Pat Shingleton for April 16, 2008
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Whether it’s Morton’s or Tony Chachere’s, we need it. Repeating a previous Weather News article, salt-farming depends on the weather, and in France, it’s a labor of love. Wind and heat create a high tide in Guerande, France, an area of marshy meadows, also known as the “Cote Sauvage.” Europeans have harvested salt from this place since the ninth century, and salt farmers, or paludiers, use the same technique and tools to collect this caviar of salt. It begins with a wooden gate that traps the sea water in the marsh. When the correct amount of water flows at the correct rate, a maze of clay walls promotes slow evaporation. After a month, the water seeps into shallow pools and salt appears.
Fastcast: Warmer.
