In a restaurant, we family and friends were waiting around a large table, some eight of us. (Ah, those were the days…)
The conversation turned to the centrepiece, a dish of little peppers. “Are they hot?”
Various theories were advanced. Moving from theory to practice, my son deftly popped a little red one into his mouth and began to chew. The look on his face was serene. He said not a word.
“Oh, I guess they’re not hot.” Others reached out to snack on them, too.
Only thing is, I know my son. Observing him closely, I saw not a quiver in his expression, but one tear sprang from the corner of one eye and in its wake, others streamed down his cheek. Too late. In a few seconds, the others around the table began choking and gasping. Yes, the peppers were hot. Fiery, in fact.
My son smiled. I’m not sure which he enjoyed more – the pepper, or the practical joke.
What brought that memory to mind was one of a list of 22 seed producers from various corners of Quebec, sent to me by Chantal Bolduc of the Sawyerville Community Garden. (Sadly, the Seed Festival is cancelled for this year, but here’s an alternative.)
PepperSeedz.com
Pepper Seedz is the producer that kindled my memory. Its mission is “to provide the finest superhot pepper seeds available from the exclusive collection built and grown by grower Simon Lanciault.” He grows his garden – piments, not poivres – in pots on his terrasse in Varennes. His website shows 20 varieties for sale. Carolina Reaper, the hottest according to the Guinness Book of Records, is sold out, but MegaDeath is for sale, 10 seeds for $9.99.
Like Lanciault, all the Quebec producers on the list describe their seeds as free of chemicals and pesticides, although not all are certified organic. Most are small-scale and all offer heritage, hand-produced, non-GMO and open pollinated seeds.
February is the season of promise. It’s when to start your indoor seedlings. It’s when seed sellers activate their online outlets. Here are a handful of other bilingual seed-selling websites in Quebec.
TerrePromise.ca
Terre Promise grows heirloom varieties from Quebec and Canada, alongside curiosities from around the world. Its founder, Lyne Bellemare, works for Seeds of Diversity Canada, and is passionate about preserving biodiversity and rare seed varieties. Her website displayes pages of tomatoes and dozens of other plants.
Bellemare’s one-acre farm is on Bizard Island near Montreal. “The soil, a clay loam, is filled with stones a conventional farmer would shriek at,” she wrote. “We use rocks as natural barriers to direct waterflow, as heat convectors, releasing their warmth to the plants at night time, and to create habitat for snakes…. Toads and reptiles help us keep the pest and insect number in balance.”
SeedsForFood.net
The Seeds for Food website exhibits 13 varieties of tomatoes, and dozens of other vegetables, all with informative tips and personal stories. Brian Creelman seems to be downright friendly with his veggies. Look a little further on his site, and you’ll find an expert article on raising and storing onions.
In Dudswell, Creelman works a few acres of “open-pollinated, non-hybrid, GMO-free, public domain seeds – many of them rare and endangered heirloom varieties.” Creelman is also active in Seeds of Diversity, and is an articulate advocate for seed saving.
JardinsDeLaGaillarde.ca
The Jardins de la Gaillarde Organic Seeds are a three-acre organic family farm located in Sherbrooke East. “We grow and select our seeds for enthusiastic small gardeners like us who are willing to be more sustainable,” writes Melanie Chapleau. Their website is full of dozens of vegetable and herb seeds.
ZombieSeedz.ca
“Delicious seeds for your survival needs! Shop now to get your belly full! Fill er up for the zombie meal.” These seed producers in Stanbridge East have a sense of humour: They offer a 3-minute video showing a family of zombies doing weird things with seeds, and each of their 24 varieties of seeds is illustrated by zombie drawings.
FermeTournesol.qc.ca
The Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm is situated on 17 acres in Les Cèdres, about 60 kilometres west of Montreal.Their online boutique offers a truly broad choice of seeds for vegetables, flowers, herbs, grains and cover crops.
“We are five young farmers who met while studying agriculture at the MacDonald campus of McGill university,” they write. Their “interest in good food, social justice and the environment” led them to start the Tourne-Sol farm.
CroiseeDesCultures.com
The La Croisée des Cultures/ Crossover Cultivars is located in Saint-Lazare de Bellechasse, just a touch southeast of Quebec City. Their website shows off seeds for “vegetables, grains, annuals, perennials, fruits and berries… all grown on our farm!” Their boutique is opening soon.
NorthernSeeds.ca
Northern Seeds is in the Gatineau region, just north of Ottawa. They offer over 70 varieties of vegetable and flower seeds, with stories about their origins. Most of their seeds are produced on their farm, but they also collaborate with two small-scale seed producers with similar growing practices and conditions in Maine and in Centre-du-Quebec, and sometimes others. They are on the ball: Their 2021 online boutique is already up and operating.
CHURCHES
United. Home worship services are available for pickup Fridays after 2 p.m. at Sawyerville United Church (box on top of freezer in porch), at Trinity United Church (in plastic bag at basement door). To receive services by mail or email, or for pastoral care, contact Rev Tami Spires at 819-452-3685 or spiresta@hotmail.com. Facebook info: United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge.
Baptist. Services are cancelled until further notice because of pandemic constraints. Info: Pastor Michel Houle: 819-239-8818.
Anglican. Bishop Bruce Myers continues to offer Home Prayers at 10:30 a.m. Sundays on Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-300-2374 or email rawrites@gmail.com by February 8 for publication February 17 and by February 22 for March 3.