L’Òrt, the new garden at Pic de Mus to highlight traditional plants from Aubrac

Vingt-sept élèves et deux enseignants se sont réunis pour réaliser ce projet. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva

27 varieties of edible and medicinal plants will be planted by the twenty-seven students of the 1st CGEA and SAPAT, from the Terre Nouvelle high school in Marvejols, on a new plot in Saint-Laurent-de-Muret.

On a plot of approximately 2,000m2, located in Saint-Laurent-de-Muret, in the heights of Chemin du Pic de Mus, around ten young people ;rsquo;active, Monday May 27, 2024. Dressed in agricultural work overalls, rubber boots, accessorized with a rake, students in 1st grade CGEA (Driving and management of the agricultural business) from Terre Nouvelle to Marvejols, work in good humor.

The walkway measures approximately 2,000 m2. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva  

Bastien is one of twenty-seven high school students to participate in the project. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva

“Since the start of the school year in September, we have been working on this project: to cultivate traditional medicinal and edible plants from Aubrac”, explains Bastien, 17. From Aubrac tea to yellow gentian, including arnica, a total of 27 varieties of wild plants will be planted. Each student participating in the project has their own plant, i.e. 27 high school students in 1st year CGEA and SAPAT (Services to people and territories).

Doing experiments

"Yesterday, we laid the sheep wool mulch. But not only that, we work the land to make the plot cultivable", explains Bastien, looking at his comrades. Using rakes and shovels, some teenagers remove the stones, while others place the mulch under a tarpaulin. "The objective is to carry out experiments to better understand our variety: under what mulch does it grow best, if it needs more or less water, he specifies.

"They started from scratch !", underlines Philippe Rey, professor of French and philosophy at Terre Nouvelle, one of the two supervisors of this action which is part of a broader program supported by the Regional Park of the ;rsquo;Aubrac. Every Tuesday morning, during four-hour class sessions, the 27 high school students refined their knowledge of their plant but also of the work to be carried out at Saint-Laurent-de-Muret. They all got involved. Bastien brought 110 stakes to fence the 2,000 m2, while one of the girls in the group brought four bales of hay for mulching.

"To be able to water the plantations, we have set up a water tray, where we capture the water in a higher fountain , adds the high school student. We reached an agreement with the owner. This tank, being installed between the two plots, will also be used to hydrate his cows!" His French and philosophy teacher adds: "the next step will be to install a drip system to water the plants, especially for this summer."

Experiments will be carried out by high school students. They will notably study the different mulches. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva

Upstream work in classes

While the boys continue to prepare the plot, the girls in 1re SAPAT prepare four stands to accommodate two schools, one from Saint-Laurent-de-Muret and one of Antrenas.

Schoolchildren from Saint-Laurent-de-Muret and Antrenas came to discover the plot. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva

To delight the taste buds of young and old, on the menu there were crepes accompanied by jams and Aubrac tea in all its forms: "syrup, digestive (for adults), tea, infusion, meringue and marshmallow", lists Ludivine in 1st SAPAT, behind her stand. The objective is to introduce these flavors to young people.

The 1st SAPATs also got their hands dirty. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva

To successfully complete a project of this magnitude, it took time. And even in winter, young people have not escaped it. "When the weather was not suitable, we had theory classes where we developed our knowledge of our varieties, explains Léa in&nbsp ;1st CGEA. What altitude corresponds to it, what land [… ] but also what price and what tools we were going to need ?" To explain their research to schoolchildren, they created information sheets and logbooks.

The rest for the plants

"We didn’not forget to think about what we would be able to do with it afterwards. So we thought about recipes for each plant." For example, with the Bastien plant, it is possible to make suze, a bitter, golden-colored aperitif liqueur made from yellow gentians. For their part, the two supervisors, Marlène Crueyze and Philippe Rey, each add in turn: "We will invite the schoolchildren on the day of the picking! This space is also set up for them." ; “When we grow the plants in the fall, they will be used in practical cooking, biology and chemistry classes at the high school. We will also sell them, such as arnica, because there is demand."

Schoolchildren are invited to come back with the teachers next fall to pick the fruits. Midi Libre – Anaïs Da Silva

At the end of the morning, the schoolchildren were invited to go to this 2,000 m2 plot to see the site and the work in progress.

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