A crunchy interview with Le Potager de Fontjalabert
This couple of market gardeners from Lisle-sur-Tarn opens the doors of their organic estate, where they grow and sell their tasty products to locavores and lovers of responsible farming. If you are a natural food lover, discover the new local address for your seasonal shopping!
Much more than a history of terroir
Dorothé and her husband Jean-Marc left everything behind five years ago to grow their own organic vegetables and develop their sheep farm in the Tarn.
"I first worked in the field of tourism in Lisle-sur-Tarn, then the idea of working the land grew in me. I then started to retrain as a farmer. Little by little, the project of doing something with my husband was born. We therefore turned to a market gardening project. There is both the work of the land, the fact of growing plants, of seeing the evolution of the seed to the vegetable and then the link with food, cooking, sharing and taste. We wanted to share with others, which we felt was important personally.”
A goodwill exchange with Mother Nature
After finding a farm and setting up in the commune of Lisle-sur-Tarn, everything went smoothly for this couple in their thirties who were undergoing professional conversion. In 2020, they started selling their seasonal vegetables and organic eggs and the clientele is there.
On our 37 ha farm, we have 17 ha of sheep farming, 4.5 ha of market gardening and we also have cereals. We sell meat and eggs next to the vegetables, all our products are certified organic. This means that we support the organic sector 100%, we buy our seeds organically, the fertiliser, the compost, everything is organic. On a new farm, change is complicated but it is a commitment that meets the challenges of tomorrow.
From one producer to another...
The customers who visit the Potager de Fontjalabert have made a habit of favouring local produce and would not want to do without these visits to their favourite producers.
“For them, Friday is very often shopping day. They pick up their meat from a producer in Parisot, then they come here to get their vegetables and choose their fruit from the orchard next door. If they haven't found everything they need, they buy from the supermarket, but it's primarily from the producers that they go shopping. .”
When the weather gets in the way
In addition to being very demanding in terms of seasonal calendar, market gardening requires great anticipation.
Our work evolves with the seasons, we must always anticipate the next season and maintain a certain regularity. The maintenance of the plants is the most important part of the job. We also anticipate the following year. Concerning leeks for instance, we plant them at the end of June and pick them up in March/April of the following year. On our farm, we have about 25 different kinds of vegetables, knowing that for each vegetable there are at least 5 varieties.
All year round, the products of the Potager de Fontjalabert are on sale on Fridays directly at the farm, but also at the markets on Wednesday mornings in Saint-Sulpice and Saturday mornings in Lavaur. Some organic shops also sell them, such as Bio Lavaur, L'Epi se rit in Rabastens, the bulk grocery shop SEMO and Biocoop in Gaillac and St Sulpice. To enjoy the vegetables as they should be, you can find them prepared by the chef Julien Bourdariès at the restaurant Vigne en Foule in Gaillac.
Meet Jean-Marc and Dorothée, reconnection to nature
