À propos
Sainos, an anagram of the French word “saison” (season), is an independent project that champions short supply chains and local produce, to bring freshness and the rhythm of the seasons back to our plates.
Sainos is a magic word: mix up its letters and you get “saison”, French for season! Here you discover the fruit and vegetables that grow near you, so you can eat super fresh at the right time of year.
An educational goal
Our goal is purely educational: to give you the keys to a more responsible and tastier diet.
For learning
Discover nature while having fun: trick questions, cooking challenges and badges to collect.
Nothing to sell
There is no commercial aim behind Sainos: no sales, no advertising, no partnerships.
Nothing to sell
No ads here and nothing to buy. Just things to learn and enjoy.
Your privacy
No cookies are used to track you or collect your data. You can browse with complete peace of mind!
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We don’t follow you
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Behind the scenes at Sainos
The secrets of Sainos
Why Sainos
It all started with a simple question in front of a market stall in the middle of winter: why strawberries in January? Looking for the answer, I discovered how much we don’t know about what we eat. Sainos brings together what I wish I had known sooner.
Where the information comes from
Season dates are cross-checked with the calendars of the French agencies ADEME, Manger Bouger (Santé publique France) and Interfel, the French fresh produce industry body. Fish and seafood follow the recommendations of Mr.Goodfish and data from Ifremer. PDO cheeses rely on INAO, and garden flowers and herbs on the SNHF (the French national horticultural society). Organic labels follow the Agence Bio, and the markets come from OpenStreetMap, the collaborative map. Spotted a mistake? Report it and it will be corrected.
Who’s behind it
I’m Arnaud, and I live near Paris. As a child I spent my holidays at my grandparents’ in a small village in the Somme, in northern France, living to the rhythm of the vegetable garden: peas to shell, potatoes dug up by hand, and cherries, then apples, picked from the trees with my little brother and my cousin.
Today I make Sainos on my own, in my spare time: no company, no investors, just the wish to share.
Coming soon
New guides, simple seasonal recipes and new quiz questions. To keep up, follow Sainos on social media.
Thank you
To the market gardeners, fruit growers, fishers, cheesemakers and horticulturists who take the time to explain their work, to the OpenStreetMap contributors, and to you, the first ambassadors.
Why Sainos?
It all started with a question: why are there strawberries in the shop in the middle of winter? To find the answer, I investigated… and I wanted to tell you everything!
Is all this true?
Yes! The seasons are checked with official organisations, like ADEME and Manger Bouger, and with fruit and vegetable growers. If you spot a mistake, tell an adult: we’ll fix it.
Who made Sainos?
My name is Arnaud. When I was little, I spent my holidays at my grandparents’ in a small village in the Somme, in northern France. With my little brother and my cousin, we climbed the trees to pick cherries and apples, and helped out in the vegetable garden. Today, I make every page and every quiz on Sainos for you!
What’s next?
New fruit, vegetables, flowers and fish, new quizzes and new badges to earn!
Thank you!
To the farmers, fishers and cheesemakers, and to you for discovering them!
Help Sainos grow around you
Sainos has no budget and no advertising: it lives only by word of mouth. If you believe learning about the seasons is part of education, tell your school, your town hall or your association about it. A ready-made email is all it takes.
At school
Kids mode, quizzes by age, calendar: everything you need for a lesson on taste, nature or food.
✉️ Ready-made emailAt the town hall
A line in the local newsletter, a link on the town’s website or at the school canteen.
✉️ Ready-made emailIn an association
Parents’ groups, veg box schemes, community gardens, social centres: share the link and the poster.
✉️ Ready-made emailBecome a Sainos ambassador!
An ambassador is someone who shares something they love. Take on these three missions to spread the word about the seasons around you.
Class mission
Show the quiz to your teacher. What if the whole class played together?
Family mission
Challenge your parents to the quiz: who will get the most stars?
Friends mission
Tell your friends about Sainos, at your after-school club or your children’s council.
Ready to taste the season?
