You can also dream of business: Jūratė founded the largest lavender farm in Lithuania, he does not sell the harvest even to the French

We have all reached a crossroads in our lives where we no longer know which way to go, what activities to take. Some lack the determination to change something, others are drawn to their own search, they choose the path of trial. However, in the Kiemeliai village in Vilnius district, Jūratė, the owner of the Levander Village farm, which has been operating for a decade, everything came together by itself: suffering from ignorance, she had a fateful dream.

“When I was 40 years old, my thoughts began to haunt me: how do I live here, what do I do, if everything is fine or not I am distracted by other people, children, work. And where I am My little one was three years old at that time, I needed to go back to the The internal pressure has begun: I don’t want to sit at work from morning to afternoon, I already live in nature, we have land, even if it’s Saturday, I want a different quality of life. Maybe I need to take advantage of what I have?

So I tortured myself, tortured myself until I dreamed that I was standing in a lavender field and I was very happy. I woke up, my jaw even hurt. I realized that I slept through the night with a smile. I told my husband: we are going to Provence, France, because happiness awaits me somewhere there. We laughed and that was the end. Until then, lavender had no meaning in life. But the dream haunted him even more. Lavender objects attracted attention everywhere. I became interested in what he had dreamed of. I was looking for how that happiness would manifest itself here ”, the interlocutor began to tell an incredible story.

I dreamed that I was standing in a lavender field and I was very happy. I woke up, my jaw even hurt.

He invited me to sit in the cozy library of his farm and his lavender farm. There was also a tasting: a palate of malonina pâté, olives, lemonade, syrup, honey, cookies, miniature muffins, tea, ice cream, all handcrafted by the hostess with farm-grown lavender. And on that farm (2 hectares planted with lavender), according to Jūratė, only 4 legs, 4 arms and 2 heads are plush, only one assistant was hired.

“It just came to our notice then. I’m waiting for my husband to wake up with his own job: he runs a security company and will help me on the farm. I need a lot of help. The children grew up and threw me away. The young man only remains: through from bitten teeth sometimes dances to the rhythm of the tractor and mows the grass. The workload is large, but very difficult with the employees. People who live around, have their own farms or work in Vilnius. At first it just seems: fields of lavender, what a romance. However, this is not the case. I feel a great untapped potential. If there were helpers, it would be possible to provide lavender-flavored food to the visitors, “said Jūratė, recalling that it all started with the idea of set up camp on the farm.

There may be ten lavender farms in Lithuania, but this is the oldest and the largest. It attracts the largest number of visitors when these lovely purple plants bloom from late June through August. The flowering process was reported to last even into November.

For lavender farm owners, this is usually not their main business. Here, too, Jūratė installed solar panels and a 1.3-hectare resort alongside lavender, 5 luxurious rooms for the night (the longest guest stayed on the farm for 6 days), and a tent. The farm also functions as a daytime recreation center.

Not sold for recycling

The farmer consumes and sells all the lavender grown herself; You do not export anything abroad, but you have received a request from the French: how fast could you send 40 tons of lavender? While reading the application, Jūratė couldn’t stop laughing.

“We realize everything we grow. This year, even a deficit was formed for a week. We produce many products, we expand the range every year. The main product: lavender hydrosol, tea, bags in the closet, spices, decorations , bouquets. For me, it’s not just farming, it’s endless creativity. Every year there are 5-6 ideas on how to keep using lavender. We also offer lavender colored glasses or soothing collars to help you fall asleep, “smiled Jūratė , ensuring that product prices have not changed in a decade.

Asked what is the expiration date of, for example, a bag of lavender, the interlocutor explained that it all depends on the storage conditions. In addition, a stationary dry plant, if it is natural and not sprayed with synthetic additives, has the property of “blocking” – it is necessary to constantly “move”, rub. Then the essential oils are revealed.

“The French tend to grow lavender instead of lavender, because the productivity of the latter is higher: 80 percent. Lavender – 20th century artificially bred variety. Lavender is very decorative, creating that beautiful color that we see in the photos of the Provence. They are much sharper, they are used in the cosmetic industry and lavender is more versatile: it can be used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, confectionery, cooking. There are about 200 species of lavender, there are even lavender that does not bloom, when only foliage is grown for spices Lavender is a rosemary family anyway.

