mustard
Granhota
Outside of the adoption period
The project
Adopt a field of mustard from "Granhota" in Coursan (France) and receive your harvest in the form of mustard at home. The Farmer Laurent will take care of your adoption and take its picture. Also, you will be able to download the adoption certificate and, if you wish, plan your visit to the farm. You do not enter into any long-term commitment: once you receive your harvest and you enjoyed the experience, you may decide to renew and extend the adoption.
What do you adopt?
Adopt 4m2 of a field of mustard from our farm in Coursan (France).
The fields of mustard are replanted each year and are mainly of the Brassica juncea variety. It is a brown mustard also known as “Indian mustard” or “Chinese mustard”. This mustard originated in Central and Oriental Asia. However nowadays it is largely cultivated in Europe. This variety is the result of a natural hybridisation of black mustard (*Brassica nigra*) and field mustard (*Brassica rapa*).
A 4m2 field will produce in average around 1Kg of mustard each season.
If you like [organic red wine vinegar](https://www.crowdfarming.com/en/farmer/granhota/up/adopt-a-grapevine-cabernet-sauvignon-granhota), have a look at our other project.
What will you receive?
Each season we will send you a box with:
2 x __Dijon style Mustard__ (glass jars of 200g)
A huge gastronomy classic, the film of the seed is removed and only the ground mustard seed powder is used to make a creamy, smooth paste. The Dijon style mustard is the spiciest of the 3 recipes and will blend easily in sauces.
2 x __Old fashioned Mustard, “Moutarde à l’ancienne”__ (glass jars of 200g)
As opposed to the Dijon style mustard, the films of the seeds are kept and only a part of the seeds are crushed by an old fashioned stone grinder in order to preserve the seeds and its crunchy texture. Next comes the aging process, the seeds are put in vinegar for one week before bottling / packing. This style of mustard is less creamy however it is more fragrant due the whole mustard seeds and milder, making it the perfect condiment for any cold or hot dishes, rabbit, chicken, filets mignons and other red meats.
1 x __Old fashioned balsamic Granhota Mustard__ (glass jar of 200g)
The brown mustard seed is known for its powerful flavour, so we had the idea to pair it with our balsamic vinegar to soften its flavour and bring a hint of sweetness to it. The result was wonderful, the sweetness of the balsamic balances out the spiciness of the mustard to create a perfectly balanced condiment that can almost be eaten with a spoon!
Our three types of mustard can be kept for about 2 years closed and around 3 months once opened - then ideally to be kept in the fridge. They can accompany all of you dishes and can even be used to make the perfect salad dressing.
When will you receive it?
Please, check the deadline for participating in this project (deadline for adoption) below. As of this date the Farmer will start preparing the orders that are to be shipped.
You may select the delivery date of your box as suggested by the Farmer at check-out.
Why should you adopt?
* Learn who produces your food, how and where. Receive your food in a conscious manner.
* Buy directly from the farmer. Help to generate wealth and better jobs in the rural areas.
* Plan ahead and enable the Farmer to produce on demand. This way we can avoid overproduction and fight food waste.
* Reward Farmers who make an effort to use environmentally-friendly packaging and cultivation techniques.
Young Farmer
Small Farm
How does it work?
Meet the Farmers
Adopt and plan your harvest
Let the Farmer and nature work
Receive your harvest at home
Young Farmer
Small Farm
Visitors welcome
Laurent Faure
In 2009, still a student in L’ENSAE Paristech (ENSAE Paris is known as the branch of École Polytechnique for statistics, data science and machine learning), I went for my first tests in vinegar. At the same time as I was working my first job, I created several vinegars that received encouragement and good reviews from my entourage. My desire to combine my two passions, gastronomy and winegrowing as well as my desire to go back and live in the South and do something “concrete” pushed me to change professions and devote myself exclusively to the production of vinegars.
Therefore in 2013, I embarked on the Granhota adventure: to restore honour to French vinegar, a condiment of gastronomic tradition. I benefited from a family know-how in winegrowing but the first in the family to make vinegar. With wines from the region of Languedoc chosen for their aromatic and organoleptic properties, ideal for vinegar. I create quality vinegars without the addition of colouring, preservatives, or sulphite.
Then, from 2015, I started to produce mustard which allowed me to launch a range of mustards integrated in the continuity of our current know-how. Vinegar is a major ingredient in mustard, and I wanted to control the totality of the production by having my own seeds. In fact, 95% of the mustard seeds used come from Canada, China or India, while “Brassica juncea”, brown mustard, grows very well in our region.
We have thus integrated this crop into our production : the Mediterranean climate does not allow us to obtain high yields, but the strong aromatic power is there! We control almost every ingredient, which is rare, and with the help of my friend Laurent Mahot, a mustard maker who refines the products. His workshop is located in Saillagouse about two hours by car from my workshop. This is important to us because we wish to work entirely local . We help him transform his vinegar and in exchange he takes care of our mustard seeds. Laurent is a real mustard lover and is a true professional.
However, two years from now, idea is to move and have 100% of the production directly in my workshop. From this brown mustard, which is stronger than yellow mustard which is more often used, we have created a range of mustard perfect for anyone’s tastes which you will find in your own personalised package.
Laurent Faure
“Historically produced in Burgundy within an integrated chain that controlled seed quality, most mustards are now produced from Asian and Canadian seeds, purchased at the lowest price. Thanks to our vinegar production, we can offer a mustard of which we control all the main ingredients!"
Granhota
Granhota
“Granhota” means frog or small frog in Occitan. The name came to me when I was undertaking my first test of vinegars in barrels that had a frog engraved on it.
In 2009, I set up my vinegar factory in an old wine storehouse in my native village, Coursan, between Narbonne and the vineyards. This cellar used to belong to a private individual who used to press and vinify his own harvests, as was the case with many families in the Languedoc region. But as times went by these cellars were abandoned in favour of wine cooperative. And the vinegar's history is not much different.
Therefore, I decided to transform this old wine cellar into a vinegar workshop. Then, to diversify my activity, I also started growing mustard fields because it is directly linked to my vinegars.
The Brassica Junce (brown mustard), is a hardy plant that manages to withstand the dry springs in our region, even though it would prefer larger amount of water supplies. This hydraulic problem strongly limits the yield but makes it possible to obtain a very aromatic seed. Thus, each autumn we plant between 3 and 4 hectares of mustard seeds, which also help to regenerate the soil.
Indeed, the variety Brassica juncea, the brown mustard, is an excellent fixative of mineral elements in the soil.
Technical information
Address
Granhota, Coursan, FR
Size
14 hectares
Altitude
12 m
Team
3 (1 woman, 2 men)
Location