It has been 4 years since Patrick Larèrre of Fermes Larèrre started growing ginger, a rare, fresh and 100% organic product. This is unique in France. It is a way of seeing climate change as an opportunity rather than a hindrance. "Ginger needs heat and humidity to grow. We are experiencing more and more very hot summers, very mild springs and very hot autumns, so this is an opportunity to try out crops that we could not grow in the climate we used to have."
A small but popular production
As a result, 1 hectare of the farm's greenhouses in the heart of the Landes region is now partly devoted to growing this exotic plant. The area produced around 10 tons of organic ginger this year, harvested by hand from November to January. This volume is anecdotal, and even more so this year, with yields impacted by rainy conditions. However, this garlic production is highly popular. "Restaurants, supermarkets, specialized shops and manufacturers love it for its freshness, its juicier, more flavoursome taste than conventional ginger, as well as for its very low carbon footprint. It is a better-value product than Chinese ginger, but it is not comparable in terms of quality." In fact, ginger received a 4.7/5 rating in the 26th edition of the Concours des Gourmets de France 2023.
The first home-grown pots of ginger
Despite the conclusive results, production will remain confidential and will be on the company's list of other innovative projects. "It is an exclusive product that requires a lot of resources. Our production will remain confidential, but we are thinking about other projects. We have also taken advantage of our ginger cultivation to develop an innovative product: the first home-grown pots of ginger! We have already sold 1,000 pots this year and we will continue experimenting with this new product with our partners. Usually, only the plant's tuberous rhizome is eaten, but the product is so good and fresh that the stems and leaves can also be consumed in infusions, for example!"
A desire to adapt to climate change
Besides ginger, Fermes Larrère has also been growing sweet potatoes for the last ten years. "It is a crop we have mastered very well. In the context of climate change, we really want to continue to develop a resilient range! 'Producing in France what comes from afar' is one of our credos. Climate change is here, and it is up to us to adapt."
For more information:
Patrick Larrère
Fermes Larèrre
Domaine du Douc
40410 Liposthey
Phone: +33 5 58 82 39 64
Fax: +33 5 58 82 39 98
[email protected]