Le Mimosa
Grassoise horticulturists, affectionately called ‘mimosistes’ by the locals, grow mimosa in unheated greenhouses. In these chambers, the warm atmosphere and 90% humidity, the mimosa blossoms are drenched with nutrients. As a result, the mimosa plants flower in as little as 48 hours. These greenhouses are concentrated in the Tanneron-Massif region. Once harvested, the flowers, have to be processed as quickly as possible before they fade. From around 40 000 kilograms of flowers, some 400 kilograms of a fragrant rock-like substance called ‘concrete’ is produced. The concrete is chemically purified into about 100 kilograms of usable absolute. Mimosa has a fresh, floral, slightly powdery, almost honeyed aspect, which blends beautifully with the green scent of the stems.
