Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Come Away With Me~



Monday was beeautiful~ My niece had told me about a place..called Bleu Lavande here in Québec..I Googled it and immediately wanted to visit~



It's wonderful~!It's far for us..it took us almost 3 hrs to get there because of traffic etc.. but the drive was pretty..and once we got there it was worth it~


I have never seen so much Lavender at once.. when in Provence.. the lavender was finished..this was as close as I could get and it was fabulous.



Bleu Lavande.. was someone's dream..and it's come true~



We were so impressed!
Their home..the outbuildings..the store.. the land.. the apparatus.. all in showplace condition~


They have a wonderful store on site with all their products..the store is large.. white washed inside..w/ the wonderful scent of lavender throughout.
Top quality beautiful merchandise..packaging.. home..kitchen.. etc.. decoration.. food items.. the list goes on and on.. white iron pieces..chandeliers..etc..
Many many temptations~

This was a little area next to the main store entrance..



Their home is simply beautiful..pale yellow amidst all the green grass and lavender~



A private little garden oasis also.. with 2 massothérapie tables overlooking the land!



There was a small sign in that part of the garden.. mentioning.. whispers only ~ A little girl whispered to her parents..she must have been 3-4..so sweet!
Many many children were there and they have a little play area for them also.



You cannot help but want to touch and feel and they encourage it~
By humans or the multitude of bees ..



C'est beau beau beau!



They offer lunches.. or single items.. very reasonably priced and many items using their lavender..you can also picnik with your own lunch which is what we did.



They also sell their plants..Munstead or English..
They recommend for baking and cooking only the Munstead..which is what I grow here.



Every day has a special attraction..on Monday it is artist day..many artists were set up amidst the grounds painting..
Another sight I love!



I took many many more photos but this entry would be too long and ennuyant for you..
I'll end with saying that I really enjoyed my day.. the blue fields..the blue sky..the blue products!


That everything about that place is charming and first class.
The staff was friendly,knowledgeable and sweet.
The lady in the kitchen dept could not have been more helpful!AS sweet as the chocolate she was selling..Deep dark rich chocolate bars with lavender..
All perfectly presented and packaged~

Des Coups De Coeur for certain!

I made these because they were selling some..but wanted to do them my way w/ my cookie cutter :)

The recipe was just a sablé recipe w/ icing sugar,butter,corn starch and flour.I simply added a teaspoon of lavender blossoms..dried..and grown in my little garden~


La Recette~
60g corn starch
40g icing sugar
150g flour
150g butter semi salted
1 tsp+or- of dried culinary lavender blossoms

Mix dry ings..add butter..roll out..cut..bake ap 8 mins Convection 330.

I brought some over to Caroline's never thinking the boys would like cookies w/ lavender though..and surprise.. they liked them!



For anyone who enjoys gardening,open spaces,nature painting,photography and a quiet pretty outing ~


Bleu Lavande was a treat for me~I just love Lavender~

26 comments:

  1. I love lavender farms and many are springing up in the US as well -- I love lavender shortbread and lavender poundcake -- always save some of the lavender for culinary purposes -- not all of it is for the bath or linen closet.

    Beautiful pictures -- where did you get your cookie cutter? One of those would be perfect at Linderhof!

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  2. how lovely. i want to go!
    thanks for letting us have a look a this amazing farm!

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  3. Hi Martha..I got it here.You do NEED one;)

    http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360072964525

    I have mentioned the seller and the cutter a few times as it is one of my favorites..Nice seller..spot on delivery from Germany.

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  4. My eyes have never held so much Lavender at one time... I would have gone crazy there. Simply charming...must have been hard to leave! I so love seeing a business where there is such pride in ownership and every detail is attended to. I too would have felt the drive quite worth it. Would have enjoyed seeing ALL the photos too. This post has given me an idea for a necklace slide. I am soldering objects behind glass and Lavender would be wonderful..Thank you for sharing, I must get to work, xoxo~Kathy~ Sweet Up-North Mornings...

