Eat well in Geneva: the strawberry star arrives on the stalls

She melts in the mouth. Sweet and fragrant to the strawberry taste of wood, the Mara des Bois seduces Geneva gourmets. Cultivated for over twenty years, in Perly by Claude Janin, she owes her success to her unique taste and her local production. Each year, with his brother Damien, Claude Janin cultivates between 7 and 8 tonnes of this variety. “The Mara is small. It has a flexible flesh and a good balance between acidity and sucking. When I find myself in the greenhouses, I sometimes taste it without stopping, ”says Claude Janin.

At the beginning of April, in the greenhouses of the Janin brothers, the strawberries are still green. A hive full of bumblebees is arranged between two rows of plants. They turn and pollinate the strawberry flowers. Planted at the end of January in suspended gutters, the pilots of the Bois de Perly will be ready for sale on April 20. The lack of winter brightness has slowed the growth of the plants, resulting in a week’s delay in the production of strawberries and other crops.

A delicacy that makes its strength

In addition to being delicate to cultivate, harvest and keep, the mara of wood is vulnerable to diseases. “Each strawberry is picked by hand. The cultural yield of this fruit is difficult, which explains its price per high kilo, ”says the market gardener. But its fragility also makes its strength. It does not support transportation and must be consumed quickly after picking. “So she can’t come from afar. Production remains essentially local, ”says Claude Janin.

The Mara is a rising variety, that is to say that it flowers several times a season. Strawberries are picked up in April until the end of September. “It obviously depends on weather and pests. Even in a greenhouse, strawberries remain dependent on sunshine. This influences the temperature and photosynthesis of the plant, ”explains the market gardener.

The quality of a mara results from its size or its shape. “The aesthetics do not change its taste,” says Claude Janin. He lingers on the shine and the red color of the fruit, because a green picked strawberry will no longer mature. The market gardener advises consuming the slumps quickly after buying them. “If they are for the next day, we can still put them in the fridge. You have to take them out a little before being eaten so that they are at room temperature, ”he says. The latter recommends enjoying the Mara des Bois Nature. “It is self-sufficient. Adding whipped cream and sugar is almost a sacrilege, ”he jokes.

The maras of the woods of the Janin are bought in their small direct sales market, in the stores of the market gardening union and in supermarkets throughout the summer period.

A brand new variety

The Janin family does not only cultivate the Mara des Bois. The two brothers are the first in the canton to produce favorite strawberries. “This is an interesting variety tasteful. Before, I only swore by the Mara. Since I produced the favorite, I have seen my preferences again, ”says Claude Janin.

Like the Mara, it remains fragile, but is better preserved. “It turns out to be more crunchy too. It is a premium strawberry, of quality, ”explains the market gardener. This year, Claude Janin will market a brand new variety of strawberries, the Floorian. “This is the first time that we have cultivated it. I have never eaten it before. I will discover his taste at the same time as our customers, ”he rejoices.

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