La Palma – The Saline Fuencaliente

Sea salt from the saltworks in Fuencaliente

At the southern tip of the Canary island of La Palma right next to the lighthouse – Faro de Fuencaliente – is the Saline Fuencaliente. The family company produces handcrafted finest salt.

Fuencaliente de la Palma Fuencaliente de la Palma

The company’s founder is Fernando Hernandez-Rodriguez. His son Fernando Hernández Villalba and his grandson Andrés Hernández-García produce the “Sal Marina Teneguía” in the traditional way. It is the only sea salt production facility in the Canary Islands, which is still in operation.

production

The path to a perfect sea salt is cumbersome and takes 3 to 5 weeks.

First, the Atlantic water, which contains about 36 grams of salt per liter off the southern tip of La Palma, passed in the so-called “Charca Madre”. This “mother pool” brings the sun, the water to evaporate the brine then flows into a large tub including location and stays there until 290 grams of salt in every liter of water swimming. Next stage is the crystallizer ponds. They consist of clay bottom and Lava stone walls. Here you can see grow the salt literally, until it reaches a concentration of 360 grams per liter.

Salinen von Fuencaliente de la Palma Salinen von Fuencaliente de la Palma

The “harvesting” is pure hand and backbreaking work. With rake, scraper and screen the workers piled the salt in addition to the pool to small mountains, where it dries. A hard work that finally brings to November up to 500 tonnes of white gold camp in the season from May. “In the winter months can not be produced,” said Andres. “Rain and wind would affect the quality of our salt.”

Salzernte in den Salinen von Fuencaliente de la Palma Salzernte in den Salinen von Fuencaliente de la Palma

visit

The plant can be visited for free. “Every day 200 to 250 people walk through our Salzgarten” says Andrés pleased about the “surprisingly large interest – also the direct sale ‘. At the outbreak in 1971 of the nearby volcano Teneguia almost destroyed the saltworks.

Restaurant

There is a very well integrated in the nature reserve restaurant for some time. According to newspaper reports the salt farmer’s family has fought 14 long years for this. It will be built even a salt museum, the “Centro de Interpretation Salinas de Fuencaliente”. So should be the official name of the future temple salt.

The facility is one of few in Fuencaliente Canary wetlands and provides habitat for migratory birds, almost extinct plant species, the brine shrimp and seaweed failed. Even flamingos at certain times in the Saline and eat the brine shrimp, from which they get their color.

Salinen von Fuencaliente de la Palma Salinen von Fuencaliente de la Palma

Fleur de Sal – Salt Flower

With super fine trickling, the generic palm Biosalz can serve less, because the natural production and drying leaves a residual moisture. However, as also all trace elements from the Atlantic waters are retained in addition to the main component of sodium chloride. As potassium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride. Contamination does not exist in sea salt from Fuencaliente. This is made possible here very clean water and famous for its purity palm generic air.

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