Last month we harvested a bumper crop of Northhurst Farm lavender, a mixture of Hidcote and Grosso.
Lavender is so much more than a pretty aromatic flower it is soothing to your skin and mind alike. It is also edible and a highly heeling plant.
Lavender for Cooking -
Lavender can be used for making lavender-infused cookies, cake and lemonade. English lavender such as Hidcote is the best for this and ideally you need to harvest the lavender for cooking just before the flowers open and make sure the buds are dry before you use them.
Lavender to Repel Moths -
Moths are repelled by the smell of lavender (the scent is too overpowering for them), so lavender bags place in wardrobes, draws and between your favourite jumpers will help deter them. Be sure to give lavender bags a squeeze every now and then as this will release more scent and deter the moths for longer, doing this regularly will help keen your lavender sachets smelling great.
Lavender to Reduce Anxiety -
Lavender has been proven to help people with anxiety. Components of lavender are thought to provoke a calming effect and help people to relax and unwind. Keeping a lavender bag by your bed or under your pillow will not only help sleep but relieve anxiety and stress as well.
How to Harvest Lavender -
- Use sharp clean tools to enable the plant to heel quickly
- Cut 2/3 of the plants height and avoid cutting into the woody part of the plant
- Bundle lavender as you harvest
- Keep harvested lavender in a dry dark spot to preserve the flower colour and fragrance
- The best way to dry lavender is to hang bundles upside down in a warm dry airy room. It can take up to 6 weeks for the bundles to dry.
- You will know when it is fully dried if a stem breaks when it is bent
We have used our own Northhurst Farm lavender for the past two years in our much loved lavender bags. Not only do they smell fantastic but they are pretty and sustainable as the bags are stitched out of the offcuts of our garments.
