Provence Lavender

Make this the year to visit Southern France. Come see the lavender fields with us.

We still have 2 rooms available for this summer.  This could be you....Click on the link to see the details.

Download Tour2012emailer

Lavender wreaths perfect on Chevy Chase Porch

Alice was visiting the Bethesda Market and saw the Boudoir Wreath at the Essence de Provence booth.  She decided it was perfect for her house (yellow and purple), that she loved lavender and that spring time was the perfect to time to add these accents to her house.   She wanted to turn 3 wreaths vertically on her front porch.  Et voila……they look amazing!  Thanks for letting me post these photos of your home.  A beautiful home with the perfect accent!

Argan oil-liquid gold from Morocco

You don’t have to visit Morocco to indulge in the “liquid gold” of argan. Argan comes from the fruit of a tree grown almost exclusively in Morocco.  The oil which is believed to have age-defying properties is the hot new ingredient in many beauty products found in France and all around the Mediterranean.

High in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, argan oil is believed to help all sorts of skin conditions from wrinkles, dry skin, eczema and acne to psoriasis. In Morocco this magical oil is slathered on skin, hair nails and even Moroccan babies.

The oil comes from the nut of the argan tree.  The nut looks like a cross between an almond and a walnut and are found in the area around Essouira.  During certain seasons you can even see goats on top of these craggy trees feeding off the fruit. They are harvested exclusively by women who have organized Argan cooperatives and collectives. They crack the shells with sharp rocks, then grind down the seeds into a paste that looks a lot like chunky peanut butter. The paste is kneaded by hand to extract the oil and then it’s send to nearby presses to extract the oil. There it is made into soaps, lotions and crèmes.

 

Essence de Provence is proud to offer both an argan soap and a body lotion made with this luxurious oil.

Introductory price of $4.00 for the 100g soap bar and $15.99 for the large 10.14 fl. oz. bottle of lotion.

 

 

 

Bringing the french lavender to Washington D.C.

 
 
It has been quite a year.  Essence de Provence moved from Lincoln Nebraska to the Washington D.C. area.  May-October most Saturdays I have been at the Reston Virginia market.   I also participated in the Fairfax Fall Festival, the Big D.C. Flea, and the Wine and Polo festival at the Plaines, (yes, Ralph Lauren jackets, big hats...think Pretty Woman). 

Most of the winter I was outdoors at the Montgomery County Women’s Coop in Bethesda Maryland.  This is a beautiful setting, under the sycamore trees (look like Plane trees of Provence to me), especially when the leaves start to come back.  (Some of those days were pretty chilly!)  This is very international and interesting.   It's fun to speak french with the North African vendors, from Togo, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, importing beautiful art, jewelry, and pottery.  There are rugs from the Middle East, clothing from India and South American jewelry.  Inside, french pastries, turkish take-out, fresh flowers and more.

 

 

 

The Reston Virginia market is at Lake Anne and also a lovely setting, under the trees, near the lake with live music every week.

 

Although the Reston market is over for the season, there are still a few big events before the end of the year.  The first is a Holiday Open House in Reston.  My friend Mary Miceli is hosting this at her home.  We are calling it a mini-soirée because we will have wine, cheese, hors d’oeuvres French music and it is a great way to shop for all of your favorite lavender items and try some of the gourmet items like Olive Oil from Provence, lavender jelly and herbes de Provence.  It is a relaxing and fun way to kick off the Holiday Season and an easy way to stock up on gifts for teachers, hairdressers and all the special people on your list.

In Nebraska, Lisa and I will again host an afternoon at the Corkscrew, a wine and cheese bar, in Omaha on November 20^th and Lisa and Amanda will have the Holiday “soirée”/Open house at Lisa’s home on December 4^th with all your favorites, everygreen & lavender swags, new blue lavender candles, your favorite lavender soaps and of course the solid lotion bar.

Thanks to everyone who came out to see us this summer.  We hope to see you again soon, and please remember that all of these items are available at www.essencedeprovence.com if you are unable to attend our events this fall.

 

Best time of year to see lavender in Provence

 When is the best time to see the lavender fields of Provence?  I am asked this question at the market, recently on this blog and sometimes via email.  I am on my way home from Provence at the moment, and I must say that it depends on the weather (lots of rain, snow or sun can alter the harvest date), but I think it is safe to say the last 2 weeks of June were perfect this year.  We stayed at St. Cecile-les-Vignes (near Bollene).  Up on the Sault plateau it will be a week or 2 before the harvest. 

The last few years I have also noticed that the first days of our trip we have perfect weather, and as we transition into July, the days are quite hot.  So much that it is best to take a rest in the afternoon and go out in the mornings and evenings.  Here are a few of my shots from the last 2 weeks.   The lavender bouquets looks very good this year.  It was buried under snow for a couple of months this winter.  This first photo was in the morning and the last ones at sunset.

    

My daughter is graduating from high school and we are planning a party. Guess what she wants to drink? Lavender lemonade. I have decided to "come out" with my secret recipe....so voila.
LAVENDER LEMONADE
Ingredients; 3 T lavender flowers (organic preferable)    
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
2 cups lemon juice (at least 3 lemons)
4 cups water

Mix together lavender flowers, water and sugar and heat until boiling stirring to dissolve the sugar, then continue on low boil for 8 more minutes without stirring. Cool this down well. Strain out the lavender flowers. Mix this cooled "syrup" with the lemon juice and water. Will be a beautiful pink color.

