EATING LOCAL, EVEN IN WINTER

Collaboration with Boulangerie St-Méthode

We all know how harsh Quebec winters can be. Snow covers the landscape and nature slows down. Nevertheless, it is still quite possible to eat local products during the cold weather season. Here are 4 tips on how to do it…

1. Fruits and vegetables in winter

Winter doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stuck with just potatoes. In fact, several local fruits and vegetables remain available in Quebec during the winter. Indeed, you can get garlic, beets, cranberries, carrots, celery root, mushrooms, cabbage (e.g., savoy, red, or green), greenhouse cucumbers, shallots, squash, endives, greenhouse strawberries, hydroponic Boston lettuce, onions, parsnips, yams, leeks, greenhouse peppers, apples, rutabagas, greenhouse tomatoes and, of course, potatoes!

2. Preservation techniques

Several preservation techniques allow us to enjoy and take advantage of local fruits and vegetables off-season. These include home canning, freezing, dehydration, and fermentation. These procedures extend the shelf life of perishable products by creating an environment that is unfavourable to bacterial growth, thereby allowing you to eat these products all year long and providing you with a wider variety, even in winter.

3. Local flours and bread

Various local flours—such as rye, wheat, oat, spelt, and buckwheat flours—can be found in many grocery stores in Quebec. Certain breads are made with these local flours, like those from St-Méthode Bakery, which uses wheat flour from various regions of Quebec. Located in the Beauce region, St-Méthode Bakery focuses on local industry in all its efforts. Eating these products is a good way of supporting the province’s producers and businesses

4. Local fish and seafood

Oysters, blue mussels, arctic char, and rainbow trout are just some of the fresh products available during the winter season. Other local species—including scallops, Nordic shrimp, and Atlantic halibut—can also be found during the winter, but these will be frozen or processed.

Summing up

1. It's possible to eat local all year round

2. By choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables, local fish and flours and baked goods from la belle province, we're helping to support our producers and our economy.

3. St-Méthode bakery respects the local supply chain, from soil to table.

Want to find out more about Boulangerie St-Méthode's range of products? CLICK HERE

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