Lavender Farm

Do you know anyone who doesn’t love lavender?

Whether fresh, dried, scented in a candle, spray or body lotion or even in food…the scent is quite heavenly and soothing.

There was a time when I thought ok; enough with the lavender – it’s too common and it’s everywhere. But that only lasted for so long. Just can’t seem to stay away from it. I have dried lavender bundles throughout my house in places that I know won’t keep the aroma for as long as I’d like (by a window for example) – but it looks so pretty and even though over time it starts to lose its potency, it’s one of those dried flowers where the scent seems to last for months on end.

I like using dried lavender as part of my special gift baskets and the essential oil for a calming facial spray. I even use the oil in a spray bottle to spritz over my sheets and anywhere I want a fresh scent around home.

Very recently when in the Okanagan Valley wine region of British Columbia, I came across a sign for Okanagan Herb Lavender Farm.

This farm is a family business nestled in the hills of the Okanagan Valley on land where the family has farmed for four generations. A place where they grow, harvest, dry and distill over 20 aromatic plants to make award-winning botanical products.

Their pure, small batch, unadulterated lavender essential oil is extracted in small batches through steam distillation of the Lavandula x. intermedia and Lavandula angustifolia plants grown on the farm. Their plants are 100% spray free and are harvested at their peak to ensure utmost quality.

SCORE! I left with dried lavender bundles (for myself and for baskets) and a Lavender essential oil which I’m incorporating into the facial spray I make. I wasn’t aware of the different types of lavender and their uses (being only familiar with English style) so they helped me choose the one to go best for my facial spray in orange blossom water and sweet orange essential oil (more on that later).

When storing lavender: commercially packaged dried lavender does not spoil, but it will start to lose potency over time. Properly stored, dried lavender will generally stay at best quality for about 2 to 3 years. To maximize the shelf life of dried lavender purchased in bulk, store in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Below taken from fignut.com

Important things to care about when storing lavender

The most important thing to care about is that lavender is dry enough. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks to dry it properly. It is properly dry when the flowers and leaves are sharp and starts to fall off the stems. If you store it while still not dry, the moisture will cause a mold to develop which will destroy your flowers.

Lavender should be stored in a dark place, away from the direct sunlight and away from the sources of any heath or humidity. It means the kitchen or living room are not good places to store it. The sunlight will fade its colors and possible humidity will make it go stale. So, keep it in a cool, dry, and dark location. If you don’t have a pantry, the dark corner of the corridor is a good place to store.