Introduction
An introductory video about Bees N Blooms and the owners, setting the stage for the step-by-step Lavender Processing Journey.
(View on Youtube video HERE)
Lavender Processing – How It’s Made
Step 1: Lavender Harvest
In this video, we walk through the process of how we harvest our lavender and compare our method to that of large-scale, commercial agriculture. We enlist helpful people from the community to help us harvest all the lavender by hand, taking 3 days to complete. After harvest, we hang the lavender bundles in a space to dry until they’re ready for the next step in the process. Check out our Step 2 video about the Debudding Process.
(View on Youtube HERE)
Step 3: Lavender Distillation
Join us in the third stage of our lavender process where we walk you through our lavender distillation method. Here, we utilize a boiler, still condenser unit, jacketed tubes, and an ice bath to cool the condenser. When the boiler reaches boiling temperature, steam rises through the dried lavender buds in the still where the moisture and oil condense into a two-layer liquid that drains out and into our labeling jars. One layer is the hydrosol and the other is the lavender oil. We then take the distillate product into the lab for further processing.
(View on Youtube HERE)
Step 2: Debudding Process
In this video, we progress through to the second step in our lavender processing series where we take the dried lavender bundles and feed them through a Besel lavender debudder machine. This crucial step in the process allows us to efficiently separate the lavender buds from the stems. The buds make their way through a series of three screens that take out the dust and other plant matter, leaving behind pure lavender buds!
(View on Youtube HERE)
Step 4: Processing After Distillation
In this video we demonstrate how our lavender oil and hydrosol get separated and processed after distillation. Each of the distillate containers are poured into a separatory funnel where the hydrosol is drained out, leaving behind the oil. Each of the two liquids are then poured into their own vessels where they await the final step in the process: bottling and labeling for market.
(View on Youtube HERE)