Sunflower Flields

Sunflowers

Driving through the south of France has been a beautiful agricultural experience. There are many interesting things to see besides grapes. Some areas seem to be dominated by wheat, others are orchards while my favorite site is the sunflower field. The heads of these flowers turn their smiling faces whichever way the sun is directing making a beautiful visual display. With so much of the earth planted in sun flowers, you have to wonder what it is all for.

Sunflowers were a crop of the new world, primarily in North America. These flowers were cultivated even before corn. Spanish explorers brought the sunflower back to Spain, and it became a crop in France and Italy not long after. The Russians were responsible for making many of the improvements in increasing crop yield, disease resistance and oil extraction. Their seed varieties have been reintroduced around the world. The EU nations accounted for 23% of world wide sunflower production in 2001-2002.

Sunflowers seeds are mainly used for salad and cooking oil, in some countries replacing more expensive olive oil. Additional uses include biodiesel, machine lubricants, printer inks and additives for plastics and PVC products.

The fields are beautiful and very picturesque. They are a break from some of the other more mundane crops of wheat and corn, even grapes. Their nodding heads in the breeze are a welcoming sight as you drive by.




Information gathered from: Bailey’s Industrial Oil and Fat Products, Chapter 14, Sunflower Oil by Maria A. Grompone. John Wiley and Sons 2005.

In Search of the Perfect Lavender Field

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque

Monastery of St. Paul

Monastery of St. Paul

Monastery of St. Paul

In Search of the Perfect Lavender Field

Provence France, July 2012

I grew lavender in my yard in Cincinnati Ohio; it was always nice to imagine seeing an endless field in bloom. And so it happened that we took a trip through Provence during the peak of the lavender bloom. We drove from Avignon to Gordes and then onto Sault. Later during the trip, we stopped at the Monastery of St. Paul’s where Van Gogh stayed in the asylum. This monastery and the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque had the most beautiful settings to capture the lavender field of dreams. These fields were the way you would imagine them to be! Gorgeous rows, perfectly straight and brilliantly purple. Others were nice, but did not have the photographic effect we wanted. Now after seeing these two locations, I realized that everyone takes these same pictures. They are printed in magazines, calendars, coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets and note cards among other things. These fields are tended, pampered and quite honestly lead you to believe all fields should look this way. So we had some disappointment in the regular fields, until we came to these.


Lavender is a small seasonal crop in Provence. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family (part of the mint family) and there are 25-30 species of these flowering plants. Commercial cultivation of lavender as a crop is a relatively recent occurrence compared to the rest of the history of Provence. Lavender grew wild as far back as Greek and Roman times. The Romans named the plant lavender for the root word lavare which means to wash or clean. Lavender was not easy to cultivate commercially, so traditionally the flowers were hand gathered from fields where it grew wild. In Roman times, a pound of lavender flowers could be sold for the equivalent of a month's wages for a farm worker or fifty haircuts from the local barber.


Harvesting lavender was traditionally a woman’s job. The knife has a heavy, moon-shaped blade and was made with a short handle to fit a woman's grip. The lavender cutter takes the flower by the stem in one hand and cuts it with the knife held in the other hand. She cuts them stem by stem until she has a bundle in her hand. This is tied off with a stem and hung to dry in the field for several days. Then the buds are soaked and distilled for their essential oils or use in the dried form. Shade drying has been shown to preserve more of the plant’s essential oils. There are now about 21,000 hectares of lavender cultivated in the South East of France.

In medieval times powdered lavender was used as a condiment. However traditional Provincial cooking does not use this herb in recipes. Nowadays, lavender is used liberally in many desserts, sauces, and to flavor chocolates. Lavender lends a floral and slightly sweet flavor to most dishes, and is sometimes paired with sheep's-milk and goat's-milk cheeses. In cooking, dried buds (also referred to as flowers) are used, although some chefs experiment with the leaves as well. The nectar from the flowers makes a high-quality honey, also a specialty product of the region.




The essential oil of lavender was used in hospitals during World War I to disinfect floors and walls. Currently, lavender is used alone and in combination with other herbs for aromatherapy. Lavender has also been found to exert an anti-anxiety effect leading to improved sleep in some individuals. Other uses include treatment for insect bites, burns, headaches and healing acne. Lavender can cause allergic reactions, and is not recommended for use if pregnant or breastfeeding.





Commercial production now takes place primarily in the higher elevations around the town of Sault and the foothills of Mount Ventoux. In 1981 the lavender industry established an A.O.C., Appelation d'origine contrôlée (meaning "with a guarantee of origin"), for lavender such as is used in the wine industry. This "controlled origin label" is for "essential oils of lavender from Haute-Provence" and is only for essential oil of fine lavender (L. augustifolia). The fields must be located within a specific territory at a minimum altitude of 800 meters.





For more information, please go to the website below. You will find links to area maps of lavender fields, and much more about the cultivation and production of commercial lavender.





http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/index.php/newsletters/lavender_of_provence

Roman Ruins in the South of France

Remy-de-Provence

Alres, France

Pont du Gard

Roman Ruins in the South of France

Evidence of civilization in France dates back to prehistoric times, as evidenced by paintings left in caves in the southern area.  The Romans conquered France, then called Gaul between the years of 118-50 BC.  In the southern part of France, much evidence of Roman rule remains.  This past weekend, we traveled through Provence, in search of blooming lavender fields and Van Gogh, but discovered something else.

On our way through St Remy-de-Provence in search of Van Gogh’s inspirational landscapes, we came across several Roman antiquities.  These landmarks are just outside of town built to decorate Roman roadways. What you see are first century AD monuments: a Triumphal Arch and a Mausoleum built as a memorial to Caesar and Augustus.  Further down the road, the Roman ruins of Glanum have been excavated.

Adding to our Van Gogh-Roman expedition, we traveled to Arles.  This is the town where Van Gogh lost his ear and got himself committed to an asylum.  But perhaps more remarkable are the Roman ruins left behind.  Arles was along one of the ancient trading routes between Italy, Spain and the Rhone area, so it received quite a bit of attention.  Left behind to tour are an arena, a theater, thermal baths, and a crypt.

Perhaps the most remarkable Roman architectural feat to see in this area is the Pont du Gard.  This is part of a 31 mile long aqueduct that ran between Uzes and Nimes in southern France.  The Fontaine d'Eure, the source of the water for the aqueduct is at 249 ft. above sea level.  To bring the water to Nimes, the aqueduct drops only 10 inches per kilometer over a 30 mile stretch.  This incredible feat was accomplished without mortar; the stones precisely cut to hold together.  Much of the length of the aqueduct was built underground, approximately 22 miles, the rest was built on the surface as conduits set on walls and over bridges.  The best preserved section of this aqueduct is the Pont du Gard.  It is a three tiered wonder 49 meters above the river spanning 275 meters of river and gorge.

Historians estimate that there could have been water still flowing as late as the 4^th century AD.  Lack of maintenance would have clogged it with mineral deposits and debris. During the Middle Ages, Pont du Gard functioned as a toll bridge.  Later more structure was added to improve bridge capacity.  It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and renovations were completed in 2000 to preserve it for the future.  Some travel guides estimate that Pont du Gard is the 5^th most visited site in France.  It was well worth the drive.  Next time I'll rent a kayak and a float beneath the arches!

Aigua Blava, Spain, June 2012