2006-7-29 7:08pm
 I still owe posts on my recent trip to France, though a detour to the lavender harvest seems only appropriate. Now is the time of year when the lavender fields of Provence, France have reached their full bloom and are being harvested. At Splendid Palate we are eagerly awaiting new inventory of lavender bouquets and bunches, buds and sachets.
These photographs are from this years harvest of lavender, which is currently in process. As you can likely tell, the lavender is full and vibrant blue in color. These will make beautiful bouquets! We are especially excited about the new Lavender sheaths we will be able to offer come Fall. We have seen photographs from a harvest day and they are simply divine. They are quite large, of the Grosso Lavandin variety (not a true lavender, but a hybrid of lavender). A few years ago similar sheaths were offered for sale by home decorating stores; while they were gorgeous, they were also expensive at $60-$80. We are looking forward to offering incredibly gorgeous sheaths at more affordable prices (likely in the range of $40). We are also working to bring back the lavender wands and wreaths that many of our customers admired and purchased as gifts for their friends and homes.
 French lavender really is a wonderful thing. It is something of incredible beauty, offering a superb sensory experience; the sight is inspiring, scent breathtaking and taste intoxicating. In addition to all of this, it has been providing a livelihood to French families for generations. While the tradition of family farming has all but disappeared in the United States, the French are working hard to preserve their heritage of Lavender farming. The local farmers and government in France have instituted systems and aid programs to help preserve their lavender farming traditions. There was an interesting article in the International Herald Tribune that speaks of the French farmers' and government's efforts.
There are great memories that I have of experiencing farms in the United States as a child. My grandparents were chicken farmers, at one point having 20,000 chickens on their land! While I was not yet alive to experience this quantity of chickens, I was certainly able to partake in the joys of fresh, still warm eggs each morning. I have great memories of experiences within the farm community in New Jersey... Playing with the animals of one farm and picking cherries and blackberries at others. In addition to this, I remember the milk man bringing fresh eggs and milk from a local farm, straight to our door. While I live in "milk country" of Connecticut, these experiences of family farming seem all but extinct. I mention this, not because it is directly related to the lavender farms of France, but because it represents a dramatic shift in the United States farming industry that I have been witness to over the past 25 years. Without proper support and preservation, the Lavender fields of Provence could easily go the way of my grandparents farm... Subdivided into many parcels and developed into houses and condominiums with the heritage lost to memory and photographs.
Recently we have been finding ourselves educating consumers more and more on French lavender. Lavender has increased in popularity to such an extent that many people are growing and selling various varieties of this fragrant herb. Many of these lavenders are grown in countries other than France; in fact, an astonishing 50% of them are grown outside of France. The multi-country harvesting causes broad ranges in pricing scales and little positive proof of where a bouquet actually originates. While some sellers are touting their lavender as 'French' lavender, it may very well have come from China or Bulgaria. Many of these companies fall back on technicalities, utilizing seeds or plants from France and therefore calling their lavender 'French lavender'. Sure, the lavender may have originated in France, but unless it was nurtured and harvested in the French soil, air and altitude (the factors that help bring out the best attributes of lavender) is it really fair to call it French lavender? So if you wonder why one lavender is cheaper than another... this does have a lot to do with it. The cultivation of lavender hybrids (also known as lavandins) also plays a role with price.
At Splendid Palate we only deal with French lavender, even though it can be more expensive. We believe in authenticity and prefer to support tradition and the French farmers than to seek out lower prices and alternative supplies from other countries.
On our web pages we supply you with photographs of the lavender farms in Provence. Our harvest photos are not stock photographs, they are of the actual harvest of the lavender we sell. We have formally met with our suppliers in Provence, France We bring you the best and hope you will enjoy our selection and the information we present to you.
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