LOCAL PURCHASING, AS EASY AS DELICIOUS!

Whether for ecological, economic or social reasons, eating local is increasingly popular.
#PURCHASELOCAL

LOCAL PURCHASING, AS SIMPLE AS IT IS DELICIOUS

Several local agricultural producers and market gardeners now offer year-round harvests, so you can enjoy fresh and delicious quality products at all times.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to a survey conducted by MAPAQ in 2016, nearly a third of Quebecers would attach importance to the origin of their food.

In Quebec, the harvest season begins in May and ends at the end of October. Find out about the arrival schedule for each Quebec fruit and vegetable:www.mangezquebec.com/fr/arrivages/availabilities.sn. In addition to pleasing your taste buds and your wallet, the entire Quebec economy will benefit!

In summer season , the public markets are full of fresh vegetables and fruits. It is easy to source local products! Public markets also offer local Quebec products specific to each region. Here are some tips for making the most of the freshness and quality of local products in the summer season:

• We subscribe to baskets of vegetables and fruits from producers established near us.
• We go directly to local producers to make our purchases. They regularly offer their harvest directly on the farm.
• Why not take advantage of a weekend or a few days during our summer holidays to discover the terroir of a region other than ours? A nice little taste excursion!!
• L'haspick-your-own is a perfect activity to enjoy local plants: strawberries, blueberries, apples, pumpkins and squash. In addition to allowing some savings, U-pick is an ideal activity to do as a family!

L' fall is the perfect season to stock up on local foods. Cooks, get out your aprons!

• We pot the fruits and vegetables from our gardens: fruit ketchup, pickles, beets, berry jam, tomato sauce, apple compote, etc.
• Freezing is also a great way to extend the harvest season. All fruits and vegetables can be frozen. While it is not necessary to blanch fruits to freeze them, vegetables, on the other hand, need to be blanched beforehand. The pleasure of eating a delicious fresh strawberry from Quebec in the middle of January can almost make you forget the extreme cold of the Quebec winter!

L' winter is on our doorstep! Do not be afraid! More and more supermarkets and groups of distributors make sure to make the link between the farmer and the customer to offer products by the year.

• We subscribe to one of these distribution networks which offer a good local offer. The farmsLufa and organic basketsEquiterre are two well known.
• In supermarkets, we look for the mention Aliments Québec both for fresh products and for those placed on the shelves.

The local food offer has grown from 4,000 products in 2008 to now 20,000 products in 2016 with respect to Aliments du Québec certifications. It is therefore now easy to be a locavore, no matter the month of the year.

Enjoy your lunch!

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