The Périgord Strawberry IGP: enjoy it from April to October!

In Périgord, everyone knows the duck delicacies, such as foie gras, gizzards, and duck breasts. But did you know that the Périgord strawberry is also one of the region's specialties ? It's a small red fruit, cultivated with expertise and care since the 1950s. Strawberries are synonymous with spring. When Gariguette strawberries arrive at the market stalls, everyone is delighted! But strawberries are also a summer and autumn fruit thanks to everbearing varieties.

Let us tell you all about the Périgord Strawberry, a PGI to be enjoyed with gusto!

The Périgord Strawberry: a story of soil, a story of flesh

The strawberry, as we know it, arrived in France in the 19th century. In the United States, crossbreeding was done between very large strawberries and wild strawberries to create hybrids that were easy to grow and full of flavor. Strawberries of yesteryear weren't necessarily the most appetizing: they were small, stunted , and not very fleshy, because the red part, which is what we now eat and which is full of flavor, is not the fruit!

The fruit is actually the seeds (achenes): the red part is just the fruit-bearing part (or false fruit)! Therefore, crossbreeding was necessary to favor fruits with the most desirable and palatable flesh. The Bretons brought the strawberry back from the New World, but it didn't immediately take root as a cultivated crop.

In the 1950s, after the war, strawberries began appearing on market stalls in the Périgord region. Why Périgord? Because it's a region with a strong rural and agricultural tradition, and a significant sand flow from the Massif Central crosses the department near Vergt and Cendrieux. This loose soil, combined with the acidic soils resulting from forest clearings, is a boon for strawberries!

Strawberries are taking off like wildfire (because they're delicious!) and everyone is starting to cultivate a few plots. In the 1960s, cattle farmers turned it into a side business, which is why Cendrieux (which was one of the largest dairy towns in France) has so many strawberry fields in its landscape.

Don't be fooled: "Hmm, it's grown in a greenhouse to extend the production period." No, no, not at all! The tunnels are n't heated. They're even open during the day because strawberries need pollinating insects. Strawberries are grown under cover because they hate water and soil splashes. They're a delicate fruit, and the more flavorful they are, the more susceptible they are to moisture.

Spring and autumn are demanding times for strawberry growers, who spend their time opening and closing tunnels depending on the weather. The strawberries are grown on mounds covered with geotextile or black tarpaulin, which prevents runners from multiplying and keeps the fruit from coming into contact with the soil, which could damage them. Watering is done sparingly, using drip irrigation for the same reasons.

Strawberry varieties: a robust production

The Périgord PGI includes 8 varieties:

1. The Gariguette strawberry, which you know well. It's an early variety, and in terms of taste, it's well-balanced, slightly acidic and sweet at the same time, and refreshing. It's a dessert strawberry, but it's also appreciated by pastry chefs.
2. The Darselect, which arrives at the same time as the Gariguette, is less well-known. Excellent for jams or eaten raw, it's also a beautiful fruit that adorns pastries like strawberry tarts, thanks to its large size.
3. The Donna is a pretty strawberry, shiny and bright red. It is sweet and popular!
4. The Cléry is a round strawberry, quite large and very good when fully ripe. It can be found in the spring.
5. The Mara des Bois strawberry is also a star. It's smaller and often has quite a noticeable seedy texture, but this doesn't detract from its wild and very distinctive flavor. It's delicate and naturally sweet. This easy-to-grow strawberry is very productive and disease-resistant. It can be found until October and the first frosts!
6. The Charlotte is a fragrant, slightly musky, melting strawberry, but not very juicy. It's enjoyed simply for its wild strawberry character and the aroma that fills the kitchen.
7. The Cérafine is elongated in shape. It is a cross with Mara des bois, but juicier and more tangy.
8. The Candiss variety produces large, cone-shaped fruits with many achenes (seeds on the red flesh). It is easy to grow and very aromatic.

So why aren't there many strawberries in the fall ? From spring onwards, we're delighted to showcase them everywhere. But after summer, strawberries become less common, even though they're still plentiful in the fields! In the fall, supermarkets have moved on to other products. That's why you'll find superb strawberries at the market and directly from producers in September and October.

Strawberries are always picked ripe, but not overripe. They will continue to change color during transport and at home, but their flavor won't improve. That's why they need to be harvested in several passes, just at the right time, and this is part of the expertise of the IGP Fraises du Périgord (Périgord Strawberries ).

Strawberries in figures

• France produces 55,000 tonnes of strawberries per year.
• Approximately 20,000 tonnes are produced by Cooperatives, such as SOCAVE, which hosted me for my report and which produces 2,200 tonnes per year.
• Strawberries under the PGI Fraises du Périgord represent 400 tonnes.
• In Périgord, strawberry cultivation has become professionalized since the 1960s. While previously it was a secondary crop for livestock farmers and crop growers, today it is a primary source of income (sometimes combined with livestock farming or cereals for crop rotation). On average, farms cover 40 to 50 hectares and produce 50 tonnes per hectare.
• Strawberries are a perennial crop that remains in place for five years. In our garden, we can grow our strawberry plants for longer, but growers must replace the plants every five years to rotate crops and thus benefit from well-amended soil. Similarly, the plants produce less fruit with age. This is why there are often areas of fallow land near strawberry tunnels.

Storage at SOCAVE, the Périgord Strawberry Cooperative

Our version of Périgord strawberry tart

We all have a different recipe for strawberry tart. Ours is a little special, as it's designed specifically for people with egg allergies. If you'd like to try a different recipe or you're out of eggs, here's ours!

For egg-free shortcrust pastry made in a saucepan

The dough doesn't take long to make when you make it in a saucepan: no washing up, no waiting.

• 125g of butter
• 100g of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 small glass of water
• 250 g of flour

1. Melt these 3 ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spatula (be careful, it's hot) until a ball forms, add a little more flour if needed.
3. Spread the dough to the desired size on a sheet of parchment paper, or directly into a lightly greased mold (approximately 28cm in diameter or less if you like thick dough).
4. Bake blind with a weight on the pastry (so that it does not puff up), 20 minutes at 200 degrees.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For egg-free pastry cream

• 1 vanilla pod (or liquid vanilla, but it's not as good)
• 400ml of whole milk
• 50g of whole cane sugar
• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch or other starch

1. Heat the milk with the seeds from the vanilla pod and the sugar, until boiling.
2. Add the cornflour, previously diluted in a glass of COLD milk, and whisk everything continuously so that the cornflour thickens the cream.
3. When the mixture reaches a creamy consistency, remove from heat, transfer to a container, and let cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
4. Before spreading the cream on the shortcrust pastry, blend with an immersion blender to loosen the cream.
5. Smooth the surface of the cream, add the strawberries of your choice, cut or uncut (it's a matter of aesthetics).
6. For a glossy finish, heat some strawberry jam in a saucepan and brush it onto the surface.

Enjoy your food !

The Strawberry Festival in Vergt

Every year in mid-May, the Strawberry Festival takes place in Vergt. Throughout the day, strawberry growers come to meet you. There, you can buy strawberries of all varieties, all sorts of items, strawberry- flavored treats, strawberry plants, flowers, and more.

To end the day, try the giant strawberry tart. A delight to enjoy without moderation!