The Fukuoka Farming Website Jamie at 'Souscayrous'
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"The name "Souscayrous" comes from a time when the valley's last 'troupeau' of sheep and goats passed along the ridge above our land. We weren't long in France and the moment seemed to express our expectations: the animals' bells, the sunlight and the line of Cypress atop the rocky ridge. The ridge is Les Cayrous and thus 'sous' -- under -- Cayrous. The name also allows for the possibility of living under the spell of that moment."

The climate is Mediterranean but there are winters where temperatures fall well below USDA Hardiness Zone 9:

"Every so often there are severe winters, killing citrus, olives and even vines. A local woman once told me that in her youth, newly escaped from Franco's fascist regime in Spain (1956), she even heard olive trees explode as the sap froze beneath the bark. Yet more than the occasional cold, or even the strong sun, it is the wind that is the true creature of the Corbières. The 'Tramuntana' sweeps in off the Atlantic, squeezes through the narrow pass between the Massif Centrale and the Pyrenees, before unleashing itself on the Mediterranean coast. Despite growing our vegetables with no irrigation I lost more plants to the Tramuntana than I did to the summer's drought."

If you look closely at the map showing Talairan you may notice what appears to be a river near it.

"Actually, there are no rivers near Souscayrous, I wish there were! The map indicates a watercourse (ruisseau in French) which only flows after some decent rain. However, the ruisseau below Souscayrous is called La Cayrote (the ridge above is Les Cayrous - I guess I could have called the place Surcayrote!) The etymology of the names are important: this region of France is called Languedoc or land of the Oc language. Felix is learning Oc at school (Occitan is one of the languages that evolved around the Mediterranean after the Roman conquests). It died out with the northern French invasion that sealed the fate of the Cathar heretics (heretics from the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages). Occitan gives the local French accent a pronounced Spanish sound, especially as this region was once part of the Catalan Kingdom. But then this doesn't really have anything to do with the river that doesn't flow through the Talairan valley."

The Talairan Valley - This view is to the East across the last few hills to the sea, Talairan is just off the photo and Souscayrous, the buildings at least, are on the left of the photo.

Raised Beds - the soil is relatively rich in clay, turning to rock if left exposed in summer and to a sticky mess in autumn rains. Although Souscayrous is made up of old vineyards they have been left undisturbed for many years and thus begun to return to a more balanced and fertile state. The ubiquitous rock of the Corbières is not far below the surface and therefore raised beds make the most of the limited soil available.

"I've seeded the beds in the photo with mustard or white clover and, as the green mulch grows, I add the 'marc' (the crushings of the grapes after winemaking and distilling) to provide a further mulch for the soil. We'll have more than half an acre of raised beds next year, though it will be several years more before they reach the level of fertility required to achieve commercial grade produce for the market or the the restaurant we hope to open. We've given the produce to friends this year, but next year we will be providing for several local families in an informal CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Each year we hope to improve not only the quality but the quantity of fruit and vegetables grown."

When asked what led him to Fukuoka and Natural farming, Jamie replied:

"I have an untidy biography, scattered with many false beginnings (psychology, journalism, academia and writing) and although I still remain a dilettante, Natural Farming seems to offer a path toward a more consequential existence.

Jamie at Souscayrous

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This page was last updated on December 21, 2002
Copyright © 2002 Larry Haftl