Little Touch of Provence on Ole Cape Cod (Our Visit to a Lavender Farm)

You say, you can't go to Provence this summer to take in the sites.  Never fear, if you live in New England, Provence has come to you in the small village of Harwich on Cape Cod. 

Last year in August I heard from friends about a lavender farm on Cape Cod.  Excited, Papa, Terry and I drove down one sunny day in April and to our disappointment, the lavender was not in bloom.  The lady in the gift shoppe told us to come by in July if we wanted to see purple fields...but life was busy and we didn't get back till the end of August...and once again, to our dismay, the blossoms had passed.    

So early yesterday morn, I was more then elated when Papa remarked, "I imagine the lavender is blooming in Harwich, should we plan a day trip?"

"Should we plan a daytrip or should we just go?" I queried as I pulled out the Coleman cooler and started loading it up with grapes, yogurt, cheeses, crackers, fruit salad, 3 cokes, 1 Sam Adams for Papa (The doctor said only one beer per week) and a bottle of white wine. "Papa, go walk Tuck and feed the kitties and I will pack some beach stuff just in case we get hot later in the day."

Within a half hour, we were tooling down Route 3....carefree as teenagers on a first date.  I started singing "Lavender fields forever....." at which point Papa interrupted me and said, "Strawberries, the Beattles were talking about strawberries!"  

"Then they mustn't of ever seen lavender fields...cause if they did, the word would have been lavender!"

"Do you think they grow lavender in Liverpool?" asked Papa.

"I don't think they grow strawberries either in that city!", I retorted.

The conversation was going no where so instead I started singing "....lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green...when you are King, dilly, dilly, I shall be Queen....Who told you so, dill......."

"Bob, you know that's really not the original words to that song....lavender is not green....originally it was rosemary in the second line."

Ummm...that's the deal...it's pretty hard to argue with Papa....he has an ENORMOUS amount of trivia locked up in that noggin' of his!  Despite the stroke he suffered five years ago, his long term memory is intact...just the short term memory was impacted.  Don't ask him what he had for breakfast or did he feed the dog...he won't know.  But mention the works of Margaret Meade or some obscure composer and he will give you an earful.  

"So tell me what you know about this dilly, dilly song?"

"I believe it was written in the early seventeenth century...there's many verses, some quite bawdy..."

And so we traveled down the highway and over the Cape Cod canal and down Route 6 and I heard the history of "Lavender Blue" all the while.  Time passed quickly and sooner then we knew we were at Exit 10.  Getting off the highway you take a right and travel a mile and half to Weston Woods Road...it's paved in the beginning but it shortly turn into a very bumpity dirt road.

First you come to the house and private gardens of the owners.   

  We saw a young girl working in the garden and stopped the car.  I explained I knew the Lavender Farm was down the road but that I just wanted to take a few pictures from the fence.  She was more then gracious and invited us into the gardens. 

 As Papa entered the garden, all his senses were assaulted....the hum of all the buzzing bees, the scent of the lavender, and the colors...the many variations of purple. 

As Papa was smelling he started conversing with the girl:  "Did you know that lavender's been around for 2,500 years?  The Romans cherished it for its distinct, delicate aroma and used it for healing, bathing and calming.  When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth they brought it with them and  then it has spread westward with the settlers. 

 "Papa, instead of talking, just keep bending over so I can get a good picture....."

 "How much longer do I need to bend over, Bob, my back is killin' me!"

Rather then get back in the car, we decided to walk the rest of the way.  From a distance, we could see the Farm Shed with pots of lavender for sale.

  It's lovely and rustic...my kind of shoppe.  Different varieties of lavender are for sale outside, including the farm's own creation, Harwich Blue.

  We met Little Sophia with her Gram and I asked if I might take a picture.  Sophia was more interested in telling me about the fairy castle she had just seen on the road to the fields.  "My Daddy is going to build me a fairy castle, you know so that the fairies can live in my backyard.  Right now they just live in trees...but I want a fairey house...."

  I assured her that her Dad knew just how to build such a castle as Papa and I started walking down the dirt road to the fields.  In a shady glen, hidden among a variety of plants in the "Enchanted Garden" was the miniature stone replica of a medieval castle.

Seeing the little fairie resting on a ledge, I could understand Sophia's desire to own such a fine faerie castle.

  Then we were on to the lavender fields...rolling fields of purple.
 

I  could see tall stacks of bee hives in the background....and I thought of carolion.

  "Look Carolion....lots of bees....making lavender honey!"

  On our way back we stopped at the shed....I wanted to buy some fresh lavender bunches for Terry and Gino and also for our house.  

  Though Papa had purchased three lavender plants last week, he decided he needed some "Harwich Blue".

The Store sells lavender loose or in bunches.  Lavender is much more then just a sweet smelling scent for lotion or hand soap....this passionate mint can be used as an age old cure-all for anything that ails you...from headaches to depression.  Lavender, my dear friend, is just as at home in a cup oftea as it in a sock drawer!  

As we were leaving with our wonderful purchases we saw the young girl coming from the gardens with more lavender......I imagine she rarely has depression or headaches! 

Cape Cod Lavender Farm   www.capecodlavenderfarm.com