Prochain point : lat="49.1631" lon="1.83926"
Watercress fields - Mill
The Aubette de Magny drives economic activity
A former gristmill...
Located outside the town centre and the hamlet, the mill was sited at the lowest level of altitude in the municipality. It was driven by one of the Aubette de Magny springs: the "Fountain of Serans." In the fifteenth century, it was part of the fief of Nucourt. This meant that it belonged to the Lord and the population had to pay to have their grain ground there to make flour. Although the mill is no longer in operation, you can still see the miller’s skylight used to hoist the bags up to the granary and the bucket wheel under the house.
... And extensive watercress fields along the Aubette
Originally from the Middle East, watercress grows wild in wetlands, in clear water, that is shallow, non-acidic and where the currant is slow. It is appreciated for its rich vitamins and trace elements. It was not until the early nineteenth century that watercress was grown in France. The process begins by dewatering the trenches and mixing the seeds with potting soil and sand. After germination, the trenches are refilled with water. The water level is raised as the plants grow. They are then taken from one trench and transplanted into another, where they are planted in bunches in staggered rows. Watercress can be harvested about one month after transplanting. The season runs from September to May.
The Nucourt watercress fields extended over about 60 acres and there were 28 trenches, a hundred meters long and two meters wide. Watercress cultivation lasted until the late 1990s. Traditionally picking is done by hand, but in 1964, the Cavan family from Nucourt filed a patent for a machine to harvest the watercress. It mows and picks the watercress and then packages it in bags.
