Showing 1–12 of 25 results
3,78 $
Antoine D'Avignon was a ancient vegetable lover. A pioneer in Quebec for heirloom seed saving, he grew, harvested and shared the seeds of numerous varieties that would have otherwise been forgotten by now. Notably, Louis-Marie's Crotte d'ours potato, Suzanne Bourgeois's Ice Grow tomato, Huron wheat, and... this corn.
In an interview in the late 1990s he reached out for help to the public: the Quebec corn that our grandmas used to cultivate has disappeared. Nobody is growing flour corn anymore. After the interview, a lady called the radio station claiming that she did have seeds of a flour corn that had been grown by her family for ages.
This is how she came into contact with Antoine and shared with him her precious treasure. Then, during that summer, Antoine ends up mentioning the corn to a friend, Mrs. France Bouffard. She is really interested and ask for a couple seeds. Reluctant as he as only a few, he ends up giving her 6 seeds. She grew those and multiplied them, enough to make flour for her pancakes. The story could have ended there. Sadly it did not as Antoine died still young and took with him the corn story.
More recently, Mrs. Bouffard reached out to me while I was working for Seeds of Diversity. We chatted, and she ended up mentioning the corn. She then sent me some seeds by the mail. We had a good first harvest from those seeds and, thanks to that, we can now share this variety with you. Luckily, Antoine has also gifted a few to another one of his friends, René Paquet, who has since carefully kept the envelope. On it, a name:
Anita Fournier, from Nicolet.
We are looking for this lady (probably deceased by now) or her offsprings. Please let us know if you know her.
Please note that some of the seeds have been sent to Seeds of Diversity for preservation. With the hopes that you might also contribute to writing a chapter of this story.
For more information, please visit (in French): Antoine d'Avignon (1948-2003), jardinier de la dernière chance"
Please send us pictures of your crops and harvests! We will share them!
Package: 40 seeds
Add to cart 
3,78 $
This plant and its silvery leaves was once dubbed the 'green fairy' (la fée verte). It was used to make an alcohol that inspired Verlaine, Baudelaire, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and many others. Instigator of controversies, tales and legends, absinthe remains psychotropic and should stay discreet once in your garden
* This year, we were not able to harvest sufficient seeds at the farm. Therefore, our seeds come from Jardin Vie-La-Joie.
Package: 75 seeds
Add to cart 
3,78 $
Spice up movie night with your own homegrown popcorn! This variety is crunchy and has a rich taste, making it ideal for a healthy snack as well.
The seeds are lustrous and black, and pop into appetizing white popcorns.
This variety was developed by the Prairie Road Organic Seed Farm in North Dakota, to our taste buds' greatest pleasure!
Adapted to colder climates and easy to grow, unless you have some hungry birds roaming around your garden! (in which case we recommend using nets)
Package: Around 35 seeds
If you struggle getting your corn to pop: https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/why-popcorn-sometimes-doesnt-pop/
Add to cart 
3,78 $
Borage comes from southern and central Europe. Very melliferous with beautiful star-shaped flowers that will go from purple to blue and then pink before wilting. Easy to grow, it requires very little care and will grow spontaneously in your garden year after year. Borage plants will bring color and joy in your garden as well as in your salads! The seeds are used to make an oil rich in essential fatty acids. Some people refer to it as an elixir of youth since it contains a lot of gamma-Linolenic acid, an uncommon substance in the plant world.
Package: 20 seeds
Read more 
3,78 $
Common comfrey is widely used in organic agriculture as green manure. It can also be made into comfrey liquid manure or added to compost. This helps with soil fertility and thus plant growth.
Comfrey is also very popular among bumblebees and other bees that thoroughly enjoy its sweet nectar.
The plant easily reach a meter in height. The stem is a little prickly, and the leaves are large, alternate, pointy, and covered in hair. Above all of this, shoots grow where pink or purple flowers bloom in the middle of summer.
*For better germination rates, the seeds should be stratified. To do this, place the seeds in small bag full of humid sand of soil, and put the said bag in the fridge for 2 weeks.
