Summer

More than 20 years ago I had a dream of having a lavender farm. I could imagine myself surrounded by lush fields, harvesting the buds for culinary use and more. I truly wanted to raise my children surrounded by that beauty and instill in them the joy of working outside.  Unfortunately, due to the realities of life that farm  remained only a dream. 

Fast forward to the December of 2020 when we re-landscaped our backyard following the installation of our pool. I knew I might not have an actual lavender farm but I could certainly plant enough to pretend I did. And that's exactly what I did...30, 1 gallon plants of  Lavandula intermedia 'Provence'; not the stereotypical deep purple variety but one that research told me was good for culinary and craft purposes. Last summer was their  first summer in ground and they bloomed profusely. I was, however, so enamored of having all that lavender in my yard and I enjoyed providing so many bees with a veritable all you can eat buffet that I failed to harvest any of it.  

This year I determined to allow the bees to have their fill and still harvest the buds for my own uses.  What I hadn't counted on was the early and unexpected heat wave we had. The buds opened earlier than I expected and while I had managed to harvest a few bunches before the buds were completely opened, it wasn't nearly enough  lavender I needed for the many use I envisioned.  

I also completely underestimated exactly how much lavender 30 plants produce! I ended up harvesting only 7 plants and that took me a couple of hours. From what I cut, I made 13 lavender bottles, 9 very large bunches of dried lavender and several cups worth of dried lavender buds for use in cooking and making sachets. I've left the remaining 23 plants for the bees and am content with knowing that I have all that I need. 

Currently, the lavender bottles are sitting in basket by my back door. As I come and go throughout the day I am met with the scent of summer: warm, heady, inviting.