Cereals, sugar beet, potatoes… There are mainly large-scale crops on the land of the Aube department. But some more discreet productions can be found as well, which are very interesting. Here are four examples.
If you like spicy food… then you will love saffron
Saffron is known as “red gold”, not only because of its beautiful colour. Indeed, saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. This is because the pistils of the crocus (the plant from which saffron comes) must be picked by hand. This task requires patience and delicacy, in short, a woman’s fingers. The operation takes place in the early morning, in October, before the flower opens fully.
While you might rather imagine saffron growing in some more tropical location, half a dozen producers have started growing it in the Aube department. For example, “L’Aubade au Safran” in Saint-Lyé. This spice is used to flavour various dishes such as omelettes and cakes. It is also used to make honey, jam, mustard, and vinegar. Some restaurants have put it on their menu, like the “Ô des Lys” in Troyes.
If you like honey… then you will love sainfoin
Sainfoin honey is appreciated for its sweetness, its silky texture, and its subtle and discreet taste. Bees, butterflies and other insects love the little pink sainfoin flower, especially as it blooms three times a year, from May to September. Farm animals love it too. This leguminous plant is used as fodder for horses, cows and rabbits.
Sainfoin was almost no longer cultivated in the Aube department until a few enthusiasts decided to cultivate it at the end of the 2000’s, having rediscovered the plant virtues. In addition to its nutritional value for animals, this graceful plant also has many ecological virtues: resistant, it does not require much water, fertiliser and pesticides.
If you like cosmetics… then you will love hemp
Created in Troyes, the brand “Chanvria” offers a whole range of creams, balms, oils and serums for the body, feet, hands and face, made with hemp. You guessed it: hemp is good for the skin. And this is only one of the many applications of industrial hemp (which differs from cannabis, part of the same family).
Cigarette paper, clothing, concrete, animal bedding, garden mulch, car parts, food for humans and animals, and more things can be made from hemp. Everything is used in this 100% ecological and naturally organic plant. The Aube department produces a third of French production and a quarter of European production! Hemp is industrially processed by “La Chanvrière” in Saint-Lyé.
If you like beer… then you will love hops
Hops are an essential ingredient in the production of beer, to which they give their aroma and bitterness. They had completely disappeared from the Aube department, while it was once one of the main production locations. But recently, three young farmers in search for diversification have decided to revive hops cultivation in the North-East of the department.
Visiting their hop fields, you realise hop is a climbing plant able to perch more than 6 metres high!
The cones are harvested in September. They will then supply craft breweries of the Aube department. These three farmers have planted five different varieties of organic hops, to distinguish themselves from the hops from the Alsace region, even if, being organic, they can not produce as much as in Alsace.