The concept of terroir normally associated with the countryside now also applies to the city: as proof, a cider house in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville sector of Montreal has just launched a cider made from fruit harvested in the metropolis!
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“Since we’re one of the few cider houses to be in an urban setting, we thought why not make a cider from Montreal apples,” explains Pauline Macera, co-owner of Cidre Sauvageon with Raphaël Lefort and Camille Legault Coulombe. The association Forbidden Fruits, which looks up private individuals, first gave us a list of addresses where we could find crab apple trees, among other things, whose people didn’t quite know what to do. Then we launched an appeal on social media, inviting citizens who have surplus fruit to contact us.
The pickers therefore went to individuals who opened their gardens to them, a daycare center and even a parking lot to pick apples, crabapples, pears, grapes, raspberries and sakatoons.
Genevieve Quessy/ QMI AGENCY
“Sometimes we were able to harvest up to 200 or 300 kilograms per tree,” says Ms. Macera, adding that the approach aims to limit wastage while promoting the fruit present on the island.
With the exception of one garden in Laval and another in Longueuil, all the fruit is from the island of Montreal. A total of 1000 bottles were produced from this harvest.
The just bottled Metropolis cider that resulted from this project was delivered to several specialty stores this week.
Located on the third floor of a large building on rue Legendre, in the heart of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville industrial district, Cidre Sauvageon is part of the Centrale agricole, which brings together about twenty companies dedicated to urban agriculture.
Active in wine and mushroom cultivation, seed production and insect breeding, among other things, these companies can rent premises, make use of support and training services and benefit from networking and international networking.
“Since we founded Cidre Sauvageon in 2020, part of our mission has been to promote Quebec’s wild apples, but also to promote urban agriculture and the economy as a member of the Central Agricole collective. Circular,” emphasizes Pauline Macera.