Lavender harvest

My own lavender plants are growing slowly but when I drove by the NMH farm I saw the purple haze of lavender flowers.  I asked the farmer if I could pick a bag and trade for a tincture of lavender I could give him in a couple months.  He kindly agreed so the girls and I wandered around the lavender patch picking nice plump blossoms.

When we got home I stuffed it into a sterile mason jar.  Our hands smelled strongly of lavender, sweet and medicinal at the same time.

I added vegetable glycerin and will let it steep on the windowsill for a bit.  I'm using it to make a delicious and relaxing tincture. 

They harvest the entire field of lavender and use a steam distiller to make lavender essential oil.  The whole field of harvested flowers yields 1 gallon of potent lavender essential oil.  Only 1 gallon!  No wonder essential oils are so powerful.  That's alot of plant!

Here's the steam distiller.  Just like I'm learning about in my aromatherapy class.

And here is some Bergamont growing near the barn.  It is a relative of bee balm and has a wonderful bright essential oil that I have been using lately.  They don't distill that here, but it was fun to find the blooming plant.  It's the same oil they use to make Earl Grey tea, one of my favorites.