Tales of chestnuts and wild scents

The farm of Karine Mayen owns its name to the col du Fâ, on the road to Castellet-les Sausse, at the entrance of the high valley of the Var. It lies in a well-preserved place among moors, pinewood and chestnut groves planted on the famous Annot sandstone. The farm produces aromatic plants (wild or cultivated), chestnut-based products and lambs.

Karine leads you towards the old terrace cultivations where the chestnuts grow - some of them several centuries old. There, under the shadow of these mighty giants, she explains the cultivation and grafting technics, the diverse uses of the tasty fruits - and shows you the geological difference that sets a abrupt limit to the chestnut bearing soils, and to those favourable to another plant she gathers : the thyme, carefully chosen and picked in the wild moorlands to be distilled and used for aromatherapy.

The ewes are summering on mountain pastures and will be back at summer's end for the lambing : you can meet them with their lambs from September on.

On your way back you'll see the farm's chickens, pigeons and goats, then visit the old farm with all its outbuildings, its old baker's oven and cisterns, the cooking place where the fruits become chestnut spread, and the several aromatic productions. The collation that ends the visit is an occasion to test your olfactory skills, as well as taste the farm made delicacies.

Karine offers direct sale of :
• Chestnut spread
• organic labelled wild thyme essential oil
• lavender essential oil (organic labelled from 2007)
• wild thyme and lavender water

Accommodations :
weekly rental for 6
Bed and breakfast and table d'hôte

Timetable 2014

Visits every Friday in July and August, on a varied time schedule.