Okay, we'll say the big fuss over the difference is because they are French ... but if you are in France, and especially Provence, you are informed (in no uncertain terms) that there is a difference between the Provence Lavender and the Common Lavender (also called Lavandin). I do think that they lump all other types of lavender under the "Common Lavender" name, but again, that's cause they are French. The Provence Lavender is what is used for medicines that are ingested and cooking because the flavor is not as intense as the common lavender.
The lavender that is grown in the Provence region has one flower per stalk and the coloring is more a bluish-purple rather than the bright or dark purple that you'd associate with the common lavender. The smell is also lighter than the common lavender with much of the scent coming from the flower rather than the leaves.
Common lavender is what is used in sachets, to scent household products, and used in topical rubs and is probably what you have growing in your backyard.
For more on lavender and if you have a burning desire to have the complete experience, check out http://www.routes-lavande.com/home.html
And so concludes my agricultural lesson of the day.
1 comment:
Here's a link to the Lavendar Festival near Gettysburg, PA. Took place in June, unfortunately. I'm sure it's nowhere near as fantastique as the fields of Provence, but it's a lot closer, in case you can't get to France next year! http://www.palavenderfestival.com/
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