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  5. Kathy I think we enjoy many of the same things:) I have enjoyed soldering blooms in glass too!I just compared my work to theirs and gave up:) Cannot wait to see yours..If it's as beautifully done as your ottoman and cushions..it will be perfect.
    Oh yes..I was proud of these people for them! And their great achievement.

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  6. I'm transported to so many beautiful places everytime you blog :) It's very different here in Singapore. I have lived in a city all my life, never in big open spaces. But I do have a spectacular view of the sea from my apartment, something which I take for granted. I guess home is where the heart is. Such pretty biscuits!

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  7. M...I think I need to go back to Quebec! I spent my honeymoon there 28 years ago exactly give or take a day or two...it is so beautiful there. What a fabulous day you had....thank you so much for sharing it with us...
    L~xo

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  8. On my, what a wonderful day. You were in lavendar heaven. I can imagine the intoxicating fragrance filling the air.

    I have some lavendar in my yard and it's alive with big bumble bees. They must be very relaxed, happy bees.

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  9. Such a glorious, photogenic place! To see the artists at work must have been a very special treat also :)

    I'm glad you found this beautiful place and shared it with us!

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  10. a wonderful post, monique. looks like la petite... eehm... grande provence en canada. I love lavender and I really enjoyed reading your post.

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  11. i wanna see all 166... its such a glorious presentation~ the little netting area and hand and table, be still my heart~

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  12. What gorgeous vistas you had. The aromas must have been heady. Thankfully for all of your readers, you are such a talented photographer so we can appreciate your outing!

    I'm loving the cookies, too. I finally bought the cutter, too (thanks to you and the 2 Stews) and have yet to use it. I may have to use your recipe and incorporate some dried lavender as well!

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  13. What a great find Monique! I'm sending you an email for specifics...we'll be in QC soon. Not sure how far it would be from QC.

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  14. What beautiful cookies!!! I'll have to check out how far Bleu Lavande is from Ottawa.

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  15. I have never seen a lavender farm. I must definitely do this when I travel east.

    The cookies are delightful!

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  16. Absolutely stunning. And, I still haven't gotten over your lavander-honey chicken recipe and pics. Just the idea makes my mouth water.

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  17. How absolutely wonderfully beautiful Nana. We have lavender in our garden. It is finished now. Your cookies look fantastic.

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  18. Quelles photos encore... de vraies merveille, ce sont les vacances, la poésie et le bonheur chez toi. Merci.
    Internet et le téléphone sont rétablis, c'est une autre forme de bonheur.

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  19. What a gorgeous place. I loved seeing the lavender in the fields when I was in Provence years ago. We have an area in Washington state that grows a lot of lavender but I haven't made it there yet. I might have to do that this summer.

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  20. What a beautiful place and what beautiful photographs! I love the packaging and the signage design. So elegant. Thank you for taking us all along!

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  21. What a dream...I feel like I just had a mini vacation! The scent must have been divine. Also, I didn't realize that Munstead lavender was the one recommended for cooking and baking...thanks for the info. Your cookies are so very charming...I think I'll copy!

    Diane

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  22. What a heavenly place!!!!! I adore lavendar!! those cookies look so precious!

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  23. I could spend days upon days looking at your photographs Nana.


    xo

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  24. No way I never saw this much lavender ever! this does sound like a treat! and those cookies ! Yummmm! how did you print on them the word Lavande?

    Do you happen to know any B&B in france ( close to Paris) with any cooking courses? If so , please email me ! check out my blog to see what I'm talking about :) have a wonderful day!

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  25. How beautiful!!! We don't have anything that looks like this in Tennessee, USA. I love the smell of lavender. I've tried to grow it here in the humid south; it did last for a season and had a few blooms. Beautiful photography!!

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  26. NANA
    i`m a brasilian grandmother, and I love the way you made so easy your recipes , and I love lavender.
    In winter time ,in Rio de Janeiro,I have some, lavender in my kitchen -garden and my oldest grand daugther,10 years old, we together,love picking one very nice bunch, to make my recipes.
    Thanks for share with us .Aninha

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