VIDEO. In Rennes, the gathering of fruits and vegetables taken by storm

• Authorized since deconfinement, the picking of fruits and vegetables is a hit in Thorigné-Fouillard, near Rennes.
• Sanitary rules were imposed and a single direction of traffic was established.
• Containment seemed to mark a return to local producers and short supply chains.

" This is madness ". The parking lot is busy, very busy. A week after the start of deconfinement, the fruit and vegetable picking site in Thorigné-Fouillard saw its attendance explode. Monday afternoon, dozens of families were on hand to pick strawberries, zucchini, rhubarb or pick up the first cherries. “Usually our hollow day is Monday. But there is no longer a hollow day, it seems, ”quips the young man at the entrance to the farm. Sitting on an agricultural trailer which acts as an entry airlock, this employee of the Gathering of Thorigné distills the instructions. "You can't go back. And you can only enter the store one by one to pay. ”

This year, the picking site was able to open a little earlier than expected due to the favorable weather. For a fortnight, the owner of the place sees more and more people parading in his alleys. After keeping his store open during confinement, Jean-Paul Ferron campaigned with the prefecture to be able to reopen his picking. "Yes, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to reopen. But we received the authorization, we just had to adapt ”. Wheelbarrows are prohibited and a traffic direction has been set up to prevent customers from crossing paths. On this 55 hectare site, there is no lack of space and social distancing is easy. In the rows of strawberries, day pickers take care not to get close to each other.

"The rules are relaxed"

For a few days, Jean-Paul Ferron had forbidden families to come, asking people to come alone. “I had to refuse access to a mother with her three children. I was ashamed of it ”. The farmer finally got the green light to let the small groups pass, provided that not all of them pass through the store at the end. "The rules have become more flexible." On this sunny Monday, the cherry trees trembled under the hands of adults and children delighted to be able to go out. “It's another form of school here. We learn to pick cherries, we watch nature do its job. We are well outside ”, summarize two mothers, each perched on a stepladder. Beside them, children play. “We don't risk anything if we are careful because we are outdoors. I find it reassuring, “continues a regular.

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Coming with his daughter Mathilde, Christophe is also serene. “We took the mask for entry and exit but otherwise, we are quiet. But I recognize that there are people. They are victims of their success. ” At the exit of the fields, it is the traffic jam. The pickers line up at the entrance to the store, wait in the sun, keeping their distance. “We feel that there is a wait to return to the local, to local trade. Here, it is you who pick your salad, it is a very very short circuit. It's more reassuring. ”

Store hardcover during containment

The figures confirm it. During the confinement, the farm store continued to open and saw its attendance double. Harvesting, which represents 40% of the company's turnover, is also very trendy and continues to attract new followers. Not sure there are a lot of strawberries left for customers tomorrow.

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• Deconfinement
• Fruits
• Consumption
• Reindeer
• Society
• Vegetables
• Food
• Fruits and vegetables