Ile de Re - Salt

Sea salt has long been a major part of the economy of Ile de Re.  A large part of the island is still covered with salt marshes that are used to concentrate seawater and collect sea salt. 

During the spring high tides, seawater is pumped into collecting pools where the silt and sediment settle out.

Collecting pool

 Then the water is pumped into the next pond where things continue to settle out and evaporation causes the seawater to get more concentrated

Settling pool

The concentration really gets going in the next set of pools where clay walls force the water to circulate and further evaporation to occur.  There are certain plants that like the super salty water.  Several are edible and were actually really tasty since they have higher salt content (we got to try some).

Evaporation pond

Once the salt water is quite concentrated it is pumped into the collection ponds.  Here there are 3 levels of ponds, each getting more concentrated.  The salt worker controls when to let water into each level to control the production of salt.

Collection ponds

In the final pond salt crystals form daily and are raked out by the salt worker in the afternoon.  They rake up a little pyramid of salt by the side of each pond and let it sit for a day or two to dry.

The pile here is 1-2 day's harvest of gray salt.  A much smaller quantity of "fleur-de-sel" salt, which comes from crystals that form on the surface of the pond and have a unique crystal shape, can sometimes be produced if weather conditions are just right.

The salt can be harvested only when the weather is warm so production ends around mid September-October.  Then all the producers pool their salt together for packaging, which occurs all winter.