Fruit trees and small fruits

Discover Quebec’s First Figs!

Late August is the perfect time to go sightseeing in Quebec: the weather’s nice, it’s not too hot, the vegetation is lush, the garden doesn’t need our constant attention… And since this is my third article of the month on tourism, you’ll understand that I’m taking advantage of it! Laidback and curious gardeners, I have a surprising suggestion for you: discover a crop… of figs!

Figs in Quebec?

Native to the Mediterranean basin, the fig tree is not quite hardy enough to be planted outdoors in Quebec. Although it tolerates near-zero temperatures, frost is very damaging, if not fatal. However, it can be grown in greenhouses and even indoors, if the specialists I’ve met are to be believed!

If you want fruit, you need maximum light exposure and warm, fairly dry temperatures in summer. Aim for ambient humidity of around 50%. Fig trees need regular watering, as well as well-draining soil. In winter, the tree loses its leaves and goes dormant. As long as the temperature doesn’t drop below 0°C (32?) and you remember to water it every three or four weeks, it will stay alive, but for interesting fruit production, the temperature needs to drop below 10°C (50?). A lightly heated garage or cold room is ideal for overwintering.

For some varieties, two harvests are possible: one in summer, and another in early autumn. In July-August, figs grow on the previous year’s wood. This “brown” wood will then no longer produce figs, but will bear the new branches. The autumn harvest takes place in September, on this year’s branches. This young, supple wood is called “green”.

Okay Audrey, but where am I supposed to find a fig tree? I don’t even know if it’s good! And what’s more, I hear it’s full of bugs…

Don’t panic! I’m getting there!

Flower, wasp, sweet taste?

At Vallée du Moulin, some twenty varieties of self-fertilizing figs grace the greenhouses. If you’re familiar with this “fruit”, you probably know that it’s actually a flower. It’s sweet like a melon, it’s juicy, but it’s really a flower, or “inverted” flower, not a fruit!

Photo: La Vallée du Moulin

Let me now turn to self-fertility. Have you ever heard the story of the wasp that absolutely has to penetrate the fig in order for it to ripen, and that, therefore, there’s always an insect in the fruit, which we unknowingly eat? Don’t worry: with self-fertilizing varieties, this process is avoided, which means your fig is totally insect-free, ready to be eaten without a second thought!

Figs have a short harvesting time, which explains why they are so delicious when freshly picked. Once harvested, they don’t keep long: they need to be eaten within 48 hours to be at their best at room temperature. Stored in the fridge, their shelf life is extended to two weeks, but they must be left to temper before eating to enjoy them fully.

If they have to spend a week in transit, they’re picked before they’re ripe, so they’re less sweet and less fresh, which is why imported figs are often less flavorful. When you taste fresh local figs, you’ll discover a sweetness and richness of flavor that imported products simply can’t match. We can only hope that Vallée du Moulin will one day have enough fruit to grace market tables!

Photo: La Vallée du Moulin

An Ecological Culture?

Behind this business lies a wonderful family story. A father and his four children run the farm, each with a well-defined role. Serge, a retired electrical engineer, bought the land with an old dam, which he now uses to power the crops. In the greenhouses, several ingenious adaptations are used to manage heating, dehumidification and lighting, all with plan Bs in case of breakdown!

It’s still in the trial-and-error stage, as the project is very young. Born in 2019, the company has plants that are just starting to produce fruit in quantities worth processing. Organic certification of figs also brings its share of challenges, but it’s fair to say that, ecologically speaking, despite the heated greenhouses, these figs are much more environmentally friendly than those that have crossed an ocean to arrive in Canada!

The farm offers guided or self-guided tours to discover the facilities, the dam, the hydroelectric power station, one of the greenhouses and many other curiosities. Open to the public since 2023, this fast-developing site is beautifully landscaped and projects abound. Those curious about machines, recycling and alternative ecological methods will be well served!

Tasting

After the tour, there’s my favorite part… the tasting! What about it? I’d never eaten a fig before, and I’m a gourmet, so what the heck! In addition to fruit, the estate also offers tastings of honey and maple products made on site. These are unique processed products, infused with local spices such as sweet clover and balsam myrtle, which add notes of vanilla and musk (that’s not in the dictionary either!). A true delight, I swear! I couldn’t resist taking these little pots of sweetness home with me.

Photo: La Vallée du Moulin

In the boutique, you’ll find all sorts of other local products, and you’ll have the option of dining on site. How about a grilled cheese with fig jelly? Add to that a freshly prepared mocktail (a delight after a 40°C (104?) visit, as far as I’m concerned!) and you’ve got a recipe for happiness. Have you seen the photo above?

What? You want more? Well, you’ll have to take a fig tree home with you and cook your own figs! That’s right: several young plants of different varieties are on sale in the store.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take one of them home with me, as my day’s visit had only just begun and I’m not sure my plant would have survived in the car… But hey, it’s only a postponement!

What Are You Doing Tomorrow?

If I’ve made your mouth water, you should know that tomorrow, August 30, there’s a special evening event at La Vallée du Moulin. Imagine a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where the scent of a delicious meal cooked on a huge barbecue wafts through the air.

Photo: La Vallée du Moulin

You’ll be able to taste them accompanied by home-grown products from the Valley, all enhanced by light shows and animations that will sublimate the atmosphere of the site. A perfect opportunity to discover this unique place, while sharing a moment with your family.

Photo: La Vallée du Moulin

For further information: https://www.lavalleedumoulin.com/en.

Sign up for the Laidback Gardener blog and receive articles in your inbox every morning!

Audrey Martel is a biologist who graduated from the University of Montreal. After more than ten years in the field of scientific animation, notably for Parks Canada and the Granby Zoo, she joined Nature Conservancy of Canada to take up new challenges in scientific writing. She then moved into marketing and joined Leo Studio. Full of life and always up for a giggle, or the discovery of a new edible plant, she never abandoned her love for nature and writes articles for both Nature sauvage and the Laidback Gardener.

4 comments on “Discover Quebec’s First Figs!

  1. What an odd topic. Figs can grow wild here, and have naturalized in some situations, but I would not grow them at all if they were confined to greenhouses. There are too many other fruits to grow where winters are too cool for figs.

  2. You might get away with growing a “Chicago Hardy” fig in Quebec…?

  3. Oh, figs are wonderful. Living in southern Indiana most fig varieties are not hardy here either. I do though have a Chicago fig which is quite hardy. Alas, all too often the figs don’t get an early enough start for them to ripen before frost gets them. This year maybe. With a warm early spring they are coming along quite well now so I’m hoping that I might get a few figs if the birds don’t get to them first. They post a guard who lets the flock know just as the figs come into ripeness. You gotta be quick to beat them. However even without edible fruit it does make a beautiful large shrub or small tree. Mine this year is 6 feet tall and about 8 feet across. A perfect site for it —- southern exposure up against a limestone wall. Either way, edible figs or not I love it!

Leave a Reply