Diois in Provence
Come and breath in a bouquet of wild or cultivated aromatic plants full of gentle Mediterranean flavours: thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, sage or savory…
Visit the distilleries and smell the natural fragrance of lavender essential oil.
Stroll around local markets where a whole assemblage of aromas will bring back childhood memories, of holidays in the South of France: olives, picodon cheese, warm bread, walnut oil…
The fields with their parallel rows of lavender, often buzzing with clouds of insects are an invitation to linger awhile and take in the colours and scents of the landscape.
Lavender is typical of the Pays Diois. It flourishes on land between 500 m and 1200 m altitude. There are two types of lavender in their natural state in the Diois, true lavender (lavandula angustifolia) and spike lavender (lavandula latifolia.) The third specie ‘lavandin’, is a hybrid of these two varieties. It is less fragrant but produces more voluminous bush that easily grow in plain fields up to 800 m of altitude. It is therefore the most commonly cultivated type of lavender.
The properties of lavender flowers
Lavender is calming, healing, antiviral, antalgic and antispasmodic. It is used in many cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations.
The plant also lends a special taste to herbal teas and patisseries, not to mention the delicate lavender honey !
BEAUTY RECIPE by Claire Montesinos of Cosmétiques Solaure.
You can make your own maceration with fresh flowers, either with lavender (for its calming properties), Achillea millefolium (good for rosacea and facial blood circulation) or calendula (recommended for insect bites, dry skin or bruises) :
1- Put the freshly harvested plants in a glass jar and cover with olive oil
2- Leave the mixture to macerate in sunlight for 3 weeks, ensuring the jar is open during the day but closed at night. Stir from time to time.
3- Filter the mixture and take the bottle away from sunlight. Remember to label your blend !
This recipe is a great way to benefit from the plant’s properties in particular its soluble active ingredients released in oil in particular its essential oils.
If you would like to learn more plant based recipes our partners offer workshops on this specific theme.
