History of Lavender
Did you know that Lavender’s rippling purple swathes are a familiar sight in many countries, from northern Europe to the Mediterranean, in parts of Africa, and in southwest Asia and southeast India. In all, there are over 450 varieties of this sweet-smelling plant, which is a member of the mint family.
The name lavender (lavendula) comes from the Latin verb lavare meaning ‘to wash’. It was used in the bathing rituals of ancient Rome for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and we most certainly have the Romans to thank for lavenders wide use around their empire, as they introduced their customs and practices (like bathing) to the countries they colonized. It’s a Mediterranean shrub, but it will settle quite contently in other parts of the world from Europe to the United States.
Fragrant and versatile, lavender has many uses: distilled into an essential oil for aromatherapy, in perfumes, beauty products, herbal and holistic medicine, and even in the kitchen as a culinary herb. The light floral scent will melt your stress away!
Processing of Lavender
Essential lavender oil is produced using an extraction method called steam distillation. Lavender at our farm is harvested for the distillation process in the morning once the dew has evaporated. The harvest of our lavender for this process is generally done in July and August. As I go out and harvest the flowers, my husband prepares the still which must be at a specific temperature to start the process. He takes the cut flowers and stuffs them into the copper steaming stacks. They are placed on top of the keg of boiling Mineral water. As low-pressure steam begins to rise through the copper stacks, it causes the plants oil glands to erupt. The temperature is monitored throughout this procedure to ensure that the highest grade of oil and hydrosol is obtained. At this point, the steam is routed through our custom copper tubing on its way to the condenser where cold water running around the copper tubing cools the steam, which condenses it back to a high-grade liquid of oil and hydrosol. Passing steam through copper tubing helps to get sweet, higher quality oils. This procedure was used in early distillation processes in France. The Lavender water and Lavender oil are then separated into their respective containers. The essential oil, being lighter than water, rises to the surface of the condensate, and is collected in a beaker attached to the separator. The hydrosol is collected in a separate glass container.