“Fairs are not what they used to be. » It is with this observation that the report by Jean Masse, published in La Tribune-Le Progrès from Wednesday November 4, 1964.
However, in the midst of these sometimes moribund meetings, there is one that resists: the mushroom fair of Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid which was held the day before, in “this village placed as sentinel on the borders of Velay and Vivarais”.
Far from the atmosphere of the fairs of yesteryear
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such abundance,” notes our reporter, while pointing out that the atmosphere is no longer the same. “In the past, the fair started well before daybreak and it was in the café rooms, in the sheds where the “wallows” were piled up, that the transactions took place. When day dawned, we found sellers and buyers enjoying a good hot sausage or a piece of loin before resuming their journey. Several tons of dried mushrooms then left this small town. »
Nevertheless, on Tuesday November 3, 1964, Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid found the crowds of the big fairs. “The harvest seems to have been good this year,” notes our journalist.
A generous end of August for porcini mushrooms
An opinion confirmed by Ms. Rochedix and Ms. Cros, who came from Montregard and Saint-André-en-Vivarais. “Last year, the main harvest took place towards the end of spring. This year, at this same time, we had nothing. On the other hand, there was a strong surge at the end of August and it only lasted about a fortnight. »
Healthy, firm and not wormy porcini mushrooms, which grew thanks to a few saving storms.
Fifteen particularly prolific days during which “all the pickers in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, Montregard, Saint-André-en-Vivarais and Saint-Julien-Molhésabate were found early in the forests of this Boutières range” .
20 francs per kilo
In return for this abundance, the price has collapsed a little: 20 francs per kilo of dried porcini mushrooms. “The high point remained low compared to previous years. The sale lacked offers: there were barely more than ten buyers. »
Only a few extra quality batches reached 25 francs per kilo. And at the end of the day, it is estimated that around a ton of mushrooms were exchanged during the 1964 vintage of the famous Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid fair.
