Lavender Harvest 2024
“Before the blue of night meets the pink of sunrise, there is a transition of lavender. It's a gradient of color that stretches its fade through time, and that gives each moment a unique and exquisite existence. ~ Jarod Kintz
I like this quote as it describes “a moment of unique and exquisite existence” through the beauty of a sunrise.
For the past three years I’ve watched our lavender plants transform during each phase of their growing season and each stage is a unique moment in time.
I impatiently anticipate their return each year…wondering why they are SO slow to bloom…and then…all of a sudden we see purple buds and then blooms. For several weeks we enjoy the sea of purple they provide along the fence line that leads to the barn.
Then we watch for the perfect time to harvest the blooms.
What We’ve Learned
This is the third year for our lavender harvest. Each year we learn, experiment, and try to improve the harvest and drying process. You can see our process in the video below.
I think we have finally settled on this method: two people…one hedge trimmer…a truck…and many many baskets! I’ve also learned that lavender does not need to be mollycoddled! Our first harvest was a lot of work and a big production of laying the lavender on nets and hanging every bundle. This took a lot of time and space that proved to be unnecessary.
The most important criteria for drying lavender is air circulation! Open weave baskets work great! Just make sure they are not tightly packed.
If you would like to know why we have so many lavender plants you can read all about it here.
It has been very hot in Vancouver…so we waited for the first cool morning to cut the lavender.
Baskets and baskets of lavender!
The bees did not mind the harvest…they just followed the blooms into the truck….can you find the bee?
There is something weirdly satisfying about seeing the neatly manicured plant mounds after the harvest.
The sedum that are planted with the lavender will now flourish and provide color through the rest of the summer and into autumn!
It’s possible to have a second flush of lavender but if that happens, it will be much smaller than the first.
After the harvest….it’s off to the barn where the lavender will be dried and bundled and eventually crushed into potpourri to fill our sachets!
“At the door to the shop, a bell tinkled, and moments later they seemed to enter the very flowering of lavender. The scent was all around them; it curled and diffused in the air with a sweet warmth and subtlety, then burst with a peppery, musky intensity.” ~ Deborah Lawrenson, The Sea Garden
That is an eloquent way to describe the magic of lavender! My husband just says “our barn smells like an underwear drawer.” lol
Until I’m ready to tackle the next step… I will simply enjoy the aroma and beautiful bundles of color!
Lavender Sachets
$14.00