Shallot

The Val-aux-Vents shallot is a heritage, locally grown variety originating in Quebec. It was patiently selected by Richard Favreau , a market gardener and seed producer at Ferme Val-aux-Vents, located in Saint-Valérien, in the Lower St. Lawrence region. Its name is a direct tribute to this vibrant and windswept place where it was developed.

The result of crossbreeding and stabilizing French shallot types (Jersey type), it has established itself as a free alternative to hybrid varieties , with a subtle flavor , good preservation and remarkable adaptability to northern growing conditions .

In the garden, the Val-aux-Vents shallot is distinguished by its tightly packed, elongated bulbs with a thin, reddish skin , and its stable growth . It is resistant to common diseases and performs well in crop rotations . It forms a harmonious companion plant (especially carrots, lettuce, and strawberries), while attracting beneficial microfauna with its discreet umbel-shaped flowers .

Passed down from generation to generation, the Sainte-Anne shallot is a prolific perennial deeply rooted in Quebec's horticultural heritage. Cultivated for over 70 years in Sainte-Aurélie, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, it is distinguished by its hardiness and its ability to return year after year, faithfully following the seasons.

Traditionally planted around July 26th, Saint Anne's Day, it embodies a living link between collective memory and farming practices. Each bulb buried in suitable soil can produce up to ten offshoots the following season, forming upright and vigorous clumps that require little but yield much. Not invasive, it encourages patient and rhythmic cultivation, where the annual division of the bulbs ensures vitality and abundance.

In a supportive vegetable garden, it naturally settles in quiet corners, in the shade of attentive gestures, highlighting the continuity of an inhabited garden.