Eddy's fruit picking in Claveisolles

Expert in wild plant harvesting, Eddy Bardin He welcomes us into his workshop nestled in the heart of the Beaujolais mountains. Using this edible land, he creates delicious and beneficial products. While the conversation turns to the cuckoo clock, he primarily reminds us how every fragment of nature deserves our wonder.

Eddy's Pickings

Eddy's "incredible world"

An entrepreneur at heart, Eddy Bardin is also a curious and solitary adventurer. At 27, he embarked on the 900-kilometer Great Pyrenees Crossing via the GR®10 trail, running the entire route. Along the paths of this formative challenge, he gradually made the decision to leave Haute-Savoie and return to his native Beaujolais Vert region, where he became a forager and artisan.

Through hours spent in the mountains, Eddy has developed a keen sense of observation of natural environments. He assiduously enriches this intuitive knowledge through the work and discoveries of scientists specializing in living organisms.

This attachment to nature, which he describes as "vital," also reflects his family values ​​and his childhood spent surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of Beaujolais. As he says, "we live in a kind of paradise, an incredible world," while lamenting "that we have become disconnected from it." 

The art of wild harvesting

Convinced that we all have the "possibility of acting on the scale of our territory", this enthusiast generously shares his botanical knowledge during exciting walks and discovery days.

He raises awareness among everyone of the importance of "observing nature, whatever their personality, passion, or profession," of taking its pulse to detect what it reveals about the state of the soils and the environment in which we live.

His knowledge, which he seeks to transmit, offers, among other things, the possibility of gaining "food" autonomy for almost the entire year.

In less than five minutes spent describing the unremarkable embankment next to his workshop, he had already gathered the ingredients for his lunch starter. A salad of young dandelion leaves, lamb's lettuce, ground elder, primroses, garnished with violet, cowslip and speedwell flowers for decoration.

E. Bardin

He does, however, warn of the need for caution when foraging. While France is home to over 1000 edible plant species, around fifty are deadly. It's best to find out about the nature of what you find before consuming it.

The forager's actions are also governed by rules. "Take what you need," he explains, and "no more than a third" of the site, meaning the area where the flora grows abundantly. Finally, "anything that isn't attractive" or is accidentally picked remains where it is, to "nourish the living organisms in the soil."

When the cuckoo sings

In early February, Eddy harvested the last rosehips, which he uses to make jam. These small red berries, veritable concentrates of vitamin C, are the false fruits of the wild rose.

And as the first signs of spring appear, another harvesting cycle begins with the appearance of common primroses, commonly known as cowslips.

The small, bright yellow, delicately fragrant flower rests on a tender green calyx. It possesses interesting medicinal properties, notably anti-inflammatory and soothing to the respiratory tract, explains Eddy Bardin.

This pretty plant "loves the light," he continues. It brightens up meadows and the edges of deciduous forests. Its poetic name is inspired by that of the bird whose famous song echoes through the countryside. "When the bird returned from its migration from tropical Africa," Eddy explains, "the common primrose would bloom."

Using the flower, he prepares a refined jelly in the family's copper jam pan. In its small glass jar, one can easily imagine it on the table for a spring breakfast.

Because the recipe requires a large quantity of raw materials, the harvest is lengthy. Furthermore, picking must be restricted to preserve the plant's biological cycle. It can, in fact, wait a long time for its pollinating insect to visit, flourishing further to become more attractive.

Between astonishing anecdotes and ancestral wisdom, Eddy Bardin encourages us to "look at living things in a different way," and inspires us to take care of them. The more life there is in the land, the more cuckoos there will be!

Eddy Bardin's recipe for cuckoo jelly

• 250g of flowers per liter of water
• Sugar
• A little agar-agar to give the jelly its texture
• Infuse the flowers at 85°C, covered, for 5 minutes, then add more flowers and leave covered for another 5 minutes.

Where to buy jams, jellies, creams… “Eddy’s Pick-Your-Own”

• The gourmet creations "Eddy's Pickings" are on sale in Beaujolais, and in a shop in Lyon.
• Also in Claveisolles, by appointment at Eddy's place, or online on his website.
• Program of walks and discovery days also on Facebook

Contact

Eddy's Pickings

372 Place called Valtorte – 69870 CLAVEISOLLES

Such. 06 70 56 67 90 – by appointment only

@: eddy.bardin@live.fr

www.cueilletteddy.com