Lavender Fields Forever: An Exploration of Provençal Lavender 

As you drive into the city of Sault, France, you begin to notice the air is filled with a subtle scent of lavender and wonder if this is just a wonderful side effect of the closing festival for the Provençal lavender season or a perk the town enjoys year around. August 15th is the marker for the end of the harvesting season and the beginning of the rest for the crops in the coming year. As a city Sault takes its lavender very seriously and why shouldn’t it? Lavender is one of the oldest medicinal herbs on record, used by the Egyptians about 4,000 years ago in mummification and perfume. Greek physicians used it for things like indigestion and sore throats thanks to its calming properties. Those calming properties are never more apparent than when you are sitting in the town center of Sault, enjoying a delicious lunch and about to fall asleep on your plate because the entire city is filled with the scent of the potent pacifying herb.

Beyond its medicinal properties, lavender is also a culinary treat, an amazing scent, an insect repellent in your garden and much more. Its possibilities are endless and it’s never been more clear than at la Fête de Lavande in Sault. Wandering through the festival grounds, you will happen upon a maze of artisan stalls, truly showing just how far lavender’s reach extends. Whether it’s scoops of lavender ice cream piled high in a cone, lavender pâté or a more traditional hand-milled soap, every inch is filled with delights for every sense. If you can’t find it here, you won’t find it anywhere. It appears to an outsider as if the town comes to life on this day each year to host all who have made the pilgrimage to celebrate the tiny purple flower.

Lavender as Food: Amping Up Your Culinary Delights

Ice Cream: A Sensory Delight

When wandering the town of Sault, you stumble upon a tiny passage that leads to a huge town square. The first stop along the square was a local ice cream shop, Gelati’ Amo, with delightful flavors that you don’t see everyday, but probably should. For the festival the whole family came out to help and Max, the eldest daughter was busy working her forearm strength, scooping mounds and mounds of ice cream for a barrage of guests. The flavors of the day? Verbena and lavender, lavender water with honey, hibiscus mint and lavender, mirabelle plum and lavender, just to name a few. The soft and refreshing treat was simultaneously the perfect break from the heat and the best reminder of the way you can play with the potent purple herb.

Nougat: Fluffy and Fragrant

As you stroll throughout the festival and in the town, you are greeted by mounds and mounds of nougat that resemble snowy mountains filled with surprising delights. For the festival Confiserie André Boyer in the city center, filled those white mounds with the city’s signature purple flower and set it out for everyone to delight at. That signature chewy, pillowy nougat mouth feel paired with the floral, herbaceous scent of the lavender is a heavenly combination.

Pâté: A Savory Lavender Surprise

A bit more unexpected is the unforgettable experience that is lavender pâté. Paired simply with a small piece of toast, the Terraroma pâté is every bit as traditional as it is a surprising delight of lavender in an unexpected savory form. Lavender flowers are visible alongside the cracked pepper and yellow swirls of fat that are signature to any good pâté. It’s a culinary experience I didn’t know existed but was happy to have experienced.

Breads, Cookies and Cakes: Oh My!

The most traditional way we all know lavender in the culinary world is through pastry and la Fête de Lavande was no exception. It was filled with vendors making delicious cookies, macarons, baguettes, brioches and even gingerbread cakes with the herbaceous plant. Although pastry is one of the most common ways to use the herb, every single one of the vehicles with which it was infused, delighted the palate.

Lavender in the Home: A Power Packed Punch

Soap: Calming and Functional

Much more than just a beautiful scent to enjoy in your shower, traditionally made lavender soaps like those found at Le Chatelard, are infused with the flower’s essential oil which offer mild anti-inflammatory and have natural anti microbial properties. This means that it’s a perfect option for sensitive skin or skin that needs a little extra love.

Common Cleaner: Goodbye Germs

Much like in soap, lavender essential oil contains the compounds linalool and linalyl acetate which have shown antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria and fungi in lab studies. Mixing some lavender essential oil with vinegar or rubbing alcohol will aid killing some bacteria. Although it is not as powerful as bleach or registered disinfectants, it is very useful for those everyday countertop spills and when combined with alcohol or other proven disinfectants it adds a lovely scent to your home as well as killing some germs around the house.

Pest Control: Relaxing in all New Ways

The same aromatic compounds that make lavender pleasant to us are genuinely unpleasant to a host of pests. Are you having trouble with moths eating at your wool and silk clothing? Out with those old ratty moth balls and in with a lavender sachet. Along with moths it also repels fleas, flies and for every gardener aphids. While you should never put lavender essential oils directly on your skin, if properly diluted, can be effective, if shorter lasting, against mosquitoes as well. If you prefer to avoid the science of properly diluting your lavender, a sachet comes in handy here as well.

Lavender as Medicine: A Tale as Old as Time

Soothing Sore Throats: A Grandmother’s Secret Recipe

We’ve discussed the mild anti-microbial properties of lavender which is why even the ancient Greeks used lavender to soothe a run of the mill sore throat. While we aren’t talking about curing a case of strep throat, lavender made into a tea or gargle with warm water can offer relief for throat irritation. If you want to amp up the soothing effects, add in some honey, which even the WHO recommended as a first-line remedy ahead of over-the-counter cough syrups likely because of its hydrogen peroxide production thanks to an enzyme bees leave behind during the honey making process.

Indigestion: An Antispasmodic Over the Ages

Lavender has a mild antispasmodic effect which means it can relax and soothe the muscle in the digestive tract leading Greek physicians to prescribe it to help digestion, relieve bloating, cramping and general stomach discomfort. When combined alongside chamomile, fennel and peppermint is a more modern way of putting lavender to work than simply consuming it on it’s own but for over 2,500 years it’s been used to ease many a tummy trouble.

Sleep: The Holy Grail

Probably the most well known and well researched use of lavender is its use for sleep. Inhaled using a sachet, diffuser or a pillow spray have shown positive outcomes for those suffering a restless night or two such as improved sleep quality, falling asleep faster and sleeping more soundly. This is most likely due to the soothing compounds, linalool and linalyl acetate, that give lavender its calming reputation. Incorporating it into your nightly routine can offer the added benefits of a truly restful night’s sleep.

Whether you are enjoying lavender in its various forms alongside traditional Provençal dress and dressage shows at the closing festival in Sault or you are using it to lull you to sleep on a night when your mind is working overtime, lavender is an herb worthy of a time-honored celebration for all its delicious and infallible glory.