By Sylvia Arad | Submitted On May 07, 2010
To undertaking to Provence in July would be to be dropped in a very purple coloured sea. Oceans of lavender just about everywhere - in patches, in waves, in best rows, industry after area - the hillsides in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence are daubed in blue, mauve, gray and violet by good swathes of lavender in bloom. This is harvest time in Provence's lavender regions - the tractors are rolling, the distilleries steaming and lavender festivals are in total swing.
Lavender, the emblem of Provence, has become rising in this article forever. Its formal cultivation nevertheless is quite new, and it has presented increase to lavandin; a hybrid Variation made use of more for industrial functions.
"Fantastic" or real lavender is developed for its necessary oils. To qualify with the highly coveted AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) - France's highest stamp of approval - the lavender need to satisfy quite rigorous standards, its generation restricted to 284 villages and cultivated in locations higher than 800 m in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the Drome and Vaucluse. Used for perfumes, in aromatherapy and medicinally, it should also meet olfactory checks, and special harvesting and distillation processes.
Under the blazing sun, this delicate plant is harvested by hand by families steeped in its traditions, who've cultivated it for generations. It's then dried for days prior to getting distilled. The distillation method includes passing steam throughout the dried flowers, which can be gathered in bunches within a nevertheless to extract their vital oils. A variety of tactics are utilised with regards to the lavender's use. To create one Liter of vital oil, 287 lb. of wonderful lavender is utilised; for perfumes, the method is a lot more sophisticated taking up 2200 lbs. of lavender to yield 3 gallons of absolute pure oil.
Provence Lavender Country Features Terrific Mountaineering Holidays and Biking Routes
Lavender conjures up amazing vistas of blue fields, punctuated by pink poppies, a patchwork of gold grain and occasional strands of oak and pine which extend in the hallucinatory blue horizon. This area is actually a cycling and hiking paradise - biking routes abound for guests who wish to venture off- the-overwhelmed-route about the "Route de Lavande" Prestige Lavender Fields and climbing vacations within the "Grande Randonne" trails are an adventurer's dream. The imposing Luberon Mountains and Vaucluse plain function the backdrop to your magnificent panoramas of historic villages perched on hillsides; Together with the scents of rosemary, thyme, savory rather than minimum, lavender.
The "Route de Lavande" prospects guests through swathes of fragrant fields, gardens, distilleries, museums and villages. The various festivals, the most important hosted by Sault, show lavender floats and displays and supply not just bouquets and sachets, but every kind of lavender-associated products - creamy honey, scented candles and perhaps aprons. Dining places offer you lavender motivated menus and spas supply thermal baths and massages with lavender oil.