Just got a lovely card from Catherine, who now lives with husband Jean-Claude in the house on the left of the church, one of the many buildings on the family property. At that time they lived in the big manor house, out of sight on the right of the church. They gave me and Philip our own little house down the road, and we stayed there while the divorce was going through. I will never forget such generosity - they took a complete stranger with a three-year-old child into the bosom of their family, and supported us financially till I started working as a gynaecologist's receptionist in a nearby town.
I googled and found this picture. I also found this article about Virginie, one of their two daughters:
A native of Neuilly-sur-Seine (92), Virginie Bouchard represents the 4th generation of producers. After secondary school (in Chartres), she graduated from the University of Paris VI with a master’s degree in biology and continued her studies at the University of Rennes where she earned a master’s degree and PhD in ecology. At 27, she was a researcher and lecturer at the University of Ohio in the USA. Thirteen years later, back in France with her husband Julio, in 2010, she took over the family business, driven by her passion for plants, nature and the environment.
I am the 4th generation of producers on the current farm, which represents about 230 hectares. The farm only produced cereal crops originally. Then my father Jean-Claude and my mother Catherine decided to diversify with a production of sweet corn, fruit, vegetables, baby leaf salads and edible flowers spread over about twenty hectares, with fourteen for sweet corn. In the 1970s, my father went to the USA at the request of the French Ministry of Agriculture to find out about growing sweet corn. Similarly, many years ago, he was also the first to produce baby vegetables and other crops like broccoli and bok choy. When I came back to France in 2010, I wanted to take over the market garden business with my husband Julio, who was also at university in the USA.
The flagship products of our production are sweet corn, edible flowers representing about thirty varieties (nasturtium, wild pansy, purple pansy, marigold, chrysanthemum, borage, etc.) which are highly sought after in gastronomy. Edible flowers turn gastronomy into a bouquet of flavours. There are not many of us producing them in France. We also have baby leaf salads (purslane, mixed greens, rocket, mizuna, mustard, ice plant, spinach, cordifole, etc.), representing a good fifteen varieties. These are niche products, primarily sought after by a clientele of top-of-the-line restaurants for the most part. Our production is subject to important rotations, for example, nasturtium has three or four rotations per year, like borage. The same is true for the baby leaf salads. We work outdoors, under tunnel or under glass too, which means we can have year-round production. We also have other productions like round zucchini, rhubarb, etc. We work on the principle of reasoned agriculture and integrated pest control, particularly for the edible flowers which are subject to attacks by greenfly and spiders.
http://www.rungismarket.com/en/vert/portraits_producteurs/VirginieBouchard.asp
I am still in touch with Jackie (a penfriend from school days), who, with her husband Maxime, first took Philip and me in. The day we arrived, I looked in the local newspaper and saw an ad for a secretary on a nearby property, and applied for the job. During the interview I realised I wouldn't be able to do the work as I am dyscalculic, but that didn't bother Jean-Claude, who asked, 'What can you do?' and invited me to go and live with them and teach the four children English. 'Would you like to live with us, or have a house of your own?' he asked. I chose a house of our own. What a fairy story...
I googled and found this picture. I also found this article about Virginie, one of their two daughters:
A native of Neuilly-sur-Seine (92), Virginie Bouchard represents the 4th generation of producers. After secondary school (in Chartres), she graduated from the University of Paris VI with a master’s degree in biology and continued her studies at the University of Rennes where she earned a master’s degree and PhD in ecology. At 27, she was a researcher and lecturer at the University of Ohio in the USA. Thirteen years later, back in France with her husband Julio, in 2010, she took over the family business, driven by her passion for plants, nature and the environment.
I am the 4th generation of producers on the current farm, which represents about 230 hectares. The farm only produced cereal crops originally. Then my father Jean-Claude and my mother Catherine decided to diversify with a production of sweet corn, fruit, vegetables, baby leaf salads and edible flowers spread over about twenty hectares, with fourteen for sweet corn. In the 1970s, my father went to the USA at the request of the French Ministry of Agriculture to find out about growing sweet corn. Similarly, many years ago, he was also the first to produce baby vegetables and other crops like broccoli and bok choy. When I came back to France in 2010, I wanted to take over the market garden business with my husband Julio, who was also at university in the USA.
The flagship products of our production are sweet corn, edible flowers representing about thirty varieties (nasturtium, wild pansy, purple pansy, marigold, chrysanthemum, borage, etc.) which are highly sought after in gastronomy. Edible flowers turn gastronomy into a bouquet of flavours. There are not many of us producing them in France. We also have baby leaf salads (purslane, mixed greens, rocket, mizuna, mustard, ice plant, spinach, cordifole, etc.), representing a good fifteen varieties. These are niche products, primarily sought after by a clientele of top-of-the-line restaurants for the most part. Our production is subject to important rotations, for example, nasturtium has three or four rotations per year, like borage. The same is true for the baby leaf salads. We work outdoors, under tunnel or under glass too, which means we can have year-round production. We also have other productions like round zucchini, rhubarb, etc. We work on the principle of reasoned agriculture and integrated pest control, particularly for the edible flowers which are subject to attacks by greenfly and spiders.
http://www.rungismarket.com/en/vert/portraits_producteurs/VirginieBouchard.asp
I am still in touch with Jackie (a penfriend from school days), who, with her husband Maxime, first took Philip and me in. The day we arrived, I looked in the local newspaper and saw an ad for a secretary on a nearby property, and applied for the job. During the interview I realised I wouldn't be able to do the work as I am dyscalculic, but that didn't bother Jean-Claude, who asked, 'What can you do?' and invited me to go and live with them and teach the four children English. 'Would you like to live with us, or have a house of your own?' he asked. I chose a house of our own. What a fairy story...
