Lavender flower harvest, how does it work?

It's a question we get a lot as this time of year approaches: How does the Lavender flower harvest work at La Maison Lavande? What's the process behind it? How long does it take? Etc.

We won't hide the fact that harvesting is a complex process full of little details, but here we answer the questions that come up most often! We hope this helps! X

• Who takes care of the harvest at La Maison?

Around here, Simon-cousin is in charge of harvesting. He's the one we consult & question when it's time to decide on flowering & harvesting - he's the Lavender plant pro at La Maison (along with Daniel & Nancie, of course)! As our fields extend to almost a kilometer, Simon is helped by our three foreign farm workers. Three precious people who are with us every summer. Yes, they leave the sun of Mexico to come and enjoy the sun of Saint-Eustache ;)  Together, they form an efficient team to harvest everything! We're so lucky to have them! 

• How do you determine the right time to start harvesting?

It's often difficult to establish & share with you the precise date when harvesting will begin, since it depends on so many details. Although we'd really like to know the precise moment in advance, the blooming process is affected by several factors that are totally out of our control (example: the weather!!!!). Lavender flowers need to be harvested just before they wilt & obviously this will depend, above all, on the weather conditions of the season. Normally, harvesting begins in mid-July or early August. Every year, however, the date varies slightly!

By the way - We'd like to point out that we're very diligent about updating our flowering status. We want everyone who visits us to have access to a daily field status update. We invite you to follow us on our various social networks so you don't miss a thing ;)

• What's the process & the different stages involved in harvesting? 


When the time comes, Simon & his team get to work harvesting the fields. Only the flowers on top of the Lavender plant are harvested. Yes, this means that the bulk of the plant remains in the ground, not uprooted. Harvesting requires meticulous attention to detail, since it's imperative that we don't damage the heart of the plant - that's how we guarantee flowering & production the following year.

There are two main parts to the harvest: one part is done more mechanically, i.e. with the help of machines (this part mainly concerns the primary cutting of the plants), while the other part is done by hand (we're talking here about the moment when we pick the flowers from the ground).

• How long does the whole Lavender harvest take?

As our team is not huge & our fields are vast, harvesting usually takes between 7 and 10 days. Therefore, there's no need to panic when we announce the start of the harvest, as there are still flowering areas several days from the start! And don't forget that Lavandin, unlike Munstead English Lavender, flowers later. So we're grateful to Lavandin for putting on a magnificent show & allowing us to stretch the season slightly.

• Once harvested, where does Lavender go? 


We dare say it depends! Some of the Lavender harvested goes to a distillation plant to extract the essential oil & manufacture the products we find on our shelves. The rest of the harvested lavender is used to make our dried lavender bouquets. 

 

Lavender harvesting is a whole process at La Maison Lavande. So many important details, all of which ultimately have an impact on the creation of the delicacies that end up on our shelves. We've tried to sum it all up & make it easy for you to understand what it's all about.

If you have lavender plants at home, we explain here how to take good care of them: Growing Lavender at home!

Of course, if you have any other questions, we are always on hand to answer them.