How a salt marsh operates in Guérande ?

During the spring tides, water from the Atlantic Ocean is directed towards the storage ponds (vasières). This is the first stage in the harvesting of sea salt.

The water circulates from pond to pond over the next few weeks: from “vasière” to “cobier”, then to the “fare” via the “aderme”, ending up in the crystallising pond known as the “œillet”. During this journey, the salt concentration increases due to natural evaporation caused by the combined action of the sun and the wind and the know-how of the salt worker.

The salt crystallises on the clay bottom of the “œillet”. It is harvested by hand every day by a salt worker, using a special rake (“las”). The salt is then placed in a pile on a “ladure” (a round platform at the centre of the “œillet”) where it drains before being stored in a “mulon”.

Hand-harvested in the late afternoon using a special rake (“lousse”), Fleur de Sel forms naturally on the surface of the water through the action of the sun and the wind.

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