Follow your nose
Farm growing edible plants and herbs
A soothing scent can be detected long before the purple blooms can be seen at Picnic Girl, a lavender farm in Stanley Bridge.
Helene Bouchard, a former dance teacher from Montreal, created an edible plant business about a year ago. Now lavender, herbs and edible flowers have crept beyond her garden and into the local restaurant scene.
“Picnic Girl is my project, and has been in operation for one year,” said Bouchard, who markets her edible plants mainly to restaurants. “Doughnuts By Design have been making doughnuts with my flowers, and restaurants are taking orders.”
On Saturday, Bouchard decided to open her farm to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visitors were invited to roam through the fields carpeted by bright purple blossoms, overlooking Stanley Bridge to pick fresh bouquets and discover all the edible plants and flowers.
“This lavender breed is the Munstead,” noted Bouchard, with the occasional interruption of the gentle humming of bees pollinating the purple buds. “You can use it to make teas, ice cream, candy, cookies, cocktails, syrup, and a certain wine.”
Munstead has a soft and fragrant taste, and the hardy perennial plant attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Bouchard has more than 3,000 perennial lavender plants growing on her property.
But as far as the soothing properties of lavender go, “The scent can be overwhelming if I am cutting all day, so I have to wear a mask,” said Bouchard.
“However, gardening is always very serene and calming. I am very blessed that I can work all day with flowers.”
For more information on the versatile and edible plants produced at Picnic Girl visit Facebook.com/picnic.girl or Instagram.com/picnic.girl.