My Favourite Harvest

The house is filling with the glorious scent of the first of the lavender harvest drying against the Aga.

This is my favourite harvest of the year and this year as usual I will be drying some for future use, setting some aside for baking with, and planning my makes for the coming months.

Mystery type,

palest and smallest of flower heads and smelling faintly of lavender curry!

Each new harvest brings with it new ideas, and a different type of lavender. Unfortunately, this year I have lost the label off the newest lavender. Lost?........no doubt a lovely little lady has removed it and left it somewhere on the farm. Yes, Rosy, you know I mean you!! Oh well, whatever sort it is it has the most unusual fragrance, almost Lavender mixed with Curry plant (and no they weren't growing side by side).

Dwarf Munstead, a lovely lavender colour.

The lovely deep blue of Hidcote

And, lastly my favourite and most useful to crafters, Grosso. It always looks gloriously shabby when bunched but gives off the most divine scent, so strong and well, lavendery. This is the ideal one to use in lavender bags mixed with Hidcote for the colour if it can be seen through the bag, or with Pearl Barley if you want that lovely weighty, tactile feel.

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After a while against the Aga, the Lavender is moved slightly away to continue drying slowly. Another way I've found works is to treat it like you would when drying Hydrangea stems, and stand it in a vase with a centimetre of water to drink and then leave it to dry naturally.

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Sometimes even for me, neither method works and the lavender remains soft, it's as much down to the growing conditions and temperature in the house as it dries as anything, so fingers crossed it works this time.

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And now I'm back out to get the next batch before the rain comes and dampens it.

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Have a good day.

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Sue xx