Natural Park of Monts d’Ardèche: Blueberry, queen of Ardèche

Chestnut producers, concerned with preserving the Ardéchois countryside, are the originators of the creation of the park, this is now a fact since April 2001 and it covers only one third of only one department  but over

180 00 hectares between 170 and 1 753 m high, the summit of Mont Mézenc.

Most of the natural marvels of the Ardèche can be found there, it is one of the areas preferred by the French and others, when they think of holidays. One can easily imagine the happiness of those who live there or of those who are able to spend an unexpected week end there!

They can benefit from the landscapes, the rivers, and traces of the lava flow of this region where the earth was so turbulent in the past and thermal springs appeared to spread their wellbeing.

At Saint Laurent les Bains, the water even exits at 53°C!

But if the Ardèche is the chosen site for chestnuts (of course we will come back to this subject again in the Autumn...), it is also the same for the wild blueberries which have absolutely nothing in common with cultivated berries.

 The department is the main producer in France and it owes everything to its farmers, who regularly clear the land, so that the appropriate comb can be used for the harvest on the bushes where the berries grow.

If the blueberry is excellent in cakes and in accompanying meats, it also has highly recognized applications in pharmacology. It has been known for years that it is excellent for the eyes.

So many virtues for this small fruit which, once dried, can replace raisins in a chestnut cake for an even better result ; and the person who suggests this is none other than Régis Marcon, the famous three star chef of Saint Bonnet le Froid. Nothing less !

To go further :
Recipe - Clafoutis with wild bilberries