characterized by its finely cut leaves with an aniseed flavor. Ideal with potatoes, eggs, and fish, its delicate taste requires gentle cooking, added towards the end of preparation, or consumed fresh in salads. Its flowers and roots are also used to flavor dishes. To best preserve its flavor, it is recommended to freeze chervil rather than dehydrate it.

This mint has a strong and refreshing taste. The leaves are used dried in herbal tea. Native to North America. Big advantage: it is not invasive like other mints. It can grow in a rockery, in poor soil, and requires practically no care. Its flowers are white and its leaves delicate.
Attract pollinators!

Other considerations:
Caution pregnant women.

Early European yellow bean known for its precocity. Its pods, measuring 15 cm long, are slender and tender. It boasts a particularly smooth and sweet taste and remains productive even in challenging conditions. Harvest when the beans are round but thin. If the pods remain on the plant for too long, the beans will become fibrous and starchy.

Also known as Red Perilla, Purple Shiso is a plant native to East Asia, prized for its aromatic leaves and its multiple culinary and medicinal uses. Its purple or reddish leaves, sometimes tinged with green, emit a characteristic fragrance, both minty, spicy, and slightly citrusy. Used in many Asian cuisines, such as Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, purple shiso is often used fresh as a garnish, wrapped around sushi, or finely chopped in salads and stir-fried dishes.

Note: Shiso seeds can be challenging to germinate. Performing a brief stratification followed by soaking the seeds for 24 hours before sowing will greatly aid in the process. Refer to the document "The Key to Germination: STRATIFICATION" in the Blog menu for more information on this topic.

Easy to grow in temperate climates, purple shiso is an annual plant that thrives in well-drained and sunny soil. Cultivated from seeds, it is commonly planted in vegetable gardens or used as an ornamental plant for its decorative leaves and pleasant fragrance.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
If you want to harvest seeds for the following season, it is preferable to leave it early enough for indoor sowing to allow it to complete its cycle.

Native plant with lanceolate leaves, which produces beautiful lavender-colored flowers from late summer to early fall.
Propagation by roots (rhizomes), can thus form large colonies. Popular with pollinators including hummingbirds.

MAINTENANCE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The seeds must undergo cold stratification, see the information on this subject on the stratification sheet