I love lavender. Not only do I love the color of its purple flowers, but I also love its calming aroma and its delicate taste in tea. This love of lavender led me to discover a small farm, in Northeast Alabama near Huntsville, where I could pick my fresh bouquet. I couldn’t resist the chance to pick my own, but I had to act fast since the opportunity to harvest the flowers was limited to four days.
Wynde Farm is located on a small patch of land in Harvest. The farm invites the public to come once a year in the summer to pick through online reservations. This year the picking season was four days in June. It’s typically only for a few days in the summer when the flowers are in peak bloom, so I acted fast and made my reservation for me and my husband to visit.
At first glance, this little lavender farm appears small, but it’s big on fun. When we arrived, we saw families enjoying the harvest.
We stopped at a small tent to pay and pick up our tools for picking. The farm provides scissors and plastic rings for cutting and collecting bunches. They charge by the ring-full, which is typically about 80 to 100 stems. We got our gear, paid and were ready to go clipping. I couldn’t decide where to start first, so we selected a row with no pickers.
A snip here, a cut there, it was quite the job collecting enough stems to fill the circle. Since it was very hot and humid that day, we only picked one ring full of lavender. I would suggest to future visitors to go in the mornings. We have the stems of lavender hanging upside down in our laundry room to dry. I go in there several times a day just to take in deep breaths of the heavenly scent.
We had a blast breathing in the fragrant air of the rows of the beautiful purple lavender while bees and guests were getting busy all around us. I was mesmerized at the bees gathering the nectar and pollen. I tried to take several photos to capture the bees at work, but it proved to be a difficult task with my iPhone in one hand and scissors in the other.
We didn’t leave the farm without purchasing a few products from their shop. From soap to lotions, wreaths, candles and tea, the farm sells a plethora of lavender products on their website and at the farm.
And, it looks like they may be offering lavender peach jam very soon according to a recent Facebook post. I just need to figure out how to get my hands on some.
We also bought a perennial lavender plant from the farm. Many lavender plants are annuals and do not survive the winter, but the perennial variety will bloom every year. I haven’t planted it yet as I’m still trying to find the perfect spot in our yard. Oh, the decisions.
It may be too late for picking this year, but they still have plenty of bath and culinary products they sell year-round from the harvested plants. And, they offer holiday wreath-making and candle-making workshops at the farm. Check out their website and Facebook page for details and prices.
Everyday Edith 