Drying Your Own Lavender

The lavender looked so pretty this year.  It is one of my favorite things to grow. 

Although I’ve had a few plants that didn’t make it, the ones I have now bloom well every year.  I usually harvest it in early to mid-July.

 

It certainly attracts the bumblebees!

It is so fragrant when you walk by. There is something about lavender that makes it sooo romantic. I guess because of it’s French associations! Ooh la la!

SOME of the bundles that I gathered to prepare  for drying. 

  I  grab a bunch of lavender with my left hand and cut them to the desired length using herb shears with my right hand.   I’ve found this way is easier to make bundles than cutting it all off a bush at once and having to pick it up.   Now tie them with string, and hang them somewhere warm and dry.

My potting bench is coming in handy already!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s time to capture the fragrant buds to use in sachets.

 

 

When they are somewhat brittle, you can remove the purple buds easily.  Be careful…lavender can be messy and readily falls apart.  After spending a lot of time at this task, the best way I have found to remove the fragrant pods from the stems is to place a bunch of lavender between the palms of your hands and rub your hands together as though you are trying to keep warm. 

 

This can be very time consuming depending on how much lavender you have.  I compare it to shucking corn or stringing & breaking beans!

 

The dried buds will fall right off.  Be sure and have a container below to catch the fruits of your labor.

I  ended up with a decent amount of lavender harvested by “moi”.  Not quite enough to fill my large French tian, but it will do.

Do you know how much cut lavender it takes to get the small amount you see in the bowl?  I now have a new appreciate for lavender farms.

Can you smell it?

Au Revoir,

Kim