Waiting for the Lavender Harvest!

Wow. It's hot today. An especially good thing for the lavender fields just starting to push color. I think it's going to be an early harvest this season! Oh... did I mention we grow lavender??

It's a fun crop! So many things to learn (as always) and so many wonderful ways to utilize the harvest!

We're just going into our 4th year of growing lavender. Right now we have several acres under way. Last year we harvested almost entirely for essential oil & hydrosol. We're getting ready to launch a new line of certified organic & hand processed lavender products. It's been in the works for a long time and I'm really excited about it.

This year - we plan to harvest for oil distillation again. But we also plan to start drying our lavender for other purposes as well as doing some fresh-cut products. Will keep you posted on that. Here are a few shots of the fields in bloom last year:

Since we are a certified organic operation ~ weed control is a big issue. Pictured below are the organic walnut shells from one of our neighboring organic walnut growers. A terrific way to utilize the by-product of walnut processing. And a nice looking solution!