Can’t wait to run back to the lavender fields next year already. It has been an incredibly busy summer for me, but I finally made my visit to Crescent Valley Lavender Farm on the very last day of harvest season. The usual farm I loved to run to (Lavendar Hill in Vashon) was closed this weekend, but I still need some lavender in my life so here I was in Gig Harbor at Crescent Valley Lavender Farm.

Crescent Valley Lavender Farms offers 7 varieties of lavender: Grosso, Melissa, Folgate, Royal Velvet, White, Pacific Blue, and Edelweiss. My nieces and I cut our own Royal Velvet and Pacific Blue lavender. My sister-in-law selected the Melissa Lavender Essential Oil for my sister’s postpartum swelling. The owner of the farm even gifted us a little bundle of white lavender, too. What a joy!

On top of getting to enjoy the U-Cut process and having the chance to have a personal touch to my lavender bundles, there are so many other benefits to lavender:

• can be used in skincare to combat anti-aging, acne, hyperpigmentation, and dryness
• intake of lavender improves body’s melatonin levels
• increases deep sleep when inhaled
• may assist with mood disorders by soothing stress, depression, and anxiety
• works as antibacterial + antiseptic, which can help with bug bites and minor skin burns
• reduces pain as a topical agent such as lavender oil
• … this one is just for giggles, but I also heard that lavender is an aphrodisiac, apparently!

While I’ve yet to decipher the science behind how lavender may be an aphrodisiac, for now, I think I’ll focus on that Lavender Shortcake Cookie recipe.. photos to follow!