Heart of a farmer | Take a bite out of life

Heart of a farmer is the story of a return to the land: of fields exposed to river winds and a house with a creaking frame from which emanate the smells of farm pasta and chicken broth. Eternally enthusiastic, Julie Aubé wears a new hat here to give us a slice of a colorful universe – her own – where the seasons bring their share of challenges and inspiring projects.

From the ground to the table

It was in the opposite direction that Julie Aubé took the “from the land to the table” circuit, first approaching it from the angle of nutrition to end up with her hands in the vegetable garden and her boots in the hay.

A country girl, she initially envisioned the city as a practical place of passage, while she completed her studies. She finally stuck her feet in the asphalt (the fault of her lover, Pascal Hudon, owner of the Pascal le Boucher butcher shop in the Villeray district). It will take a pandemic for an old dream to come and haunt her: that of having a large garden, three chickens and a quiet nest in the countryside. The farm project that followed was an “accident”, she says, although it is doubtful whether it was a simple coincidence.

Nutritionist, author of recipe books (Eat local 1 and 2), columnist and event producer (Take the field!), Julie Aubé is an eternal student and a faithful defender of local food. We therefore see a logical continuation of the fact that his six acres of land quickly became an experimental site for a microfarm which houses 100 chickens, vegetable plots, a promising orchard and a new windbreak hedge which tempers the blow of the wind, which is powerful along the St. Lawrence.

The week of our interview, she is finishing the blitz of meetings and interviews that accompanies the release of her book, before heading to the campaign. “I’m moving my food processor and my pasta machine, and I’m going to live in Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies for the summer season! “, she announces. A farmer during the summer, Julie Aubé found her balance in this seasonal sharing between an urban apartment and an old soul with a red roof, located on a plot of land between Quebec and Rivière-du-Loup.

Farmers, these heroes

Like a child impressed by skating on the same ice as her idols, Julie Aubé candidly admits that farmers are her heroes. “I admire their resourcefulness and their ability to bounce back from unforeseen circumstances. Every year is so different from the others. There is the weather, the predators, the difficult-to-recruit labor force and very limited resources. In small farming, they have to wear a thousand hats and do everything from planning to marketing. It’s 7 days a week! And all this to feed us… For me, they deserve all our admiration. »

There is something noble in this work, she adds again, excluding herself from the equation. Julie Aubé is a nutritionist without an office. She writes recipe books without being a chef. She releases an adventure story without calling herself a writer. She is pursuing training in agroforestry without being an expert in the subject. To top it all off, she practices agriculture while excluding herself from the gang, like an eternal groupie invited to play in the big leagues.

“Sometimes I still ask myself: “What am I real?” » One thing is certain, the lady is a “real” one: a true apprentice of everything voluntarily placed in an uncomfortable posture which allows her to keep her antennae alert, she notes.

And it is among other things to prove that a farm in the countryside is an accessible project that she wanted to immortalize the details on paper.

Of gratitude and pride

The rural adventures of the farmer at heart have had their challenges, their pitfalls and failures, as well as victories.

“Dear countryside, I need to be lulled by winter to recover from last season’s storms, but I am still hungry for you,” she wrote in Heart of a farmer, after a particularly difficult season where, overwhelmed by the amount of work, she must resolve to see the tomatoes lovingly watered during the summer rot. Alive, indomitable, Julie Aubé persists.

There is perhaps a quest for meaning in this desire to grow what nourishes, she reflects. The same one which, for 15 years, has led her to talk about local food.

The future requires several things, including small-scale agriculture, which requires collaboration between eaters and farmers, she believes. “As a consumer, you must be invested with the mission of supporting farmers, which requires a certain motivation which itself comes from affect. » And this is another good reason for wanting to write this story in perfect professional diversity.

Roch and his Rockeuses

The farmer is reactivating her fresh vegetable and egg kiosk this summer, as well as the production of farm pasta that she makes with her own hands from the eggs of her chickens, affectionately nicknamed “the Rockeuses”, and flour from the mill. from the village: another way to tickle the sensibilities of foodies traveling the holiday route.

From Mother’s Day until Halloween, if all goes as planned, you will also find a microwave and tables at Roch the farmer, to enjoy these homemade creations in a “ready-to-eat” version. During Days in Eggs (the 9th, 19th and 29th of each month), activities are planned on the farm.

Visit the Roch the farmer website

Julie Aubé’s “famous potato packet”

It is one of the recipes that accompany moments in the story of Heart of a farmer. To savor simple pleasures… potatoes included.

Ingredients

• Butter (more than you think)
• Onions cut into strips (more than you think)
• Minced garlic (more than you think)
• Quebec potatoes, peeled or not and cut into pieces of similar size
• Salt (more than you think)
• Local hot sauce, to taste and intensity

Preparation

• 1. In the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil, place knobs of butter, then, in layers, strips of onion, chopped garlic, potatoes, salt and hot sauce. Then, more garlic, more onions, and more butter.
• 2. Close the foil tightly and cook in a preheated oven at 190 to 200°C (375 to 400°F) or on the barbecue over medium-high heat, for at least 30 minutes, or more depending on the size of the pieces.

Note: Prepare a papillote that feeds more than the number of guests: you want leftovers, a perfect base to accompany the next day’s omelette or to prepare a potato salad. Add garden herbs to taste (thyme, oregano, etc.).