During the “Spring on the farm” operation, some people were able to discover Daniel Tapie’s sign, “Les Récoltes de Toupie”.
Daniel Tapie in Montesquieu presented to visitors his work on his farm, located in a good position on the slopes of a hill near the plain of the Garonne. “My farm is in two parts, 4 hectares in Montesquieu, with orchards in organic cultivation, and 4 hectares in Bruch in the plain with cereals and the fruit nursery whose activity I have ceased. The interest is the orchards, persimmons and ente plums. I planted the persimmons in 1991, and the conversion to organic was done in 2007-2008. The persimmon is a beautiful tree, the culture is not complicated, few pests or of diseases.”
Persimmons… in crisps
Dear reader, forget everything you think you know regarding persimmons. Forget the pungency of old fruits from grandmothers’ gardens, your childhood grimaces at the viscous flesh of an overripe fruit that had to be eaten with a teaspoon. “There are three categories of persimmons, explains Daniel, the astringent of yesteryear, the semi-astringent which comes from Spain, for example, and the non-astringent apple persimmon, which is eaten crunchy like an apple.
The apple persimmon is not the result of a cross between the persimmon and the apple and is eaten in winter, from October to December. “Initially, admits Daniel, for a long time I came up once morest a refusal to taste this ‘new’ fruit, except for a more curious ‘organic’ clientele. But now there is no longer a problem.”
Daniel Tapie has also tried his hand at transforming persimmons into crisps, rich in calcium and vitamin D, for the past two years. works of art highly prized by some restaurateurs for decorating their dishes. And prunes? “I have had 2 hectares of plum trees since 2008, grown directly organically. In these orchards, I want to recreate an ecosystem, by sowing or planting aromatics (rosemary, thyme, at the top of the orchard) repellent plants once morest aphids in the lower part (wormwood, tansy). We would like flowering all year round (for example with laurel from January-February) ‘flowers and smells all year round’. Under the trees, legumes (vetch, horse bean) Plants that have the ability to restore the nitrogen captured in the air, thus 20% of the needs are obtained naturally.
The prunes are cooked in the traditional way in an oven and are sold with the appellation “Pruneau d’Agen”, a production that Daniel wishes to develop further and expand.
Visitors have benefited from these detailed explanations on the “organic” given with conviction and enthusiasm by the arborist.
