The heritage farm
During the First World War, the Canadian army built a vast American-style barn-stable at the Lac Édouard sanatorium, today considered one of the jewels of Quebec’s agricultural heritage. Remarkably well preserved, it has been restored as part of the SAN project, alongside the stable and farmer’s house.
Around this historic core, SAN has revived a farm rooted in place and time. The Garden of Sighs is flourishing again, with its rediscovered period plants, carefully cultivated as a living tribute. Strawberries, grown at altitude in a demanding climate, extend the heritage by adapting it to today’s realities. Greenhouses, vegetable gardens and flowerbeds welcome visitors, who are invited to pick what the land has to offer, according to the rhythm of the seasons. Agriculture on a human scale, inspired by the past but looking to the future.
Agricultural architectural features
One of the country’s most beautiful century-old barns
The Garden of Sighs
Located along the former Allée des Soupirs, this flower garden once offered sanatorium patients a place to walk, soothe their nerves and gradually return to normal life. They also helped maintain the flower beds, in what can be seen today as an early form of therapeutic gardening in Quebec. Abandoned for half a century, the garden was overgrown, almost melting into the boreal forest, before SAN teams undertook patient excavation and rehabilitation work.
To date, more than thirty forgotten species have been rediscovered, multiplied and replanted in their original habitat: giant scabious, dianthus, columbine, lily, yarrow, honeysuckle… botanical witnesses to another era. This recreated garden weaves a sensitive link between the memory of the past and the discreet gestures of those who, with patience, have tried to preserve its soul.
Strawberries at the top
On the high Laurentian plateaus, at an altitude of almost 400 meters, the SAN grows strawberries in an alpine climate that slows their growth. This seasonal difference means that strawberries can be harvested when supply is scarce elsewhere, enhancing the value of northern agriculture designed for markets, including those in major centers. Inspired by Alpine farming practices, this approach to plant transhumance – which involves deseasonalizing through climate – produces exceptional strawberries, particularly large and sweet.
Growing strawberries here, in a cold, high-altitude climate, seemed unlikely. But by taking advantage of northern conditions – a short season, wide temperature variations, long days – the SAN has turned constraints into advantages. This model, born of a soil deemed not very fertile, shows that we can do better with less, and use the climate as a lever. It contributes to Quebec’s food autonomy, while inspiring other growers. These berries are also featured in the Mr. Martinet beer, brewed with La Pécheresse de La Tuque, in tribute to the protected bird that nests at the heart of the site.
A living farm
Just a stone’s throw from the sanatorium, the former farm buildings have found a new vocation. Berries, vegetables, flowers and herbs are grown here according to the season, in a spirit of sharing and learning. Pick-your-own is offered to visitors, who take particular pleasure in gathering before meals to pick fresh fruit and vegetables.
People come to harvest, taste, learn and cook. Children discover the vegetable garden, the greenhouses, the scents of the flower beds. They also come across the farm’s small animals, who bring life back to the agricultural hamlet of yesteryear. At the time of the sanatorium, a complete farm ensured the village’s self-sufficiency: glass greenhouses, hot beds, cowshed, dairy… Today, this model still inspires our efforts to produce fresh, tasty food on site.
