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Lavender Festival: between tradition and discovery
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Lavender Festival: between tradition and discovery
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An ephemeral natural spectacle, lavender is the undisputed star of Provence!
Ah, Provence! Lavender fields as far as the eye can see, enchanting perfume and shimmering colors... If there's one place to experience this magic, it's on the high plateaus of Provence at harvest time, transforming landscapes into Van Gogh paintings.
Flowering time
The Valensole plateau is world-famous for its immense lavender and lavandin fields, which each summer in mid-June burst into bloom with their emblematic flowers, transforming into a veritable sea of fragrant purple.
Peak bloom is usually reached in mid-July. This is the ideal time for photo enthusiasts and nature lovers who dream of capturing the very essence of Provence. The fields stretch endlessly, vibrating in the sunshine and emitting a soothing fragrance that fills the air.
It's also an ideal playground and an intense living environment for the bees essential to pollination.
The harvest
If admiring the flowering is a spectacle in itself, witnessing the lavender and lavandin harvest is an even more authentic experience, marking the culmination of the lavender growers' work.
The harvest normally begins in mid-July. An intense period that generally begins when the flowers are at their peak, bursting with essential oil.
Picking used to be done by hand, but today, although some plots are still harvested hand-picked, most fields are harvested using specially designed machines.
It's quite a sight: on one side, a purple field; on the other, bunches of freshly cut lavender.
It should be noted that harvesting does not take place at the same time everywhere, and depends on the maturity of the flowers. Some fields may be cut earlier than others, offering latecomers the chance to see fields in bloom even a few days after the start of the general harvest.
Attending the lavender and lavandin harvest is an unforgettable sensory experience, where sight, smell and the impressive sound of buzzing bees combine to create an unforgettable memory of Provence!
From field to bottle
Once cut, the lavender is transported to the many distilleries on the Valensole plateau. This is where the magic happens!
Distillation extracts the precious essential oil of lavender or lavandin. The flowers are placed in large stills, where they are heated by steam. The steam, loaded with aromatic compounds, is then cooled, separating the essential oil from the floral water (or hydrolat).
This was the birth of the precious essential oils of lavender and lavandin, as well as other products such as sachets of dried flowers, soaps, perfumes, cosmetics, home fragrances and even lavender delicatessen products!
Floral water is prized for its soothing and refreshing properties.
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Part of Folies de Provence's lavender production is distilled in a cooperative in Haute Provence.
Our lavender essential oils and floral waters are bottled and labeled in our Aubagne workshop.
Dried lavender and lavandin flowers, in sachets, bouquets or bulk, come directly from farms on the Valensole plateau, thus promoting a short supply chain.
Valensole Lavender Festival
A major event not to be missed: the Lavender Festival in Valensole.
This celebration of nature, hard work and ancestral know-how takes place every 3rd weekend in July.
It's a great opportunity to discover local traditions and watch distillation demonstrations. It's also an opportunity to understand the entire chain, from field to finished product.
If you're looking for an extraordinary sensory experience, don't forget the Plateau de Valensole on your must-see list!
It's also an opportunity to visit the beautiful village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
and to come and see us in one of our FOLIES DE PROVENCE stores
Place Pomey à Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
or
discover here all Folies de Provence products made with lavender from Provence.
