La Ferme Basque de Charlevoix – The Basque Farm of Charlevoix

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Tomiko and I almost didn’t stop at La Ferme Basque de Charlevoix. Luckily, two roads lead past the farm, so we turned in at the second sign and backtracked a bit on La Route des Saveurs de Charlevoix. I’m so glad we did! La Ferme Basque de Charlevoix is located at the bottom of the Parc des Grands Jardins in the village of Saint-Urbain. The owners, Isabelle Mihura and Jean-Jacques Etcheberrigaray, are originally from the Basque Country and settled in Charlevoix in 1999 to raise ducks. The fields were full of live ducks, the barn smelled like live ducks, while the farm shop smelled deliciously of cooked duck.

After reading the Basque History of the World, I had to buy the gâteau Basque. This one, an almond pastry filled with vanilla cream was etched with a lauburu, the Basque cross.

The Ferme Basque de Charlevoix specializes in small-scale production of Mulard foie gras ducks. The mulard duck is a hybrid of Pekin and muscovy ducks, and the farm uses traditional methods of breeding and ‘gavage’ which respect the animals’ well-being.

In the barn, we caught a glimpse of the young hatchlings and the awkward ‘teenage’ ducks. The ducks move outside onto grass fields once they are one month old.

The farm also has a shaded picnic area where you can dig in to your freshly-bought duck products.

Tomiko and I bought small jars of foie gras pâté, cretons de canard, and mousse de foie gras. In the cooler, we saw packages of fresh duck magret, containers of duck fat, and whole pieces of foie gras. Meanwhile, shelves were full of dried slices of duck breast, rilletes de canard, and duck pâté. Luckily, the jarred products are shelf stable and don’t need to be refrigerated.

The large swing top jars are full of homemade cassoulet.

Above are the famous Basque espelette peppers drying on the rafters.

The farm website posted several duck recipes, such as potatoes cooked in duck fat, foie gras with figs, and whole roast duck.

Visit La Ferme Basque de Charlevoix:

813 Rue Saint Édouard, Saint-Urbain, QC G0A 4K0
(418) 639-2246