March 10, 2002
Mas de Granier - A Farming Collective
Mas de Granier is a lovely and magnificent farm located about 10 minutes outside of the old city walls in Arles. It is a part of several communal living cooperatives, which collectively comprise Les Coopertives de Longo Mai. There are twelve communal living cooperatives total, located in France, Switzerland, the Ukraine and in Costa Rica. Travelers of all ages can choose to stay on a collective for as little as 3 weeks, with the expectation that they take part in daily chores, and generally fit into the collective living culture. Each cooperative is known for a regional specialty. At Mas de Granier, the specialty is organic farming.
The produce is organic and consists of an apple orchard, potatoes, carrots, chards, and a wide variety of cabbages. In addition there is a small assortment of home-spun sweaters and bags made from sheep's wool. The sheep had just been relocated to another Longo Mai collective farm up north in the Alps where they will spend the hot summer months. This occasion of sending sheep from Provence to the mountains is referred to as Le Transhumance, which is the celebration each year that honors the re-location of sheep to the cooler climates in the north. Sheep are now carted off in trucks, but just years ago, they were herded through the narrow streets of the old town and was celebrated in a festival.
Delicious jellies and jams are also
made at the farm and are sold in the organic section of
the local Farmers Market. The farmhouse was built in the 17th century and can hold as many
are 60 people at one time. There is a communal dining room, a television lounge, game room
and library that provide a rather cozy, insular impression that the farm will satisfy,
sustain and replace anything missed from city life. Adjacent to the library is a newly
restored bread baking room, with mosaic tiles and ceramic clay oven. The allure of fresh
baked bread in the mornings would surely have this visitor rolling up her shirt sleeves
to pitch in on the farm work, as it is not for sale and available only to coop residents.
Mas de Granier
13310 St.Martin-de-Crau
tel: 0033.490.472.742
lmcrau@wanadoo.fr
