The peasant-baker of La Cadière has harvested his wheat

Set up home in the Naron district, in his production workshop with its bread oven and stone millstone, farmer-baker André Theure shapes his bread, which is sold at markets. Twenty years ago, he harvested his first bread on Michel Cachard's land, also in La Cadière.

The other day, "Dédé" the baker and his friend Flo, driving their combine harvester, traveled through the nearly half-hectare of wheat in Sainte-Anne du Castellet. Two hectares have already been harvested on the Cadiéren estates of La Suffrène, Les Luquettes, and Terrebrune (Sanary-Ollioules).

"I like to watch my wheat grow."

The bell of the church of Sainte-Anne du Castellet rings at eight o'clock. André Theure and "Flo" (from a family of cereal farmers in the Marne) are waiting for the night's humidity to evaporate in the already scorching sun of this Thursday morning. " The harvest represents about thirty percent of all my flour used. Preserving this know-how with these ancient seeds is for me the way to reconnect with the tradition of the trade. It's 'organic.' It's also a chance to be able to choose my flour variety. I love watching my wheat grow. First there's the preparation of the soil, the sowing, the germination. But these stages are regularly disrupted at the beginning by ants, pigeons, and especially wild boars, " sighs the farmer-baker.

Wild boars too greedy

" Years ago, I planted ancient wheat, "Florence-Aurore." Wild boars love it. Since then, I've planted bearded wheat. Forest mammals chew it up and spit it out. But the damage is still there. Look how they've flattened the wheat here. I also planted einkorn, which requires additional work. It has to be hulled. There's a machine for that ," explains André Theure.

The wheat ears have lost their morning moisture. The 1966 combine harvester starts up like a dream. " Oh, Flo, your machine is my age, can you imagine! " smiles Dédé.

" Ah, gluten is the strength of wheat. We do say strong wheat. Afterwards, it will have to be stored to dry, washed, and dried again. Then, I will put the grains through my stone mill and then sift them. With its twenty-three centimeters of thickness, I adjust the mill to obtain a particular flour. Right now, with this heat, we are kneading with cold water. This is the first year we are harvesting on this plot. The estates lend me plots that they let rest ," continues André. In thirty minutes, the almost half-hectare is harvested. The pigeons and other birds are already there. "Dédé" and "Flo" will have harvested about two tons of wheat on the morning plot.