In the Cevennes last week we also visited a goat/honey farm. Strange combination eh?
The husband, who used to work for the Nestle corp. making chocolates, decided to give up his position and move back to his father’s farm to work in apiculture (honey production). The wife, on the other hand became interested in goat production and moved into making a special type of goat cheese called Pelardon, which I will write about later.
First, I should say that I have the utmost respect for people who raise and care for bees since they make vegetable farming possible! Not to mention they provide a fantastic product; so needless to say I was really excited to visit with this man.
Since the hives are spaced all over the Cevennes hills and it would have been difficult to see them, we instead visited the building where the processing takes place. The farmer had a lot of capital to begin his operation, so the tanks and processing equipment were all very new and beautiful. He quickly explained the process of extraction (nothing new), and showed us around, then it was time for questions! I found out that the honey producers in France are experiencing a significant problem with the condition called Colony Collapse Disorder, which is also affecting apiculturists worldwide. This producer was experiencing about a 25 percent loss each year, which was definitely cutting into his profits. However, he had begun to diversify by making chocolates, candies and cakes- which tasted phenomenal! We learned that the farmer took classes for about one week in a local village in order to make these sweets, and it was a government program that provided this education. Still, the recipe which he loves the most (and was adored by the group) took him almost 6 months to perfect.
Finally, we experienced some local honey. Have you ever tasted Lavender Honey??? The farmer we visited featured many kinds, including one exclusive to the wildflowers that grow in the high altitudes of the Cevennes; but my favorite is still the Miel de Lavande or lavender honey. It was literally a floral flavor, but creamy and pure white in color.
Well sorry to say I have to go, but I will write about Pelardon and Roquefort tomorrow!
