FROM THE GARDEN TO THE LOCAL TERROIR
At Les Chênes Verts, the organic kitchen garden is fully part of life at the guesthouse. Grown by Patrick, the manager, it changes with the seasons and makes it possible to return to a simple, local, and down-to-earth approach. This garden naturally belongs to the Luberon environment, an area known for the richness of its local terroir, its producers, its markets, and the diversity of its local produce.
Beyond the kitchen garden, staying at Les Chênes Verts also makes it possible to better discover the flavours of the region, between fruit, vegetables, olive oil, honey, cheeses, and other productions from the area. Between direct sales, farmers’ markets, and local producers, the Luberon offers many opportunities to discover a local, close-to-home agriculture and a food heritage closely linked to Provence.
In Patrick’s
gardenLIFE IN THE GARDEN
At Les Chênes Verts, the garden holds an important place in the life of the guesthouse. Patrick, the manager, grows this organic kitchen garden in the Luberon himself, following the rhythm of the seasons and the natural development of the plantings.
This daily presence in the kitchen garden helps maintain a concrete link with the soil, the vegetables, the plants, and the harvests. The garden changes over the year, without seeking to produce continuously, but by respecting growing periods and the needs of each plant.
It is Patrick who takes charge of the Les Chênes Verts kitchen garden and follows its development day by day. He prepares the plantings, maintains the crops, and harvests what reaches maturity according to the periods of the year.
The kitchen garden remains on the scale of the guesthouse: it is not a farm operation, but a space cultivated on site, as close as possible to the needs of the house. This regular presence in the garden also helps keep a direct link with the soil and with the produce from each crop.
The kitchen garden naturally changes over the year. Plantings are not the same in spring, in summer, or when temperatures begin to drop, which makes it possible to follow a rhythm closer to natural cycles.
This change gives the garden a living, renewed character. Each period brings its own crops, its harvests, and its maintenance needs, with attention paid to the season, the climate, and the development of each plant.
When harvests allow, certain kitchen-garden produce can find its place in the Les Chênes Verts kitchen. The idea remains simple: use what is available at the right time, without trying to make people believe that the entire table d’hôtes relies solely on the garden’s production.
This link between growing and cooking gives more meaning to the produce served. A vegetable, an aromatic herb, or a fruit grown on site can thus go from the garden to the plate, depending on the season and on what Patrick has been able to harvest.
Current harvests
THE LOCAL TERROIR
The Luberon stands out for the diversity of its agricultural and artisanal production. Depending on the areas and the seasons, you can find fruit, vegetables, olive oil, honey, cheeses, wine, and also certain more specific products such as truffles.
This richness of the local terroir makes it possible to discover varied flavours throughout the year. Between producers, farms, markets, and direct-sale outlets, each part of the area offers its own specialities and its local consumption habits.
Fruit and vegetables hold an important place in the local diet of the Luberon. Their presence varies depending on the time of year, which makes it possible to discover different productions over the seasons and to better understand the rhythm of growing.
At markets, with certain producers, or through direct sales, this diversity can be found on the stalls. Choosing a seasonal product also helps you stay more connected to the area, to its agricultural habits, and to the reality of the work carried out in fields and gardens.
Olive oil is among the products closely associated with the Luberon and, more broadly, with Provence. Olive trees have a visible place in the landscape and contribute to the agricultural identity of the area.
Depending on the producers, olives can be turned into oil or offered in other forms. This work highlights local know-how linked to olive growing, harvesting, and the processing of the fruit.
The Luberon also offers a wide variety of farm and artisanal products. Honey, cheeses, certain milk-based products, wine, and also bread complement the productions that can be found from local producers and at certain markets.
This diversity reflects the agricultural richness of the area, between livestock farming, viticulture, beekeeping, and artisanal processing. Depending on the areas, it is also possible to discover goat’s cheese, juices, cereals, or other specialities from local know-how.
From the market to the
houseMEET THE PRODUCERS
To find local products in the Luberon, several options exist depending on the communes and the days of the week. Direct farm sales, markets, producer shops, or certain collective points of sale make it easier to get closer to the origin of the products.
These different channels also provide an opportunity to get to know the producers better, their working methods, and the specialities offered in each part of the area. For visitors, it is a simple way to extend the discovery of the Luberon through its agriculture and its local terroir.
Direct sales make it possible to buy from a producer without going through a long chain of intermediaries. Depending on the farms, this can take the form of a farm shop, a stand, or a welcome organised at certain times of the week.
This way of buying also makes it easier to exchange with the producer. The consumer can better know the origin of the product, how it was grown or processed, as well as the periods when it is truly available.
Producer shops and collective points of sale make it possible to find in one place several references from farms and holdings in the area. They can bring together fruit, vegetables, honey, cheeses, bread, or other locally processed products.
This type of shop offers a practical solution for discovering different productions without multiplying journeys. It also makes it possible to keep a local approach, with an offer built around producers and farmers from the Luberon.
Markets are another way to discover local Luberon produce. Depending on the communes and the days, they bring together producers, artisans, and different local actors around an offer that can combine fruit, vegetables, honey, cheeses, olive oil, or artisanal specialities.
Farmers’ markets more particularly make it possible to highlight local production and the direct relationship with those who grow or process the products. For visitors, it is also a simple moment to see the diversity of the local terroir and better understand the region’s eating habits.
