Expansion of Our Agribusiness: Le Petit Mas Increases Its Quebec Garlic Production

 

Expansion of Our Agribusiness: Le Petit Mas Increases Its Quebec Garlic Production

Expansion of Our Agribusiness:

Le Petit Mas Increases Its Quebec Garlic Production

June 13, 2016 – Le Petit Mas has invested close to one million dollars in Martinville, in the Eastern Townships, in order to expand and develop its agribusiness of Quebec garlic and fermented garlic scapes in oil.

Marie-Pierre Dubeau and Sébastien Grandmont acquired the Petit Mas family farm in 2013. This young couple from Sherbrooke aimed to increase the garlic production for the Quebec market and to set up the family home on their farmland.

After a three-year search, they found the ideal land in Martinville, in the fertile Coaticook River Valley, at the heart of the Eastern Townships. To bring their projects to fruition, they partnered with new business associates Jean-Raymond Payet and Carole Begue. “They had wonderful land and the desire to grow garlic. Instead of becoming competitors, we decided to become associate partners,” co-owner Marie?Pierre Dubeau stated.

The new processing and storage buildings needed to accommodate the twofold increase in production will be ready by spring 2017. “In the new building, we will have space for our administrative office and a farm store, two new features for our business,” Marie-Pierre Dubeau explained. In the meantime, for the 2016 harvest, you can still pick up your order of Quebec garlic at the farm (by appointment only, 819 849-0564), order it online (www.lepetitmas.ca/online-store) as of July 26, or buy it at the IGA or Métro in September, as Le Petit Mas is one of their Quebec garlic suppliers.

Le Petit Mas Remains Committed to Organic Farming

The expansion to the new land will be gradual as it takes several years to meet organic certification standards. Therefore, over the next few years, Le Petit Mas will cultivate organic garlic on land that is already certified, while also working to convert an additional 8 hectares of land to organic farming by 2018.

Fermented Garlic Scapes – A Seasoning Unique in the World

Le Petit Mas is well known for its unique seasoning, fermented garlic scapes in oil, now available in over 500 points of sale in Quebec. Fermented garlic scapes are part of the same food trend as tempeh1 and kombucha2.

Le Petit Mas is glad to witness a comeback in fermented products in the eating habits of Quebecers. The lactic fermentation of garlic scapes has many benefits:

  • It keeps the product alive and good for your health, thanks to the lactic bacteria and enzymes produced, as well as maintaining the concentration of vitamins, nutrients, and bioactive molecules of raw foods.
  • It preserves the scapes for several years through entirely natural means without chemical additives or pasteurization.
  • It creates new flavours thanks to the lactic and organic acids produced.

Le Petit Mas retains a dozen (full-time and part-time) employees year-round and two dozen seasonal employees to produce 35 tons of Quebec garlic and 23 tons of fermented garlic scapes. The Coaticook River Valley can thus take pride in providing a home for a leading Quebec agribusiness of organic garlic.

  1. Tempeh is a food product made from fermented soybeans
  2. Kombucha is a drink prepared from a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.

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For more information, contact:

Laurie-Anne Dubeau

Communication and Marketing

Le Petit Mas

vente@lepetitmas.ca

http://www.lepetitmas.ca

Garlic scape butter vs. garlic butter: the duel

garlic scape butter vs garlic butter: the duel

Garlic butter is a classic recipe. It’s delicious on bread, of course, but also on pasta, seafood, potatoes, grilled meat and fish, fried mushrooms, etc.

To write this post, we tested our three flavoured butter recipes: garlic scape butterQuebec garlic butter and Quebec garlic confit butter.

Garlic scape butter vs. garlic butter: the verdict

quebec garlic butter

Garlic scape butter

  1. Garlic scape butter, Quebec garlic butter and Quebec garlic confit butter are all delicious, cheap and easy to make. Yet they each have a very different taste.
  2. Flavoured butters keep several days in the fridge, but you can also freeze them so you always have them on hand.
  3. We love them all, but we prefer garlic scape butter with seafood. Its delicate taste brings out the subtle flavours of the seafood more.

Once you have finessed your technique for making garlic butter, have fun coming up with your own versions! Lemon juice, sea salt, mustard, thyme, maple flakes are just some of the ingredients that go well with garlic butter!

Quebec garlic confit butter

Quebec garlic confit butter

Basic garlic or garlic scape butter recipe

  1. Cream butter in a food processor or with a fork.
  2. Add Quebec-grown garlic, our fermented garlic scapes, Quebec garlic confit or other ingredients, depending on which version you are making, and mix until thoroughly combined.
  3. Serve immediately on bread, pasta, seafood, etc.
  4. To store, transfer the garlic scape butterQuebec garlic butter or Quebec garlic confit butter to a ramekin or roll into a sausage in plastic wrap. To make the sausage, place the mixture in the centre of a square of plastic wrap and spread it lengthwise. Roll into a sausage about 1 inch in diameter. Close up the two ends by tying the plastic wrap into a knot. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Slice into rings when ready to serve.

The best garlic bread

Now that you have your butter, make your own Quebec garlic bread, garlic scape bread or garlic confit bread!

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Without cutting completely through the bottom, cut bread into 1-inch-thick slices.
  3. Spread garlic scape butterQuebec garlic butter or Quebec garlic confit butter  between slices.
  4. Wrap baguette in aluminium foil and bake in the oven (or on the barbecue) for about 15 minutes.

Bon appétit!

Looking to make garlic scape butter, but don’t have any scapes on hand? Find the point of sale nearest you.

garlic flowers store

Looking to have some Quebec-grown garlic? Buy your Quebec garlic from our online store in season.

buy online garlic