Distilling the 2026 Lavender Harvest at Lavender June Farm

There is something special about watching months of hard work transform into pure lavender essential oil and fragrant hydrosol. At Lavender June Farm, harvest season is one of our favorite times of the year, and our copper still has been working hard to capture the essence of our fields.

This season, we've been distilling three of our favorite lavender varieties: Big Time Blue, Phenomenal, and Grosso. Each variety brings its own unique characteristics to the distillation process. While all three produce beautiful lavender oil and hydrosol, each offers subtle differences in fragrance that reflect the plants growing right here on our Arkansas farm.

The process begins early in the morning as freshly harvested lavender is brought from the field to our distillation area. We carefully load the blooms into our copper still and use steam distillation to gently extract the essential oils contained within the flowers. As steam passes through the lavender, it carries the aromatic compounds into the condenser where the mixture cools and separates into two valuable products: essential oil and hydrosol.

The essential oil is highly concentrated and captures the rich floral aroma that lavender is known for. Hydrosol, sometimes called floral water, contains the water-soluble compounds from the plant and carries a softer, refreshing lavender scent. Both products have become important ingredients in many of our Lavender June Farm offerings.

Our copper still has performed exceptionally well this year, producing beautiful oil yields and crystal-clear hydrosol throughout the harvest season. There is always a sense of anticipation when a distillation run finishes and we begin separating the oil from the hydrosol. No matter how many batches we produce, it never gets old watching the golden drops of essential oil collect after hours of careful work.

One of the things we love most about distilling is that it allows us to preserve a piece of the growing season. Every bottle reflects the sunshine, rainfall, soil, and care that went into growing the plants. From planting and pruning to harvesting and distilling, the process represents a full year of dedication to producing high-quality lavender products.

As we continue harvesting and distilling throughout the season, we're grateful for the opportunity to share the results with our customers. Whether you're enjoying one of our botanical roll-ons, lotion bars, facial oils, or other handcrafted products, there's a good chance you're experiencing the fragrance that began in our lavender fields and flowed through our copper still.

Thank you for supporting Lavender June Farm and following along on our journey from field to bottle. We can't wait to see what the rest of the harvest season brings.