*This comfrey is not Russian comfrey (such as Bocking 14). Russian comfrey doesn't produce seeds and would therefore be tricky to sell in seed packages.
Warning. We advise against regular comfrey consumption. The plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can be toxic for the liver in high dosage.
Package: 25 seeds
Read more 
3,78 $
The common ox-eye is a gorgeous wild perennial, native to North America. It produces a lot of flowers and nectar, benefiting greatly to pollinators of all types. Can be used to stabilize shorelines. Drought-tolerant.
Package: 30 seeds
Add to cart 
3,78 $
Ancient corn variety introduced in the U.S. during the 1890s. The plant can reach more than 2 m in height, and produces 2 to 3 cobs of 20 cm. The long and white grains are not organized in rows, but instead in a completely irregular way.
The taste is delicate and sweet. Requires a longer cooking time to fully bring the flavour out. Delicious on the BBQ.
Package: 60 seeds
Add to cart 
3,78 $
There are very ancient mentions of this corn which grew in the region of Gaspé (in Gaspésie, Eastern Quebec) and all over the East coast of Canada. It was originally cultivated by the First Nation Mi'gmaq. History says that Jacques Cartier had observed this crop back in 1534. This small sized corn is a popping corn type. A particularly early crop, its cobs form in no more than 3 months. The cobs measures between 10-12 cm (4-5 inches) and have 8 rows of grains.
Package: Around 35 seeds
If you struggle getting your corn to pop: https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/why-popcorn-sometimes-doesnt-pop/
Add to cart 
3,78 $
While sorting the beans, Geneviève slipped and spilled them all! We are now happy to introduce you our best climbing bean varieties, of all colors and tastes: Skunk, True Red Cranberry, Kahnawake Mohawk, Turkey craw, Goose, Mennonite, Mayflower, and Grand-mère.
Add to cart 
3,78 $
Coy in the garden, salsify can be mistaken for grass when still young. But its hardiness and lack of pests makes it a wise choice for enthusiasts of curiosities. Not the highest-yielding plant but its taste, somewhere between hazelnut and parsnip, widely makes up for it. It's also a true sundial: as soon as the first lights of the sunrise appear, the flowers will open towards the sun, and will then follow it for the whole day, until it sets. It is from the same family as dandelions.
The roots are tender and do not have a hint of bitterness, as long as harvested before the flowering stem starts to grow. The leaves are also edible. When the flower buds start appearing, on the second year, it is possible to eat them just like with viper's grass.
Culinary uses:
-raw roots chopped for salads,
-cooked roots sliced (with white wine to avoid blackening),
-young leaves in a salad,
-cooked leaves as vegetables,
-raw flower buds in a salad, or cooked as vegetables.
Package: 25 seeds
Add to cart 
3,78 $
Mitsuba, also known as Japanese parsley, is one of garden plants that grows in the shade. This Japanese herb is eaten just like parsley. All the parts of the plant are edible. Soft parsley taste, with a bit of an anise undertone. Moreover, mitsuba is rich in carotene, potassium, and iron.
Small perennial plant that tolerates Quebecois winters very readily.
Package: 25 seeds
Add to cart 
3,78 $
The roots have a very sweet taste, reminiscent of parsnip, and should be cooked. Savoured even at the royal table until the 17th Century, skirret then gradually fell out of favor. This decrease in popularity was probably due to the huge success of both carrots and beets, for which breeding brought spectacular improvements. Regardless, for permaculture gardens, skirrets remain a must. Easy to grow, its roots' soft white flesh will surely make it popular again.
Package: 30 seeds
* Must go through stratification in the fridge, please see the details below
Here's recipe from 1460:
"Take skirrets, parsnips and apples, and parboil them. Make a batter of flour and eggs. Cast ale, saffron and salt into it. Wet them in the batter and fry them in oil or in grease. Pour on almond milk and serve it forth."
— From John Russell, Boke of Nurture, c. 1460
Add to cart