Short story of the salt manufacturing process

The salt gardens are flowed into by the Trayt which supplies a set of canals ( "étiers" in French) with sea water. During the spring tides, the sea water is let into an artificial pond ("vasière" in French) through a flood gate (the "bondre" in French). The concentration of salt produced by evaporation begins at 35 g/l, then it reaches 50 g/l. The water of the "vasière" is then let into another basin called in French the "cobier", its salinity reaches then 80 g/l.

The water leaves the "cobier" and flows into the water circuit. Thanks to a difference in levels; it comes in very low quantity in the evaporation basins (the "fares" in French). In these evaporation basins the salinity reaches 90 to 150 g/l.

Bigger basins (the "adernes" in French) make up a daily brine reserve where the salinity reaches 250 g/l. Through a little canal -called the "délivre" in French- the salt grower flows his salting tables (the "oeillet" in French) with warm and salted water. The water is now 1cm deep and the salinity reaches 300 g/l.

One of the "oeillet" side has a platform (the "ladure" in French)- on which the daily salt harvest is put. Around the salt garden, a bigger platform -called the "trémet" in French- will receive the whole season salt harvest. The basins of the saline are delimited with clay dikes on which the salt grower can freely walk. The salt grower harvests the "fleur de sel" on the water surface with a kind of rake (the "lousse" in French) and the coarse salt on the bed of the "oeillet" with another and bigger rake (the "las" in French).

Don't hesitate to visit us to watch the salt harvest during the whole summer season. We are available at the Ty museum® in front of the cathedral within the city walls of Guérande.