Adana: Visiting a Luscious Lavender Field
Adana, the city I call home, is known for its rich agriculture. One of the things I love doing here is perusing the outdoor farmer’s markets as the seasons change to see the abundant variety of fruits and vegetables. But I recently learned that lavender is also grown in Adana when a friend invited Ginny Lou and I to join her for breakfast on a lavender farm.
The day started with driving on the backroads. It’s almost certain to be a good day when you have to drive on the backroads. Our lavender farm destination is located in a small village on the outskirts of the city of Adana. We passed through fields of sunflowers and corn and ended the journey by winding through the narrow, bumpy roads of a village. Turkish villages are places where time seems to stand still. When visiting or passing through a village I always feel like I am looking back at the way life used to be, the way things were before “progress.”
We pulled up to the entrance of the lavender farm and, because I’m from Tennessee, the first word that came to mind was “darling.” At the entrance is an outdoor restaurant that serves breakfast by reservation only because it only consists of about 15 tables. The tables were all made of wood and antique copper elements peppered the corners and posts. And of course bunches of lavender hanging from the ceiling rounded out the decor.
After settling into our table with a view of the lavender fields beyond we began to enjoy our breakfast. We talk a lot about Turkish breakfast on this blog and it is with good reason. Turkish breakfast is simply amazing. The varieties of cheeses, olives, jams, jellies, breads, salads, and more make it a unique and flavorful dining experience. It is meant to be enjoyed slowly and with long conversation. (Read more about Turkish breakfast here.)
We stuffed ourselves at breakfast but it looked like we had hardly eaten anything. Taking a turn around the lavender field was the perfect encore to such a meal. The lavender field consisted of row after row of purple delight. We took our time wandering through the bushes, observing the brilliant color as well as the bees who seemed to enjoy the smell more than we were. They were busily moving from one bunch to the next. The farm had created a few places for photo opportunities, so we took advantage of the beautiful surroundings for a quick photo shoot.
The lavender field was sponsored by the Turkish government as part of a program to train women in agriculture and entrepreneurship, so I was glad to support such an endeavor. The lavender field is called Lavanta Kokulu Kelebekler and you can see more on their Instagram.
You have to try the lavender slushy. So good!
To our friends in the West, keep looking East!
Leslie Connors
Leslie is a co-founder of West2East. Originally from Tennessee, Leslie has called Turkey home for the past eight years. To read more about her, click here.