Lavender Farm invites you to pick a bundle

Whether you’re eating it, drinking it, washing with it or just enjoying its elegant bouquet, it’s a lavender time of year.

The Leisure Lavender Farm, 3529 N. Lynden Road, invites every one to come pick their own fragrant bundles this weekend and next.

“We’re open from 9 to 5, Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” explained Elecia Seaman, who runs the farm along with her husband. “Basically what we do is give every one an 8-inch tie, and it’s everything you can fit inside that tie for $6. You end up with a really nice, pretty bundle.”

And what, you may ask, does $6 worth of lavender get you?

You are bound only by your own imagination.

Lavender is considered the premier scent in the world of perfume. Cooks swear by it. And it’s no doubt a central tone in that potpourri you have stashed in the corner.

“We have a lot of people come out and get fresh lavender and then take it home and make wreaths out of it,” Seaman explained. “You can make beautiful wreathes out of it: circle wreaths and heart-shaped wreathes. A lot of people get married in the summer time and we have people who come get lavender to use to make decorations for the table or even to use to throw instead of rice.”

Sachet bags are popular, she explained, helping to add a sophisticated tone to the car or an elegant touch to the bedroom by slipping it between the pillow and pillowcase.

“I vacuum with it,” she said. “I put it on the floor and then I vacuum it up and it makes the whole house smell so good.

“You can do whatever you want with it. I have a little bit of lavender that’s been in a cobalt blue vase in my kitchen for about three years now. So long as you don’t jostle it a lot, it keeps really well.”

A massage therapist, Seaman is sold on the therapeutic properties lavender’s essential oil brings.

Lavender has earned a reputation as the ultimate “first aid in a bottle.” Its essential oil is used to relieve allergies, as an antibiotic and as both an astringent and a skin moisturizer.

The scent can be used to promote calm, reduce irritability and soothe panic attacks.

And in the kitchen, it’s uses are legendary – the primary ingredient in Herbes de Provence.

Add it to baked potatoes and to sauteed zucchini or summer squash. Infuse lavender in olive oil to brush on lamb, salmon, chicken or pork. Or dip a hearty bread in the lavender-infused oil for a bite of summertime in a loaf.

“The primary variety we have is called Grosso,” Seaman said. “We do grow some varieties that you can use for cooking, but we don’t have them available for the public to pick. We’ve already harvested that ourselves.

“But we do have a product line that is available, and you can buy our cooking blend. We also have lotions, sachets and a lovely recipe folder that includes a sample of the culinary lavender. We also have the essential oils and other items.”