July is the ideal month for harvesting lavender, which at Tenuta del Cigno is also used to make essential oil and scented water.
July is the month in which the Lavender angustifolia – or “True Lavender” – blooms and releases its riot of unmistakable and wonderful colors and scents. On our farm we harvest it during the first two weeks of the month, to then obtain theEssential oil and scented water.
To obtain a perfect result, also from a chromatic point of view, it is better to collect the stems full of flowers still in bud, just before they open. Generally it is preferable to carry out the phases of harvested in the morningDuring sunny days, without wind or rain that could damage it.
Once harvested, the lavender is divided and then wrapped in bunches, after which the flower is shelled through the "shelling" machine and left to dry. Unlike many other plants, the lavender flowers They retain their particular aroma for a very long time, even when dry.
The characteristics of Lavender Angustifolia
Our Lavender Angustifolia or “Lavender Vera” plant, for which we have registered the trademark “Lavender of Modena® Biological" has bright green aromatic leaves and an excellent, extremely scented lilac-purple floweringIt resists heat very well and likes sunlight very much, which is why the Lavender field Where it's grown, it's completely exposed to sunlight. It thickens quickly, and although it requires a lot of care, it's still a very valuable plant, especially in summer, because it has many virtues: its intense scent attracts butterflies and keeps mosquitoes away.
Extraction for essential oil
From this year's harvest we extracted ten liters of Essential oil and three hundred liters of Lavender Water, part of which is reserved for use in the vineyard as a pesticide and part for bottling for cosmetic use. Lavender water is, in fact, highly recommended for redness and sunburn.
There are different methods for extracting lavender essential oil, depending on the purity of the product you want to obtain. At Tenuta del Cigno we use the steam distillation, which uses hot steam to extract the essential oils from the leaves and flowers of the lavender plant, separating them from the water. Therefore, no chemical solvents are used.
Our steam distillation process lasts many hours and uses only and exclusively a natural methodology, certified organic, to extract all the properties and active ingredients from the flower. Only in this way can we obtain unique lavender-based products, such as the essential oil, which is a valuable ally against insect bites, perfect for providing relief to dry and irritated skin, and very useful for promoting relaxation and a good night's sleep.
We store it in small dark glass bottles where it remains for a few months before being released for sale: this way the perfume matures and harmonizes, to express its best characteristics from an olfactory and usable point of view.