Some new readers to TAG will not know that in 2003 and 2004 I used to produce a paper edition of Taglines which I printed and handed out at shops and the markets.I talked friends into doing reports for me and below is one by Arnoud Budelman on Pierre Noel Frileux, the President of the Bourse des plantes. Much more comprehensive than my latest report so I have added this report which is still relevant to TAG in 2012. Do not expect royalties Arnoud.
For someone new in the area, one of the fastest ways to get to know the place and certainly make French friends is to join one of the many existing Associations. One of these associations, called "Bourse des plantes" is presided by a former University professor in Applied Biology, Mr Pierre Noël FRILEUX.
During his university years back in Rouen, he created a still existing project in a Normandy village with the objective of conserving almost lost vegetable species and varieties. Now retired in St Antonin, Mr Frileux has created the "Association Bourse des Plantes", literally the Stock Exchange for Plants. Still young, the Association counts 40 members and around known 50 sympathizers. The broader objective of the Association is to locally contribute to nature conservation and improvement of the quality of the environment. This is in the interest of all of us, living here and enjoying the existing beauty of the place.
More in particular the association aims at helping local people to discover and appreciate the natural riches of the area, through the organization of visits to botanically interesting places, through series of thematic meetings (recently for example discussing the local toxic plants), to exchange and distribute interesting local vegetable varieties, including their culture and use (original recipes!), and much more. You don’t need to be a great gardener yourself, or even have your own garden, to appreciate what the association has to offer.
In case you’re interested, please feel free to contact M Frileux, Route des Fours à Chaux, 82140 Saint Antonin Noble Val, telephone 05 63 30 88 49
