The White Goat Farm
Satillieu
Everyone on the farm in Ardèche
Nature lovers, fans of good fresh and local products, animal enthusiasts... Let's take advantage of the weekend to visit a farm in Ardèche: visits, meetings and tastings, direct sales, the farms welcome you and it's a great way to discover the region.
Renaud VezinA farm in Ardèche
Northern Ardèche is a land of livestock farming, diverse crops adapted to the diverse terrain. From the banks of the Rhône, the vineyard slopes climb to the plateau where robust fruit trees, cherry, apricot, and apple trees flourish. Climb a few more meters and you'll find yourself in the mid-mountain range. Enjoy the scent of chestnut groves, wild blueberries, and red berries. The steep slopes of the Haut-Vivarais have been terraced for centuries.
Peaceful herds of goats, sheep, and cows graze amidst grass rich in numerous varieties of specific flowers. This rugged terrain is ideal for small farms, authentic models of traditional family farming that is adapted and respectful of the environment.
When I grow up I will be a breeder!
Visiting a farm is possible and it's even a very good idea. Thus, in April, the departmental event From farm to farm opens the doors to farms in Ardèche. Some welcome you throughout the year for self-guided or guided tours and on-site product sales.
A cheese not to be missed
And if we tell you: pretty white puck, bloomy crust, delicately flavored soft cheese, goat's milk, farm production, traditional specialty of northern Ardèche, unique cheese, will you answer us?
The Sweet Curd from Saint-Félicien of course!
You can't leave without tasting this pure goat cheese. It's a local and historic specialty from the Haut-Vivarais farms, produced between March and December.
Saint Félicien Sweet Curd is found at markets and cheese shops. You can go directly to the farm: Ferme de l'Amélie in Préaux or La Chèvre Blanche in Satillieu.
Union for the defense and promotion of Saint-Félicien sweet curd
Amélie's Farm
Meadows
The white goat in Satillieu
This farm specializes in raising goats of the Saanen breed (all white).
The goats graze from mid-March to the end of November. During the winter they are on maternity leave and eat hay harvested on site during the summer season.
All dairy production is processed on the farm.
“By varying the temperature, the acidity, the dosage of rennet, the size of the strainers, and other parameters specific to each cheese, we are able to offer you around twenty different cheeses”.
The soft Caillé de Saint Félicien is a tradition that is dear to them on this farm. When it had almost disappeared from the cheese landscape, the producers never stopped bringing this cheese so characteristic of the upper Ardèche to life.
La Chèvre Blanche is labeled "Welcome to the farm".
The Amélie Farm in Préaux
A family business since 1880, the Ferme de l'Amélie is a traditional mixed crop-livestock farm in Haut-Vivarais.
“Our farm is very diverse. We raise goats, cows, and pigs. The herds complement each other and ensure that no resources are wasted. Whenever the weather permits, the animals find their food in the pasture.”
The menu varies according to the season: grass, alfalfa, wild thyme, sage, brushwood, shrubs, acorns, chestnuts...
Well fed, the goats give us quality milk with which we make a wide range of traditional cheeses (Caillé Doux de Saint-Félicien and Picodon AOP) and farm specialties (Pyramide cendrée, Tonnelier, strainers, aperitif corks, etc.) »
And then there are the cows, Vosgiennes, Montbéliardes, Tarines, Limousines, Abondances, Blondes d'Aquitaine, the calves, reared under the mother, are sold to the village butcher. As for the pigs, they feast on the whey from cheese production. A good healthy diet which explains the quality and taste of the products: sausage, dried charcuterie, country pâté, caillettes, griottons, pâté de tête…
Severine Moulin
Severine Moulin
