Loads of lavender blooming, what should I do with it?

[pinkhousesarebest]

Anyone any good ideas about how to make the most of lavender blooming in our garden.Do you dry only the heads,and whats the best way to do it?

[woodstock3]

i cut the flowerheads, tied in bundles with string and hung it from pan shelf in the kitchen til dry. (so hanging upside down). then when it was dry scrunched off the dried flowers.
you can cook with it (i made lavender sugar by burying a couple of dried flowerheads in a jar of caster sugar: you can also make biscuits and cupcakes tho i dont have a recipe). but i used it as lavender bags to stuff in all the bags of outgrown baby clothes to keep moths away. chopped up some lengths of kitchen muslin (from the pound shop - really classy) and sewed them into basic squares and stuffed with lavender.
i was on mat leave at the time and clearly had too little to do. this year will leave them to bloody well flower in the garden

[Helium]

I also dried them - cut the head with a few inches of stem, bunch them together and tie them up. I left them in my old fireplace (never use the fire!). My children got hold of them and spread them through the room in tiny little bits - although when I found them I was disheartened and left them for a day (or two!) when I came to hoover it smelt fab!!!!

[pinkhousesarebest]

Helium I know the hoovering up bits of lavender for weeks feeling very well. I have only ever dried the heads. I will now try stems too. Thanks.