The Gifts

As promised, here is the lavender farm gift shop. Almost everything there is either made with lavender or about lavender. They even make their own lavender soaps in pretty molds. In 16th century France, glove makers perfumed their wares with lavender, and they escaped the cholera. Lavender was used by Cleopatra to seduce both Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. The Queen of Sheba offered it to King Solomon. In America, the Shakers were the first to grow and sell lavender, and used the romantic qualities to sell it. However, they were a strict religious sect, and were celibate themselves. In the bible, lavender is called nard, and here is another story about it.


 "While he was in Bethany....a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor. And they rebuked her harshly.
"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial."
Mark 14:3,8