When I trimmed our lavender plants, I was left with more cuttings than I knew what to do with.

They smelled so incredible, I couldn’t bring myself to throw them on the compost pile. But I had already dried some when the buds first appeared; there’s only so much lavender we will eat, and we’ve no great need for sachets.

We decided to make lavender oil, which can be useful as a calming scent at bedtime, as a natural antihistamine, or as an insect repellent. We tried two methods. The first was simply to stuff the jar with lavender, cover with oil, and set in a warm, sunny space for a few weeks. The second was to prepare the jar and put it in a pot of water that had been brought to a boil. When the water cooled that jar was also set in a warm spot. The heat from the water should speed the process up a bit, so we’ll check on the results of that method sooner. Once we’re happy with the scent, they’re ready for use.