Published on May 4, 2024 at 7:39 p.m. / Modified on May 4, 2024 at 7:40 p.m.
“Le Temps” is joining forces with “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” as part of a series of articles devoted to wine and gastronomy. Find this content as we go along in our dedicated folder.
A violent wind makes the white tarpaulins placed above the red stems and green leaves dance. On this frosty April morning, the “Fribourg Riviera” is a misnomer. Like the swallow, isn’t rhubarb – the first fresh product of spring – supposed to herald sunny days? Strolling through his plantations nestled on the edge of a forest on Mont Vully, cheeks pink from the cold, Alexandre Javet has the earthy philosophy of someone who lives in harmony with the seasons. “At the same time, I already had 20 centimeters of snow covering my fields,” smiles the fifty-year-old. But the tone is not joking. The market gardener has a concerned look and a deep voice. The heart is not big. The one who remains one of the largest producers of rhubarb in Switzerland, hesitated before agreeing to receive The weather.
For several years, rhubarb yields have collapsed. Alexandre Javet’s production fell from 80 to 20 tons; it will certainly be even less this year. Although robust, the stem vegetable is hit hard by the effects of climate change. With the succession of mild winters, the plant no longer has enough cold for its vernalization, a phenomenon which is necessary for it to regain all its vigor in spring. “Rhubarb, which is planted for a period of five to ten years, is weakening. We used to say that it grew by itself, this is no longer the case,” sighs the market gardener. And with him, an entire region is holding its breath, even a canton. Recently, the Friborg daily Freedom was alarmed to see “rhubarb in decline in Vully”.
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