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SpotlightThe Lavender Way
In July, Kate and Luc were fortunate enough to spend time with Gill and her partner Derek - an English couple who gave up their high-tech city life a few years ago and moved to Crete. They bought a plot of land in a lovely rural area amongst the olive groves and settled. They weren’t really sure what they would end up doing, but as is the case with many of us who have moved here they could never have imagined how their life would pan out. Gill is now the proprietor of the only organic lavender farm on Crete…. First Principles, Natural Farming and Philosophy
Lavender Way: Products and Contacts
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Each month our Spotlight page is dedicated to a specific theme that relates to the Cretan way of life. As a result we have often written about local customs and traditions that form the bedrock of Cretan culture. However, here at the Bugle we are also just as interested in finding out about new and alternative perspectives to life on Crete - and also in learning from others who have chosen to make a new start here. It may be stating the obvious to say that to move to Crete from abroad involves making a life – changing decision. And also to say that no matter how many times you have visited the island before and have tried to ‘map out’ your future here, once you have made the big move you will find that Crete is full of ‘challenges and surprises’. Nevertheless, these statements really do ring true.
Put it this way, when you think of Crete, you might not automatically think of ‘lavender’ (Provence, on the other hand....). Lavender does grow here naturally, and it grows well. But traditionally, growing lavender has not been seen as a commercially viable enterprise on this island. Obviously, then, establishing an organic lavender farm here has involved a steep learning curve and a great deal of very hard work. But, as Gill explained, starting out from first principles has been liberating in many ways. For one thing, she has not been bound by preconceptions or stereotypic ways of working. For another, by finding her individual niche on Crete she isn’t treading on anyone's (existing) toes. Quite the reverse, in fact. The impression we got from listening to Gill was that by sharing her experiences of being a new lavender farmer with other local well established olive farmers she has found a unique way to engage and exchange with the local community. Furthermore, the approach to farming that Gill has adopted - natural farming - which seeks to complement the local environment rather than competing with it - is in itself representative of a personal philosophy which, we feel, is well applied to all aspects of life here (striving for integration rather than invasion?). Natural farming first came to prominence as a result of the work of
Masanobu Fukuoka, and is seen by many as being a step beyond organic farming. In the height of the industrial agricultural boom in the last century, Fukuoka became an outspoken advocate of small scale ‘no-till’ farming. No machines, no artificial fertilizers and no chemicals. When cultivating the crop, the key is to try and sustain natural conditions as far as possible - and to try and preserve the pre- existing biodiversity of the area. Seeds are sown by hand, the crop is hand-picked. Retaining certain weeds, providing companion plants and maintaining ground cover are integral aspects that lead to the development of healthy plants. Adopting this strategy to cultivation is by no means a soft option, by the way. It involves diligent mapping and recording the progress of each and every plant in a properly kept scientific journal, noting the responses of plants to different climatic conditions and even in some cases dosing out a strong measure of ‘difficult nurturing’ to the species - for example by depriving individual plants of water during the hottest months. Survival of the fittest? A labour of love.
Essential oils form a large part of Gill’s portfolio of commercially available products. The current range on offer includes pure Spica oil (which Gill and Derek describe as a ‘higher camphor level oil’) and Angustifolia oil (‘which has a perfume quality aroma with high notes’). All we can say as enthusiastic novices is that both oils are lovely, soothing and invigorating in their different ways and are indeed very different in quality. A crass distinction would be to view Spica as having a more masculine, wintery and woody feel, whereas Angustifolia might be associated with the more feminine, summery and flowery side of life. But don’t quote the editor as she’s currently dabbing as much as she can of both all over different parts of her body whilst writing this article
(she does tend to write about what she likes!). This year Gill has also started to produce lavender ‘spritzers’. These spritzers are very different from the traditional lavender water spritzers of bygone years. (If you’re thinking Lavender and Old Lace, just think again). Other products that are available include lavender sachets, posies and hand-woven lavender wands To find out more about Gill and Derek and / or to purchase products online log on to the
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