Find other free recipes for lavender at; www.essencedeprovence.com

Lavender Massage

I found an article today in The Magic and Power of Lavender, written by Maggie Tisserand and Monika Junemann called "Massage-Touching and Being Touched" that I'd like to share;

"Can you imagine anything more beautiful and comforting than being touched?  The touch and fragrance of his or her mother-being cuddled, imbibing her reassuring smell-play a primary role in the infant's first perceptions of the world.  We remember this throughout our lives and always long to be touched again and to smell the familiar smells we loved.  Aromatherapy massage merges these two experiences into a unified experience.  An aromatherapy massage rewards both arties involved with the beauty of shared love-rewarding the one who gives as much as the one who receives.  And what could be more pleasant or rewarding than the mutual exchange of energy?

     Depending on the essential oils we apply, the massage can have very different effects.  If we use lavender oil, it will be calming and relaxing , and it will have a smoothing effect on the skin.  Moreover, lavender oil will encourage the letting go of all muscular tensions, even of the kind that we do not even notice.  We can prepare our own pure lavender massage oil, or if we like, add other essences.  The basic proportion of ingredients is:  essential oil 2%, vegetable oil 98% or

Massage Oil for Relaxation Recipe

-Lavender oil    40 drops

-3 oz. of vegetable oil

Never pour massage oil directly from the bottle onto the skin, because it will be too cold, and the shock will create additional tension.  Instead, put a sufficient quantity into the hollow of your hand, rub your palms to bring to body temperature, and only then touch your partner.

     You do not need to have studied massage in order to give a massage.  Trust your intuition.  Let your hands softly and gently run over the body of your partner.  Explore.  Find soft and hard spots, and never forget that you want to please, that you want to give something beautiful.  Do not try to remember complicated movements like particular styles of kneading and pressing the muscles;  if you do it incorrectly, you could harm your partner.  Just try to be gentle.  This is the best you can do if you are not trained in a certain massage technique.  And it works.  you will give the gift of comfort and ease-total relaxation."

 

 

Dreaming of lavender fields in Provence, France.

On this cold January night, I am dreaming about summer in Provence, and our upcoming tour.  Last year we discovered some new incredible lavender fields.  So lovely to photograph next to the vineyards and in a very hilly setting.
 

 
 

The markets are so animated, with incredible smells, sights and live music, not the mention the vendors.

  
 
 

But perhaps everyone’s favorite memories were of the dinners where we hosted French friends, and when they invited us to dine with them.  A chance for a genuine exchange, rather than just seeing Provence as a tourist.

We had so many great moments at our villa as well.  One can be as social as you choose.  You can usually find someone out on the terrace, but our “home” is big enough to have some privacy as well, for those who prefer to retreat after a day out.

 
  

We still have a few rooms available for this summer.  

To download the brochure, just click here:

Download Exppro2010flyerSept15

and feel free to email or call or write me (Beth) or Lisa if you have any questions or to reserve your spot and chance to “Experience Provence” yourself. 402 202-2280 EssenceDP@aol.com or 402 730-1014 lisa@provenceproperties.net.

New Lavender shipment from Provence

Lisa and I are now back from Provence. We purchased and packed up the new harvest of lavender and the products for our market and the website.

 The lavender is harvested in July but not dry and ready to ship until September.  The lavender bouquets are a beautiful blue, and the loose flowers are fragrant and fresh.  We will be mixing the greyer (stronger scent with the blue for color). 
 

Products are purchased from our vendors not at a big "salon" or trade show, but usually from their garage, or "hangar", put it in the rental car, or in this case, in our friend's truck and is then packed up at the farmer's barn.

I have posted many photos of the lavender in full bloom, but this is what it looks like in Oct. after the harvest.  Lisa swears that she saw a "sanglier" (wild boar) on this drive just before we stopped to shoot a photo of this field.  This is sanglier and wild mushroom country.
 
  The large bags here in back of Lisa are full of lavender flowers. This is up at the "hangar" of our supplier.
Aunt Suzanne (not my real Aunt, but I wish she was), creates our beautiful "lavender bottles".   I just received an email from the freight forwarder!  The goods are on the water as we speak, expected to arrive in New York on 12 Dec., to Kansas City by 22 Dec., and perhaps in Lincoln Nebraska for a Merry Christmas!

 

Finishing the Nougat of Provence

So now that it has cooled enough to handle it, (thanks for your patience on that), Yves scrapes it out of the giant mixing bowl and spreads it out on a floured surface to continue working the magic.  He is handing me such tasty samples as dried cherries (local of course), pistachios, apricots, even hemp.  The day I was there he was "folding in" cherries.  He places the cherries in the dough and folds it over and over until it is ready to be placed in the pan and finished.

Nougat is not easy to describe.  The texture is soft but not chewy...it almost melts in the mouth and tasting a really good nougat is truly a sensual experience.  To contact Yves about his "nougat" you can write to him at; boitanougat@orange.fr

Yves makes Nougat in Provence

One very hot sweaty day, I went to see my friend Yves in his nougat workshop.  He just returned from doing a 3 day market and had an order for “one ton of nougat” (we like to sing this phrase to “Guantanamera”), an almost superhuman feat. Yves was so in his element, despite the heat, that it was just a joy to be around someone so into his art. 

He was generous enough to allow me to watch this magical process.  The first and very secretive part is the measurement for the sugars that are heated up to a certain temperature.  (Keep in mind there are 4 fires in this maybe 40m2 building (don’t even suggest “clim” or air conditioning). 

He was very happy when the sugars went into the mixture and told me that I was lucky enough to witness an exceptional batch.  Notice the consistency and imagine the heat as he pours the boiling sugars into the giant mixer (also with a fire under it). 

It changes form in the mixer and that is where the magic comes begins.  Transformed from this scalding liquid to a taffy-like state. 

When it is cool enough to move, it is transported into a slightly cooler room (no fires at least) and allowed to cool enough to handle it.  He scrapes it out of the mixing bowl and the fun begins…..(I’ll be back after the nougat has cooled enough to handle it).