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Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- General
- Montreal Gazette
Crazy about vegetables at this local farmer's market
News By The tables were stacked with carrots and beets, their greens still attached, with Japanese eggplants and Lebanese cucumbers, with Tokyo turnips and Chinese cabbage. There were circles of garlic scapes and bunches of cauliflower, yellow and green zucchini, cherry tomatoes in different colours and larger tomatoes, fennel and onions, pails filled with bouquets of wildflowers — and much, much more. The produce had been harvested that morning or the previous day and the air was heady with the scent of basil and strawberries. The scene was the Thursday afternoon produce market in Prince Albert Square in Westmount's Victoria Village. It's run by Complètement Légume, an artisanal organic farm in Mirabel owned and operated by three women — Amélie Rodier, Stéphanie Ethier and Gabrielle Jobin-Richer — and worked, in large measure, by women. It was barely 2 p.m., the market had just opened and the line of customers waiting to pay and holding full baskets, for the most part, was already snaking around the tables. 'I love the product,' said Sara Popa, a regular. 'The produce is much fresher than what I find elsewhere and I find the price point fair. I also love the neighbourhood vibe: It's just so authentic.' Notre-Dame-de-Grâce resident Gabrielle Wener, another regular, was there with her husband, realtor Michael Marjaba. Wener is a naturopath and 'eating healthfully is a priority for me,' she said. 'What's great here is that everything is in season. I don't have to choose: Everything is fresh and delicious.' Stéphane Dupré, a regular who lives a block over from the market, said: 'Their produce is amazing, fresh, organic and affordable — and the women are super-knowledgeable and helpful: They bring so much to the community: It's a real gift to the neighbourhood.' Complètement Légume produce is certified organic by Ecocert Canada. Rodier explained that, in French, 'complètement légume' is slang for 'a little bit crazy.' 'Working in the farming business, you have to be a little crazy,' said Rony Cukier, a developer who has served as a mentor to Rodier and her partners. 'Farming is very, very hard work.' When they started their business in 2017, the three knew little about farming. As colleagues at Profiteausol in Mirabel, which provides support and guidance to agricultural producers in adopting sustainable farming practices that are also profitable, they worked with farmers, but not as farmers. Jobin-Richer had studied agricultural technology and Rodier had experience in project management. 'We had a lot to learn,' said Ethier, who had studied business administration and biochemistry. It started, as so much does, with opportunity: An investor in two Westmount restaurants who knows Cukier said he was looking for a small patch of land to rent for a farm-to-table initiative for the establishments. Cukier owns a piece of farmland in Mirabel in partnership with other people. It was rented to a longtime tenant, Ethier's father — his company, les Gazons Ethier, grows grass — but Ethier was willing to carve out a corner to rent to the women. That first season, in 2016, they grew produce for the two restaurants. The following year, they established Complètement Légume. 'They worked really hard and had a burning desire to learn and to succeed,' said Cukier. 'I was happy to mentor them and encourage them. For me, it was a wonderful thing to help young entrepreneurs with a strong work ethic and to watch them flourish.' The Complètement Légume farm moved to a larger space — 0.8 hectares — equipped with electricity, a greenhouse and an irrigation system and began to offer produce baskets. They started with 30 baskets and grew. Today, as part of the Family Farmers Network, they deliver about 180 baskets per week in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, Mirabel and Prévost. They also produce more than 40 varieties of vegetables for restaurants, including Taverne sur le Square in Westmount Square, MacTaverne Auberge + Pub in Val-David and Les Arts Gourmets caterers in Prévost. 'Complètement Légume supplies 75 to 80 per cent of my produce the whole summer,' said Stephen Leslie, chef and co-owner of Taverne sur le Square. 'I organize my menu around what they produce: What they bring is so much better than what I could buy at the market. 'Their arugula reminds me of being a kid, when we used to grow our own arugula and it was peppery and bitter. You put that on somebody's plate and you know you are serving something that you have confidence in. The eggplant they grow is almost sweet. People say, 'It's so good.' Same with their zucchini,' Leslie said. 'As we get to midsummer, you can barely see the kitchen, it's stacked so high with produce: Any cook who comes through the door says, 'Chef, this stuff is amazing.'' In addition to the Prince Albert Square market, Complètement Légume is at the Val-David summer market in the Laurentians on Saturday mornings. The women are partners, but only Rodier is involved full-time. Ethier and Jobin-Richer have jobs elsewhere and are there one day a week. Officially, Rodier takes Sundays off, 'but, really, it's seven days,' she said. Five of the farm's eight employees are women. The Community Events division of the city of Westmount helped Complètement Légume set up in Prince Albert Square in 2022, once the plan had been approved by the city's then-director-general; today they do their own setup, arriving about 90 minutes ahead of time to set up tables and an outdoor canopy and to unpack produce from the reusable bins in which it is transported and set it out. Cynthia Lulham, who served on Westmount city council for 26 years, until 2021, initiated the Prince Albert Square project and that of another square, at Greene Ave. