Lavender scientific name lavender, is actually a genus of highly appreciated aromatic plants both for its rusticity and for the pleasant fragrance that its characteristic bluish inflorescences give off, used in a multitude of aromatic and cleaning products. Since lavender is an easy-to-grow and very beautiful plant, many people dare to plant their own lavender at home, although to take advantage of its medicinal properties or to preserve it better, it is necessary to dry it first.
if you want to learn how to dry lavender with different methods, join us in this EcologíaVerde article.
sun dried
For dry lavender in the sun the best is harvest the plant just before the flowers open. Follow these steps:
- Cut the stems as long as possible, pruning from the base. As always, use well-sharpened, sterilized pruning shears.
- Next, an unneeded cutting board or any other valid wooden surface. The important thing is that it allows the lavender to be spread over it in its entire length and without the stems being too stacked, so that the sun affects them equally. The surface material is important as metal would get too hot and burn the lavender, while some plastics could melt.
- Place the used tray in the sun, in an area that will give it as many hours and as direct as possible. It can be a location both indoors and outdoors, the most important thing is that you do not let the stems get wet and that it gives as much light as possible.
- If the weather is warm enough in your area, the lavender could be dry in about a week or even less. You’ll know the lavender is dry when the flowers have lost the vibrancy of their color and have turned a soft, light purple. At this point, separating them from the stem should be very easy with just your hand.
This method is quite fast to be natural, although one of its drawbacks is that the flowers lose much of their characteristic decorative color.
microwave drying
Dehydrating any type of leaves in the microwave is very easy, and lavender is no exception. There are several methods of drying lavender leaves and flowers in this way.
- The one that gives the best results requires also having silica sand, a product that, although it sounds like a laboratory, is actually very easy to find as aquarium or cat sand. Place about five centimeters of this sand in a deep microwave-safe container, and on top of it, the lavender flowers or leaves, separated and well-opened, and then cover them with another layer of slightly finer sand. Then put the microwave on full power. between 2 and 4 minutes and wait 24 hours before touching them.
- The other system is less exact and a little more laborious, but also easier in return. Place your lavender leaves and flowers on a plate, well separated one by one, making sure that all of the leaves on the plate have an approximate size. cover it with transparent film and put it 1 minute at full power. Aren’t they crisp and dry yet? Go adding periods of 20 seconds until they are ready.
kiln dried
To dry them in the oven, place your lavender leaves, loose and washed, on a tray covered with baking paper or parchment paper, which is ideal for this task. Spread them out as much as you can, always in a single layer and without stacking or touching.
Put the tray in the oven and put it on a very low temperature. You should never do oven drying at more than 80 ºC or you will destroy the beneficial properties and natural flavor of lavender. If your oven is electric, leave the door slightly open, while if it is a gas oven, stop it and open it for half a minute every five.
Dehydrator drying
Food dehydrators are quite useful for aromatics, as they allow you to do it comfortably as in the oven, but with less risk of burning them. Place the leaves or stems as open and apart as possible in your dehydrator, adjust it for below 46ºC and just wait for them to be ready.
fan drying
If you have to dry really large amounts of harvested lavender, this is by far the best method. Simply set up a warm, low humidity room with a good fan. Stack the lavender as wide open as possible, or hang its tied bouquets upside down as if you were going to use a traditional air-dry.
Then simply aim the fan at or below the sides of the lavenderin such a way that the surrounding humidity is taken away but always without the air current pointing directly at the lavender, as it could take away the flowers or their aroma.
What to do with dried lavender
There’s a lot things you can do with lavender once it is dry:
- Hair conditioner.
- Handcrafted soap.
- Calming infusion and against bad breath.
- Mite repellent.
- home air freshener
- face steam.
- Aromatic centerpieces.
- Lavender for your bathrooms.
Now that you know 5 ways to dry lavender, you might want to learn more about growing the plant at home. Here we indicate the Care of the lavender plant.
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