Atedje Akurova, 49, posing for pictures in the rose fields near the village of Skobelevo
Atedje Akurova, 49, posing for pictures in the rose fields near the village of Skobelevo. She is carrying a bag filled with rose blossoms. Atedje is one of the local people that works picking roses every year during the harvest season. The rose oil is called "the liquid gold" of Bulgaria, because it is a very expensive product, used mainly for the making of perfumes, chocolates, liqueur and jam. The rose oil is 3 times more expensive than the real gold. One kilogram rose oil can be extracted from 3000 kg (more than one million flowers) of roses. Every flower is picked by hands and preserved carefully for the distillation. In Bulgaria the blossoms are still collected by hand and are nipped just below the calyx (the green, outer protective cover). Collection begins at sunrise when the oil yield is at its highest, and should be completed by am while the dew is still on the flowers. The flowers are initially placed into baskets, and then transferred to sacks for transportation to the distilleries.
Size: 5000px × 3347px
Location: Bulgaria
Photo credit: © Svetlana Bachevanova / VWPics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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