GALT, CA (MPG) - Love the scent of fresh-picked lavender? Time is running out to gather your own bundle at Wilton Family Lavender Farm.

The farm at 9050 Tavernor Road in Wilton offers “U-pick” days on weekends from May to June, while its lavender crop is in bloom. But, due to high forecast temperatures, July 6 and 7 are likely to be the last U-pick days of the season.

The farm and its Lavender Market, stocked with a range of lavender products, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors are provided with shears and advice on how to harvest lavender, and the farm charges $10 per bundle gathered.

Co-owner John Case said the farm cultivates 13 varieties of lavender, each with different properties. For example, some produce more essential oils while others are better for culinary applications. Lavender hydrosol, which the farm distills from the plants alongside the essential oil, has cleaning applications.

Case said lavender and its products have five main uses: aromatherapy, as an antibacterial, promoting healing, as a cooking ingredient and as a bug repellent.

“It’s a wonderful plant and there’s probably a lot more diverse uses for it than you’d find with other types of herbs and flowers,” Case said.

The lavender field slopes down a gentle hill, with the lavender planted in rows labeled by variety. Guests told the Citizen that they enjoyed the aroma of lavender in the air.

Sara Studley, who was visiting with her daughter, said she was interested in visiting a lavender farm for about a year. The Wilton farm made for a convenient day trip compared to farms in places such as Apple Hill.

“We use lavender,” Studley said. “We use the oils, so it’s kind of nice to see where it come from and where it starts.”

Studley shared a tip that Case gave her for picking lavender, which is attractive for bees.

“He said, ‘Shake the bush first and the bees will just find another place.’ So for those people who are bee-timid, there are strategies. 

In addition, when cutting the lavender stalks, Case advised putting the shears down where the leaves start. He suggested rubbing a little between the fingers to smell the oil, which has a different aroma between varieties.

He recommended keeping lavender bundles in a dry vase. Once the bundle dries out, the buds can be gathered by agitating the bundle and used for potpourri.

The farm has been in operation for about five-and-a-half years. Case said his wife and fellow owner, Sharon Breault, had the idea.

After the hours on July 6 and 7, the farm will open to the public on the first weekend of the month, and a fall craft fair is planned for Sept. 28 and 29.

For more about Wilton Family Lavender Farm, visit wiltonfamilylavenderfarm.com.