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. The goal was to provide a public place for events and a meeting place, she said. The first thing Prince Albert Square was used for was the Complètement Légume market — and the weekly market 'is exactly what I had hoped for,' said Lulham, who since 2023 has served as director-general of the association of Westmount merchants. 'The produce is amazing.' AT A GLANCE The Complètement Légume produce market in Prince Albert Square, at the southwest intersection of Prince Albert Ave. and Sherbrooke St. in Westmount, operates Thursdays 2-6 p.m. It will continue until mid-October. Related Stories from Montreal Gazette Columnists Brownstein: Atop a Walmart, Lufa's latest greenhouse is almost ready to harvest March 19, 2024 6:00 AM News Canada's only supermarket rooftop vegetable garden grows in St-Laurent July 28, 2024 12:13 PM Susan Schwartz montrealgazette 514-386-8794 Susan Schwartz, a native Montrealer, is a longtime reporter and feature writer at The Gazette.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘It's suffocating': Smoke continues to impact residents and wildlife in Carolina Forest after recent flare-ups
CAROLINA FOREST, S.C. (WBTW) — After the recent acre-wide flare-up of the Covington Drive wildfire, Carolina Forest residents say the smoke continues to be a problem for their daily lives– even impacting their jobs and physical health. Amazon delivery driver Hannah Ethier said picking up morning shifts has been difficult with the looming heavy smoke in the early hours of the day. She said even as early as 3 a.m., smoke will blanket her routes. 'Going down (Highway) 31 sometimes it's smoky. Going down Carolina Forest most of the time it's smoky, especially in those early morning hours,' Ethier said. 'And even with my recirculation is on in my car, I can still smell it. It's like it's suffocating you,' she said. Those living on Covington Drive said the smoke has lingered so long they've almost become immune to the smell. Michele Easton said she's fortunate the smoke isn't taking a huge toll on her health, worries for her neighbors three-year-old grandson Kyle Easton Reyes. 'Just two nights ago, my three-year-old grandson had to be taken into emergency for a breathing apparatus because he has asthma' she said. 'So I know the smoke is truly detrimental for those suffering with lung conditions, heart conditions.' Easton said not only does she worry about recent sparking about flare ups and making smoke continue to linger, but also the safety of drivers like Ethier 'As soon as I look out my front window, I can see the boulevard that's covered. There were some mornings where I saw the school busses coming in and said, I have no idea why, because it's dangerous. It's definitely a dangerous situation,' she said. South Carolina Forestry Commision officials said as the flare-ups continue, crews will monitor the area. They said as on the forest floors and dry conditions meet, flare-ups could continue. 'The most important thing for folks to know is that these flare-ups are way internal. They're not close to any homes. The fire is still 90% contained with 2,059 acres. And that hasn't changed for the last several weeks,' commission spokesman Russell Hubright said. 'So basically, it is the material out there.' But as flare-ups continue and smoke lingers, local beekeepers say it's pushing out colonies from their natural habitats. Working for his Marci Honey Bee Farm LLC, Mike Marci has already removed ten hives from the Covington Drive area. If flare-ups continue, Marci said, more bees will search for new homes in unconventional locations to stay safe. Horry County Fire Rescue officials said the flare ups are anticipated to remain in the area but are being closely watched. * * * Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Former big leaguer's house with golf simulator, putting green can be had for $20 million
Former big leaguer's house with golf simulator, putting green can be had for $20 million A Gilbert, Arizona, mansion with a go-kart track once owned by former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is on the market for $19.995 million. Located on 4.36 acres, the 9,326-square-foot home has an entertainment complex with an indoor gun range with a bulletproof viewing booth, a golf simulator with a putting green, a dance studio and a batting cage. The home with five bedrooms and 5 ½ bathrooms also has a 4,000-square-foot day spa with steam, massage and yoga rooms as well as a cold plunge pool. "We sought a special retreat,' said MLB All-Star Ethier recently. 'From the grand entrance with its metal and burnt wood touches to the master suite featuring a floating bed and a disappearing TV, we crafted a space that was both a sanctuary and a statement.' The former Arizona State baseball standout, who also played high school baseball in Phoenix, sold the house for $4.9 million in 2017 to move to Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood. The house's primary suite has a fireplace and a two-story closet. Outside, there are bird sanctuaries, a greenhouse, dog runs and peacock habitats. "For someone seeking value, uniqueness and a bit more seclusion, you won't find a better deal," said RETSY real estate agent Heather Steck, who has the listing with Mike Steck. "In addition to a single-family residence, this property could serve as an event center, elite corporate retreat or wedding venue." A group called Ocotillo Sunset Ranch is the home's current owner, according to public records.
