Purple Reign: Lavender Harvest

Hello Everyone.  I hope your week is going well.  This week I have been busy at My Cozy Corner.

It's harvest time again for my lavender plant.  What an amazing plant.  The plants' pungent purple stalks rippling in the breeze, releasing a fragrance that soothes the soul.

In all its purple glory, lavender-a member of the mint family-is closely related to rosemary, sage and thyme, and its flowers and buds are edible both fresh and dry.

The type of Lavender I grow is 'Grosso' Lavandula x intermedia Grosso.

I love the long stems and the flowers of violet blue and darker violet calyces.

I have bundled the lavender with a rubber band, and as the lavender dries the rubber band will hold the bundle together.  Because it's so dry in our area I harvested the lavender in the morning and stored it in an open box and the next day it was almost dry. I spread out clean paper and bundled 20 stems of lavender together.  The loose buds left on the paper I scooped up and put into a plastic bag for culinary uses.

Can you see the plastic bag in the basket? The buds in the box I put into the round jar.  

When the bundles were wrapped I trimmed the lavender below the rubber band and put the stems into the other jar to use in the fireplace.

The buds in the jar were collected from the box where the loose lavender was stored until the next day.

In the next few weeks I will be busy making:

Lavender

1.  Soap
2. Sachets
3. Bath Salts and Tub Teas
4. Candles 
5. Water

The clean and dust free lavender will be used for:

Lavender

1. Lemonade
2. Tea
3. Lavender-infused simple syrup
4. Homemade lavender sugar crates a mysteriously fragrant sweetener that can enhance countless recipes

Lavender is also very decorative. This bundle of lavender in my french flower can will last for weeks.

A wonderful addition to the patio, with all the fragrance from the buds. If it is bumped ~ It's a bonus

Fresh, clean smelling scent will fill the summer air. You can imagine the scent of fresh laundry hanging on the clothes line.

 I put the lavender stems in a basket with a fabric liner by the fireplace in the winter. As I light the fireplace
 I throw a small handful of stems into the fire and a wonderful fragrance is released.

Even the bee's love lavender.

The scent of fresh crushed lavender is a soothing dose of aromatherapy stress relief. Lavender relieves anxiety and tension naturally.

Oh, how I love to make a mosaic.  I created two for this post and I couldn't choose which one I wanted to publish, so I've published both. One on Top and This one. 

Have you enjoyed your visit about the uses of a Lavender Plant? I hope so.

To See another post called  'Just One Lavender Plant' Go Here.  Also '200 Lavender Sachets'  Go Here

I will be joining some wonderful folks and sharing my Lavender Plant in Blogland.

Please come along~We will have a great time.

Thursday

StoneGable for Tutorial Tips and Tidbits Thursday 

A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday
Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Garden Party

Friday

Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Saturday

Natasha In OZ for Say G' Day Saturday

Sunday

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

Monday

Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

and 

Between Naps on the Porch for  Metamorphosis Monday

See you next week!   My Sweetheart and I will be celebrating 52 year's of marriage on July 17, 2012. 

An Anniversary Tablescape is the order of the Day! Thank you for your wonderful comments.

xo

Betty