2023-09-08 06:00:03
The cabin built by Blandine Rouche and Robin Amaz, in Morvan, July 29, 2023. LUCAS DEMIRDJIAN FOR “LE MONDE”
“We have an egg!” » Blandine Rouche begins her day by observing her three hens, collected from an organic farm before they go to the slaughterhouse. “They don’t lay every day because they are too old, but it’s enough for our needs”specifies the 25-year-old young woman. “Unknowingly, we gave them names that fit their personality”, laughs his companion, Robin Amaz, also 25 years old. “Jean Poule II” would thus be very peaceful, unlike “Poulice Municipale” who had an annoying tendency to watch his fellow sisters before being killed by a predator. If the couple is so verbose about the henhouse, it is because it is a pillar in their daily life, explains Robin Amaz: “Chickens are important for our diet. Above all, they represent our only social interaction. » Between May and September, the two young people lived independently in the forest for four months.
Blandine Rouche picks nettles in Morvan, June 30, 2023. ROBIN AMAZ FOR “THE WORLD”
To find out more about their project, you have to arm yourself with a tent and head to Lac des Settons, in Burgundy. “Hitchhike or BlaBlaCar if possible », specifies the couple, who also recommends bringing back supplies of vegetarian food. Once you have reached the heart of the Morvan natural park, you still have to walk twenty minutes, following the GPS coordinates transmitted by the duo, and without being impressed by the thunderclaps and the downpours of this end of summer. In the middle of the forest, on a 10 hectare piece of land lent by a friend, the couple experimented with a sober and independent way of life.
With the exception of cereals, oilseeds and salt, purchased in bulk before the start of the adventure, food needs are met by picking, the vegetable garden, but also spirulina and crickets – two sources of protein which can be grown and raised at home. This evening, the menu includes potatoes, an egg and nettles picked from the field – with gloves, so as not to get stung, specifies Blandine Rouche: “It’s a superfood, it’s rich in protein and you’re doing it.” » Passionate about cooking, the trained psychomotor therapist also concocted a blackberry and angelica lemonade, the last flower of the season. “There are a lot of edible leaves, I would say that in the field we ate about fifty different varieties”continues this keen botanist, citing lampsane, wild sorrel or bistort knotweed.
Survival courses
The couple even managed to make a coffee substitute with pan-roasted dandelion roots and oak acorns, “but it’s only for holidays, we don’t light the fire every morning”, specifies Blandine. For more elaborate meals, the duo uses a solar oven, made with wood, aluminum foil and a window, explains Robin : “The temperature quickly rises to 100 degrees, you can cook cereals there, but also pies and cakes. We’re having fun! Sobriety is neither a deprivation nor a step back. It is an access to happiness through a simpler life. »
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