This Isn’t Lavender: The Secret Behind Provence’s Purple Fields
- By Tanya
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In short: most of the famous purple fields of Provence, including the Valensole plateau, are planted with lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia), not true lavender. Lavandin is a natural hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender. It produces several times more essential oil, but it is sterile, so every plant is a cutting. True lavender grows […]
Jewish Heritage in Alsace: History, Traditions and Living Villages
- By Tanya
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From the medieval Rhine to the villages of today: the history, language, customs and places that shaped Alsatian Judaism. Alsace lies on the upper Rhine, a region where Jewish communities have left a lasting mark for nearly a thousand years. Its story is closely tied to the great Jewish centers of the German Rhineland, and […]