Ground Cherries & Chocolates in Montergerie

I love discovering exotic fruits on my travels. It brings a whole other aspect of exploration to the experience. I didn't expect to find any unusual fruits in Monteregie but once I stepped into the bucolic beauty of Au Domaine des Petis Fruits, I realized that this small region holds many surprises. The first was the heart shaped pond that decorates the estate, shown above.

Flower beds landscaped into hearts was another unexpected treat.

Fields of blueberries and cherries for picking were lush and fragrant but I was puzzled when our host asked if we liked ground cherries. Ground cherries? Um, cherries that grow underground? Never heard of them. I learned that the golden cherries have to be picked underground and are covered with a thin, paper-like skin. They tasted sweet with a slight tart undercurrent. Visitors come from all over Quebec to pick the delicate fruits. They have to be instructed on how to pick them without disturbing the plant.  I was excited to discover a fruit that I had never seen or tasted but I was even more excited to learn that the farm also features a chocolatier.

Handmade Belgian chocolates are the centerpiece for Chocolatier Ody but they also sell  handmade ground cherry, strawberry and blueberry jams.

The array of  chocolates, filled with the farm's cherries, blueberries and of course, ground cherries, dazzled me.

But the showstopper was this champagne filled truffle, oozing with champagne and creamy Belgian chocolate.