The IGP Haut-Poitou melon, a fruit to brag about
It's most often eaten sliced, but also in juice. It can be prepared in salads, on skewers, plain or cooked, raw or even grilled, as an appetizer or dessert... The Charentais melon is the fruit of summer par excellence, the fruit of sharing.
At Prieuré de la Dive, a farm located in Cizay-la-Madeleine (Maine-et-Loire), a small village of less than 500 souls, melons have been grown in the greatest tradition for fifty years.
Julien Godet, current president of the Syndicat des producteurs de melons du Haut-Poitou, is the son of farmers. A keen student at ESA in Angers, he obtained an agricultural engineering diploma and moved to the South-West to work in the fruit and vegetable trade. Nostalgic for the Haut-Poitou region and keen to reconnect with the land, in 2009 he bought the Prieuré de la Dive, founded by Marie-France Monneau in 1972. Even then, the melon (real name Cucumis melo) was the region's star product. The young owner therefore devoted himself fully to this product, with the aim of following it through to the point of sale.
In his opinion, the region's typical terroir gives his melons undeniable gustatory qualities. On the other hand, he readily admits that it's rather difficult to distinguish a Haut-Poitou melon from one from another territory, even though the cultivation differs. The soil here is a unique clay-limestone tuffeau, characteristic of the Saumur region. This velvety-textured rock has been used to build troglodytic sites. Above all, it has the property of retaining water, which keeps the melon constantly hydrated, thanks to its taproots, which are several dozen centimetres long. As a result, there's no need to irrigate crops.
In the region, Julien Godet, like his colleagues, sows under glass from March onwards. From late March to June, he plants 120 hectares of his 150-hectare estate, harvesting from June to September. Most of his melon production is HVE (high environmental value) certified, proof of his commitment to preserving ecosystems. An anecdotal part is reserved for organic farming. The farmer has also successfully branched out into watermelon, pumpkin and butternut, all vegetables from the cucurbit family.
"The bigger and heavier the melon, the better...".
Of the 300 varieties of Charentais melon that exist, Julien Godet grows around twenty, depending on the season. For the consumer, it makes no difference, as long as they know how to choose them according to this principle: "The bigger and heavier the melon, the better it will be, because it's firmer and sweeter..." At Prieuré de la Dive, harvesting is done by hand. Some thirty sharp-eyed employees pick only those melons whose color is turning yellow and whose stalks are coming away, a sign of ripeness. To ensure that the melon will be tasty, Julien Godet passes through the packing station. At this stage, the Brix level is measured, defining the amount of sugar contained in the fruit. It must be above 12°B (12%), to comply with the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) standard. If this level is not reached, the melon is discarded.
In the Haut-Poitou appellation area, as in other producing regions of France, farmers grow mainly yellow Charentais melons, the color referring to the color of the color it takes on when ripe. In terms of production, the Centre-Ouest ranks second (26%), behind the Sud-Est (52%) and ahead of the Sud-Ouest (22%). It was the first region in Europe to be awarded a PGI, back in 1998.
Since 2012, following the departure of two major operators, production has fallen by almost 15%. On a national level, production has been supervised since 2009 by the Association interprofessionnelle du melon (AIM), which promotes it to the full. Great chefs such as Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse have included it on their menus, each in their own way!
Melon, an age-old fruit
Melon's appeal is nothing new. Five hundred years BC, the Egyptians were already cultivating them. The Greeks and Romans followed. Originally considered a vegetable, it arrived in France, more precisely in Cavaillon, near Avignon, via the monks who supplied the popes in Italy. By the end of the 16th century, its cultivation had spread as far as the Haut-Poitou region. It wasn't until the 1980s, thanks to the initiative of Cafpas (Coopérative allonnaise de fruits et primeurs, approvisionnement et semences), that it began to develop widely in the region.
