16km (10 miles) NE of Québec City
Ile d'Orléans was first inhabited by native people; the French settled it as one of their initial outposts of New France in the 17th century. Long isolated from the mainland, the island's 6,862 (or so) current residents firmly resist development, so far preventing it from becoming just another sprawling bedroom community. Many of the island's oldest houses are intact, and it remains a largely rural farming area. Notable are the many red-roofed homes.
Until 1935, the only way to get to Ile d'Orléans was by boat (in summer) or over the ice in sleighs (in winter). The highway bridge that was built that year has allowed the island's fertile fields to become Québec City's primary market garden. During harvest periods, fruits and vegetables are picked fresh on the farms and trucked into the city daily.
In mid-July, hand-painted signs posted by the main road announce FRAISES: CUEILLIR VOUS-MEME (STRAWBERRIES: YOU PICK 'EM). The same invitation is made during apple season, August through October. Farmers hand out baskets and quote the price, paid when the basket's full. Bring along a bag or box to carry away the bounty.
Look for the cookbook Farmers in Chef Hats (www.farmersinchefhats.com), which in 2008 received a Gourmand World Cookbook award for "Best in the World" in the local-growers category. The bilingual book has 50 recipes featuring 50 products from Ile d'Orléans, as well as an agrotourism map.
Thousands of migrating snow geese, ducks, and Canada geese stop by in April and May and again in late October. It's a spectacular sight when they launch in flapping hordes so thick that they almost blot out the sun.
