Gourmet products local specialties and wines Carquefou

It was in March 2020 in Carquefou that the young farmer Alexis Chauvelon created his gourmet farm. This young market gardener grows carrots, potatoes, chard, courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes and strawberries in a reasoned way... Located between the chicken and goat pen and the market garden greenhouses, this new wooden building houses a shop that offers various quality farm products direct from producers, most of them local. The fruit and vegetables are grown using integrated farming methods and the aim is to convert to organic farming in the future. We love the Comice pears from Carquefou, the Fuji apples and the yellow kiwis from Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, the XXL version of quinces (with a recipe for a pie as a bonus!), for this anthology of cucurbits, for these sweet potatoes... In addition to the fresh produce, you will find beef from the Guillauminerie du Gaec le Bois Guillaume in Ligné, but also poultry from the Ferme des Marais in Haute-Goulaine and pork from the Ferme de Bel-Air in La Meilleraye-de-Bretagne as well as from the Maison Bodet in Le Landreau. A dairy section with eggs from Bio Divatte, farm dairy products from the Pays Guérandais from the Mézerac farm and ice cream from the Ferme du Blanc Verger in Sucé-sur-Erdre. You will also appreciate the abundant grocery store where gourmet products all as tempting as each other are mixed together: coffees, teas, honeys from Frédéric Hermann of Couëron and Ferme de la Pénoue of Petit-Mars, jams from Ferme du Bouffay, compote, porridge and vegan cookies from Vahina of Trentemoult, Des Épices à ma guise items from Ancenis, west Spiruline from Carquefou, soups from the Conserverie des saveurs, bagged legumes from Gaec Le Parpounet, vinegar and cider from Landes du Luquet... As you will have noticed, La Ferme Gourmande lives up to its name! In the summer of 2021, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and vegetables will be picked, and a workshop will be set up to transform the crops into jams, ice creams and soups...

Domaine de Port-Jean, on the banks of the Erdre river, has been in existence for almost 90 years. Just under fifty years ago, Daniel Bécavin took over the family estate to help his father. In 1999, Daniel's son Cyrille joined the adventure. The family estate now covers fourteen hectares. The Bécavins produce Muscadet-Coteaux-de-la-Loire, including the excellent and highly successful Cru Champtoceaux. A famous magazine says of it that "its salinity is often sought-after and makes for interesting pairings". Other bottles can be found in the côteaux-d'ancenis, where gamay (rosé, red), cabernet (red, rosé demi-sec) and malvoisie are produced. One of their prides is the Folie de l'Erdre, produced using traditional winemaking methods. Every year, on the last weekend in November, Cyrille organizes a Christmas market (Santa Claus is present on Sunday!) on his estate, bringing together some thirty local producers and craftsmen. A second gastronomic and wine event takes place on the second weekend in March. Cyrille selects only quality products and gives pride of place to artisans who are too often overlooked. Since 2015, Cyrille has been hosting the association La Ruche Qui Dit Oui to bring together local producers and consumers. A great way to make new discoveries.

What a pleasant surprise to discover this brand-new, beautiful store near Carquefou town hall! After two years of nurturing this lovely project, Manuel and Xavier, greengrocers by trade, opened this 300 m² store entirely dedicated to local and organic produce at the beginning of October 2019. And to do so, they work directly with around a hundred producers. You're sure to find what you're looking for: fruit and vegetables, groceries, fresh produce, meat, wine cellar, beers and arranged rums, artisan breads.. Try fruit juices and soups from Ferme Fruitière de la Hautière, honey from Isabelle and Jean-Louis Gaudin, beekeepers in Puceul, products from Isabelle Clérot's Jardin des Confitures in Vallons de l'Erdre, bread from Binoches in Petit Mars or Panisfaire in Grandchamps des Fontaines, fish rillettes from La Sablaise, products from Ferme des Coteaux de la Divatte, cakes from Maison du Biscuit, tea and coffee from Un Grain une Feuille, beers from 14 brewers in Loire-Atlantique, soap from Havre des Sens in Oudon and Kelpi wooden toys from Bretagne. Nature de chêne offers a range of re-used products: coffee filters, washable sanitary towels... what a great zero-waste initiative! What's more, it's open every day. So don't miss out!

At 1 minute of the traffic circle of the Belle Étoile, place called Les Briords (direction Carquefou) there is a mental health establishment named Psy' Activ. Here, organic vegetables and fruits are produced. They also cook them to find them in the plates served in the restaurant Terre Happy. We also find plants and flowers to decorate houses and gardens. The difference is that the market gardeners and horticulturists are all patients of the hospital who are engaged in a course of treatment and social and professional rehabilitation. You can come and buy their produce (in the adjacent store) and even - from April to October - pick your own strawberries. In addition, the site has a Terre Happy vocational rehabilitation restaurant. There again, the patients are in charge of the kitchen and the dining room, and there is a second site, La Mainguais, where sewing, laundry, carpentry and stone cutting services are offered. Calling on Psy' Activ is above all a gesture of solidarity.