MEETINGS
HONEY AND TRADITIONS IN HAUTE LOIRE
When you visit a region and are closely interested in its culture and history, it is also interesting to meet beekeepers, often located near radiant and authentic little towns of character that accompany harmoniously their honey production and who enjoy
themselves to let you taste their products alongside the discovery of their traditions
ancestral as I observed in the territory of LAVAUDIEU in Haute Loire.
Located in the heart of the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region, the Haute Loire department is a radiant land that enchants
by the beauty of its natural spaces enhanced by a rich and diverse heritage that can also be found in the agricultural
field particularly in beekeeping which is a branch of agriculture consisting of the breeding of bees called '"Melliferes"
intended to exploit the products of the hive which are mainly the production of honey supplemented also wax,royal
jelly, pollen alongside propolis and bee venom more suitable for medical use.Direction the place called Dintillat located
a few kilometers from LAVAUDIEU in the exploitation of Jean François SOLLIEZ Beekeeper who receives me near his
hives while putting on his protective clothing." The process of making honey meets very precise criteria that bees
make from the nectar of flowers, insect honeydew or sweet plant secretions and then, after the foraging phase,
transform it in a hive with a distribution of spots carried out by the different categories of bees decomposed first
by the foragers who collect the nectar by plunging their tongues into the hearts of the flowers to suck up their liquids
and then store it in their crop which are holding pockets located in their digest tubes systems to,secondly,transmit the
nectar to recipients by trophallaxis which consists of regurgitating food stored ine the crop to exchange it with another
bee to then pass the nectar through what we call workers who circulate it between their mouths and their crops before
beilng processed according to data progressive incorporating a mixture of saliva which allows the original sucrose to be
modified into more digestive sugars such as glucose and fructose in addition to modifications thanks to another enzyme
whic is glucose owydase which provides honey with an acid designated as gluconic acid comprising properties firstly
avoiding the development of bacteria and fungi in parallel with protecting the production of honey throughout its maturation to then be deposited in the cells of the hive. The Apis Mellifera bee, better known among beekeepers under
the name of black bee and in reference to its color is a very old species which is found in all regions of France with its
regional variants, particularly for the Cévennes black bee which is traditionally raised in trunk hives and this bee is
appreciated by beekeepers taking into account its adaptation to the mountain climates and cold winters that we have
in Haute Loire”
Jean François SOLLIEZ explains to me while accompanying me near his hives located on a hill decorated
with a superb view of the village of Vieille Brioude completed further south by the Allier river which is a pleasure to contemplate and which is slithers through this valley like a coiling snake.
Observation of the Ecosystem Surrounding Beehives
After a short escapade along this radiant valley which takes me to the village of Lavoute –Chilhac located further south
towards Langeac, I arrive at the LAVAUDIEU market after having wandered through its streets dotted with brightly
colored flowers to find Philippe there. and Brigitte CASTAGNAN beekeepers and also producers of delicious local
regional products such as cheeses and pork meat products. » Producing honey is very often associated with observing
The ecosystem surrounding the hives which also requires knowledge of botany and entomology because the
composition of the nectar is very different depending on the flowers, the climate and the ambient temperature taking
into account that the color of the flowers collected has an impact on the nectar by leaving pigments or the resulting
honey will display particular shades ranging from ivory for lavender or linden honey,golden for sunflower honey and
dark for chestnut or heather honey.
Philippe and Brigitte CASTAGNAN tell me while welcoming customers.In addition
to the market, it is also delightful to meet beekeepers in their typical shops integrated into the local architecture which
combines charm and authenticity like A LA MAISON DE L'ABEILLE which offers a whole range of honeys as delicious
and appetizing as each one others » Being a beekeeper is all a passion because this profession requires time
and patience to produce quality honey over an annual period ranging mainly from mid-January to mid October including the peak spring season alongside autumn which is a dead season for what we call the colony which is the
common name for a group of bees and our manufacturing methods often passed down from generation to generation
which we maintain in the production of honey Also make us the guardians of the memory of ancestral traditions".
Patrick CHOTARD tells me with a big smile while presenting me the products from his shop presented on raw wooden
shelves and the Haute Loire rich in its diversity integrating sumptuous territories where history,culture,art of living and
gastronomy has this particularity of maintining traditions which it is always fascinating to discover and which are the
living expression of its cultural,historical and gastronomic wealth.
Report : Gabriel PAGE
Photos Credit : Gabriel PAGE / Getty Images
COUNTRY AND TRADITIONS
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