From Dior, a video on lavender fields in the Drôme Provençale region.
Touch of Immortelle
From Robertet (and their subsidiary, Charabot), harvesting and immortelle in Corsica.
More than half of the world’s production of jasmine
When it comes to perfume, most people instantly think of famous French labels such as Chanel N°5, Miss Dior, Yves Saint Lauren's [sic] Opium and Guerlain's Shalimar. However, likely few would know that an essential ingredient in many of these iconic brands likely hails from a small village in Egypt.
Shubra Beloula El-Sakhaweya, located about 97km north of Cairo and simply referred to as Shubra Beloula, is responsible for more than half of the world's production of jasmine. These blossoms yield a classic feminine floral scent found in many perfumes, making jasmine a "foundation stone in perfumery".
— BBC Travel goes to Shubra Beloula. Read more in Shubra Beloula: The tiny Egyptian village few know.
Linden x 2
Two UK videos about the linden tree (aka lime aka basswood aka tilia). First, Dr Markus Eichhorn of the University of Nottingham talks about the insects, including bees, that love the tree. Then below the jump, Wild Food UK introduces the edible uses of the tree.
Six hours
The harvest begins at dawn, and it takes about six hours -- before the sunshine damages the shocking pink petals -- to fill the big bags that the women carry on their heads to the weighing station.
Izza Ait Ammi Mouh, a Berber woman of "about 40" -- she doesn't know her exact age and can't spell her name -- doesn't complain.
The work allows her to feed her family of five, picking 20 kilos (45 pounds) to take home just under $7 a day during the short April-May season.
— Read more in Hard but sweet-smelling slog in Morocco's Valley of the Roses at AFP via Yahoo News.