Ostreiculture Huitre Boucholeur Chatelaillon 2 Laurinda Hudgens
From oyster huts to oyster beds: it's quite a job!
More than a job, a passion
Ostreiculture Huitre Boucholeur Chatelaillon 2 Laurinda HudgensLaurence? It was during a visit to her oyster shack during a guided tour of the Tourist Office that we struck up a friendship. Her strength of character and passion for her job appealed to me straight away. *
As for her story, it’s a real novel! 10 years ago, she decided to change jobs completely to devote herself to oyster farming, her true passion.
*She even calls her oysters “my babies”!
Her mother and sister soon joined in the adventure and started breeding with her. Since then, these 3 fun-loving, strong-willed ladies have carved out a place for themselves in this male-dominated profession. And not just any position, as Laurence is now President of the Boucholeurs shellfish farming cooperative! Hats off to her!
There’s something magical about turning that tiny speck into a beautiful oyster…
Back to work!
Laurence warned me: it's going to be some sport!
Away from the oyster hut, we’re avoiding pretty clothes and white shoes. They won’t stay that way for long… With everyone in the tractor, we set off on an adventure: towards the oyster beds!
The low tide and our new position give us a lovely view of the coastline. Along the way, we learnt that the precious shellfish arrived in Charente-Maritime in 1864 when the boat Le Morlaisien ran aground. The rotten Portuguese oysters it was carrying survived the accident and then spread throughout the basin.
It’s not all that, but we’ve got work to do! On site, Laurence’s protégés are resting in pockets that need to be turned over regularly so that they grow evenly. It’s up to us to get rid of them!
Our guide is showing us the way, and we’re amazed! In the meantime, we meet our colleagues from all over the world, and each of them shares a little anecdote.
Return to the oyster-farming area and tasting in the oyster shack
The water’s starting to rise, which means it’s time to go home! We now head to the oyster-farming area loaded down with our bags of oysters. We make one discovery after another with the huts lined up in a row, the seawater basins and their little sluices. Their purpose: to mix salt water with fresh water.
Once we’ve put on our leggings, we enter the maturing tank where Laurence gently separates the oysters before putting them in claires for a soaking.
Translation: the oysters take a sunbath in their tank to get even more flavour! It takes a while, so you’ll have to be patient…
Now it’s time for a tasting in the oyster shack!
The Office can advise you
The best places to taste or buy oysters in Châtelaillon are here!
