Other Gard flavours
Camargue rice. In the Camargue region, rice is sown under a narrow film of water, from April 20th. It emerges from the water after three weeks to four weeks. The rice plantation then looks like a lush green carpet. The ears form in July and harvest can start at the end of September, until November. It provides a wide variety of products: round rice, long rice, red rice and scented rice all of quality officially recognised by an IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) label.
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| The strawberry from Nîmes or “Gariguette”: First open ground fruit of the year in France, the strawberry from Nîmes comes out in spring, around March 15, and can be found until June. The variety on offer is the Gariguette, easily recognisable with its elongated and elegant shape. Gorged with sunshine, it has slight acidity, much to the delight of connoisseurs who constantly seek unusual flavours. The open ground cultivation gives the fruit its terroir-related typicity: early maturity, sweetness-acidity balance. |
| The Camargue Célestine asparagus or sand asparagus. Produced from the sandy soils of the department, it can be found on the market stalls from March until the end of May. The quality of the different terroirs and the mildness of the climate combine to produce straight, white and fragrant asparagus, much prized by top chefs, as well as green asparagus, much appreciated by connoisseurs! It is worth mentioning that for several years, the Gard department has been the leading area for the production of asparagus in France. |
The Reinette apple from Vigan. Late variety, cultivated since the dawn of time, the Reinette apple from Vigan is a rustic apple that grows extremely well on the Cévennes hillsides, where it finds its ideal exposure and terroir. Its dense, pale yellow flesh is delicate and tender. It offers a good balance between acidity and sweetness. If harvested at the end of August, one should wait a few weeks before eating it. That is why it is found on the markets in winter and spring.
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| Truffle, gastronomes’ Black Diamond, is the fruit of an underground mushroom called Tuber melanosporum, better known as Black Truffle or Périgord Truffle. In order to develop and bear fruit, this mushroom must grow on the roots of a tree: oak, hazel, lime… called truffle tree. In the Gard department, amateurs can buy fresh truffles from December to March on the market of Uzès every Saturday morning, and on the 3rd Sunday in January, during “Truffle Day” in Uzès. |
| The Camargue fleur de sel. It is in summer, when the wind stops blowing, that it forms on the surface of the crystallizers with the sun’s complicity. All the art of being a salt maker consists in being patient in order to dextrously collect, at the right time, this fugitive gift of nature, because the slightest breeze can make these delicate flakes disappear. Mother Nature makes things such that each picking is specific, which is why the name of the salt maker who collected the Fleur de Sel is mentioned on each box. |
| Figs. Apart from the olive tree, few trees are as ancient as the fig tree, when it comes to serving humanity. In May 2000, the French National Fig Conservatory, established on the Island of Porquerolles, divided part of its collection of fig trees and nearly 800 trees were planted on the southern slope of the village of Vézénobres. Every year in October, Vézénobres celebrates the Mediterranean Days of the Fig. |
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