|
Dear Reader,
With the majority of the Christmas & New Year rush
over, it is time to harvest the lavender at Whitebay.
Below is a good insite of the ins and outs of what
happens in January
See our coupon special for February at the bottom
of this newsletter and save money
| Harvesting |
 |
|
The plants grown at Whitebay are the Grosso hybrid
of lavender from the species x intermedia. They are
considered the most favourable to grow for oil. It is a
commercial strain from a district in France and first
made in 1972.
The lavender begins to flower in November but is not
harvested until about February. The harvest takes
place on a dry, warm, sunny day when the scent is
heavy on the air and the flowers are awash with
bees.
|
| Distillation |
|
Once picked the lavender is then distilled in a
stainless steel boiler. This is a very delicate process.
Distillation can determine the value of the oil, or
destroy the value of the oil.
Essential oil distilling is not just a job, but an art. The
operator of the distiller must have a full
understanding of the value of oils in order to produce
quality oils. If the pressure is too high, or the
temperature is too high, it may change the molecular
structure of the fragrance molecule, altering the
chemistry constituents.
|
| End Products |
|
The oil is sent to Lincoln, where it is analysed and
tested by qualified chemists before being used in
natural recipes for hand and body creams and
washes, bath soak, talcum powder, salve, balm, soap
and talcum powder. We have over 300 items for sale
in our year-round shop and 76 items on-line (so far)
|
|
The Harvester |
|
|
|
This is a picture taken a few years ago of Bob
(driving) and Max compacting the lavender. The
harvester cost over $37,000 to build and is a "one
of a kind".
There will be approximately 175 wool fadges of
lavender cut and distilled through the season
producing 200 to 300 litres of essential lavender oil.
Come and see us harvesting!!!
See harvesting & distillation pictures....
|
|
