“[It is] an invitation to learn the language of the forest by making that powerful gesture of hand-picking fresh, healthy, local, nutritious, and meaningful food to bring to one’s mouth. It is a call to cook, of course, to walk in the forest, certainly, but above all to take the time, to commune, to reconnect with the sacred and, who knows, perhaps to wander down side paths.” Excerpt from the book Forêt by Gérald Le Gal and Ariane Paré-Le Gal

The renewed interest in local consumption within Quebec’s remote communities stems, among other things, from a drastic increase in the cost of living—already much higher than in urban areas. In response, many have begun returning to the forests to rediscover their abundance. Cloudberries, chanterelles, dune pepper, and Labrador tea are but a small glimpse of the vast edible potential of the Basse-Côte-Nord Territory.

The full potential of self-picking lies in its ability to involve the entire community, forming a network that ensures greater accessibility to local products for everyone, with complete transparency.

The project proposes such a network: composed of foraging shelters set up inland by gatherers, and a processing center where products can be prepared for individual consumption or for sale in a local market. The shelters are equipped with spaces for sorting and cleaning harvests, as well as facilities for first-stage processing such as drying. They are designed to accommodate stays of up to a week, depending on the desired harvest volume and the proximity of the shelters to communities along the coast.

The processing center establishes itself as a new public hub for the community of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, where workshop spaces and a collective kitchen ensure the transmission of knowledge related to foraging and the processing of local products. The landscaping of the public space allows for the reintroduction of local species on-site, such as lichens, trees, and edible plants. Altogether, the project seeks to reflect, at the heart of Lourdes, the irreplaceable beauty and overflowing potential that defines the landscapes of the Basse-Côte-Nord Territory.