Les Jardins de Veyrassi
Contact:
Hélène & Jean-François Hible
Tel: +33 (0) 466 45 40 06
Email: leveyrassi@free.fr
Web: www.cevennes.com/veyrassi.htm
Specialty: Gardening
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
Languages spoken: FR, EN, DE
This farmhouse, dating back to 1750, is located in the heart of the Cévennes National Park (altitude 680 metres). It has rediscovered part of its farm vocation after years of abandonment thanks to Hélène & Jean-François Hible. “Veyrassi” is a vegetable farm with fruit orchards and a herb garden. Owners encourage visitors to share their daily work, and are available to introduce visitors to the methods of organic agriculture ('Nature & Progrès' label). A lodging of four places welcomes tourists.
Gardening: harvest vegetables and biological fruits from local endemic varieties (raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, blackberries, figs, quinces, elderberries, strawberries, grapes, chestnuts etc) from July to end-October. The apple orchard covers about 2000 m2, the chestnut tree forest about 1 hectare. Juices are made in Florac and jams are made later on the farm during the winter. Chestnuts collected are transformed in chestnut flour or jam or simply sold fresh on the market. One can learn about the diverse varieties and characteristics of each chestnut tree: some are used for their delicious taste, some other for feeding animals, some can easily be peeled, etc…
Learn how to recognise and collect aromatic plants in the garden (about 1000 m2). Those plants are used at the farm directly and sold on the local market as well. One can learn about the Ramial Chipped Wood method (RCW) used in the garden, about the “culture associée" (guilds), the reason for culture rotation, the local farm greenbox network in France and many more.
The 2 donkeys play an important role on the farm by helping clearing the chestnuts forest from undergrowth but also by helping carrying wood, etc.
Dates: visitors are welcome in spring and autumn. The activities proposed are those of the season in progress.
Prices: gite for 4 people: 125 EUR for 2 nights; 150 EUR for 3 nights'