By the way, last year I brought lavender from Croatia, planted it, the winter passed well, we are already dry, we will think about what to do next. But to see the real result, you have to wait, because the maturity of lavender is only reached in the third or fourth year, ”explained Jūratė.

A visit to the farm raised by Jūratė, whether you spend 10 minutes or half a day there, will cost 10 euros.

Once lost 80 percent. harvest

Lavender production does not seem to end all year long. One growing period for lavender is suitable for the production of some products, another for the production of others. When we visited the farm, it was freshly harvested, so Jūratė is waiting for creativity again. The first task at harvest is to distill as much lavender water as possible. About 30 percent is extracted. lavender. The second stage is the cut.

“Interesting fact: Harvested lavender evaporates 60% in half an hour. Essential oil available. I remember when I found out, I realized why farms do not give products to processors. Distillation must take place only on the farm and it must be done quickly. We distill water only from the rings. On the smaller farms, that water is of higher quality because the larger ones produce two products at the same time: essential oils and all that remains are hydrolates. Small farms don’t separate essential oil from water.

After the harvest, a long process of drying and sorting of “ashes” begins. We produce a lot of products, it is necessary to classify what is still suitable for what and what is not. Now what is left to grow is only suitable for the fireplace. Put the dried lavender in the fireplace, you will feel the aroma, “” Jūratė smiled, assuring that under the right conditions, the lavender bush “serves” for about 10-15 years.

One year, he says, a rainy fall and a blast freeze “killed” about 80 percent. harvest. Then the crocodile’s tears wept. The first lavender seedlings came to his farm from the Czech border.

I visited once on the farm and the French lavender connoisseurs of Provence. Jūratcohol anxiously awaited her evaluation and received only praise.

Fashion: not lavender, but farms

You probably know at least one person who shared a photo taken in lavender fields on social media. When asked if it is already becoming fashionable in Lithuania, the hostess clarified: fashion is not lavender, but farms, people are rediscovering them. According to Jūratė, entertainment can be created with any harvest: beets, potatoes, chamomile, etc.

A visit to the farm raised by Jūratė, whether you spend 10 minutes or half a day there, will cost 10 euros. Due to longer stays, for your peace of mind, the flow of visitors is strictly limited: only around 50 people are allowed each day who want to take pictures surrounded by lavender, swim in an 18 hectare quarry, play miniature golf, go for a walk. by boat or enjoy the sun. Just breathe in the unmistakable spicy scent of lavender. The farm strives to create absolute peace.

“When lavender blooms, it is very difficult to regulate the flows. People are angry that we are not allowed to enter, but our concept is that we do not have the goal of flooding the fields with people. We focus on quiet and meditative rest. And our rooms are all double. An environment more suitable for couples, singles – for those who want to put their thoughts on the shelves when they are dispersed, stay, enjoy the atmosphere, the smells, the tastes. For families with children, I will say frankly, we are not adapted, ”said Jūratė.

According to her, the complex would not have survived without the lavender farm, and the lavender farm would not have survived without the complex.

For this year, before the pandemic hit, 80 percent. the clients who stayed at the farm overnight were foreigners. Lithuanians only visited half a day, to “fix and grill”, as Jūratė says. Visitors here prepare their own food, they can only eat lavender tea, they can buy lavender ice cream. A more luxurious breakfast is offered for EUR 12 per stay.

When asked if the behavior of a foreigner and a Lithuanian tourist is different, Jūratė noted a detail: compatriots are less orderly, for example, if they use a golf club, they will not return it to the place, but will leave it anywhere place.

“I’m glad that dream that I enchanted at that time enchanted me. Working on a lavender farm is very dynamic. You can also put a lot of creativity into it. Different work needs to be done at different times of the year,” Jūratė smiled.

He admitted that he only went to Provence last year. When lavender blooms there, it also blooms in the Vilnius district, the working year itself. Needless to say, the French lavender fields captivated Jūratė.

“I have not seen any kind of fields of this type in Lithuania. Gigantic! ”, The hostess of the largest and oldest lavender farm in Lithuania admired with admiration.

On September 4, during the “Village Open Days” campaign, visitors are invited to visit Lavender Village Lavender Farm and Resort, take a free tour, taste lavender products, visit the cozy hotel and shop. .

The journalists’ tour of the farms was organized by the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association. The content of the article is not affected.