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On Dreaming Big Dreams

7/20/2018

I am happy to announce that Little Lavender Farm Products are now available at Red Ridge Farms in Dayton Oregon! And what a wonderful circle we have circumnavigated to get to this point.

Exactly two years ago, on July 20, 2016, Mark and I began our "Great Oregon Lavender Adventure" to visit and learn from the lavender farmers in the area as we were building Little Lavender Farm in San Diego. Our first stop just happened to be Red Ridge Farms, where we stayed for 3 days in the beautiful guest apartment above their gift shop. That first day, as we pulled into the driveway at Red Ridge, (again, exactly two years ago) I remember looking around at the grounds, with the vineyards in the distance, the lavender field surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers, their knot garden, olive groves, the wisteria vine draping over a giant arbor, and the expansive view of the valley below -- and thinking that this was the closest thing to heaven I’d ever seen.

We had no idea at the time, not even an inkling, that just a few short months later, we would be relocating to Oregon. We had no idea as we explored the Willamette Valley, that this would soon become our playground. We had no idea as we drove through the town of Dundee that our future friends and neighbors were waiting for us. I couldn’t even imagine a life where Red Ridge Farms would be the place we would take our visitors, that this place would be such a special and constant part of our lives. That seemed just too much to ask for -- too big a dream. But when the opportunity to make this a reality presented itself, we said a prayer (or 20), took a chance and jumped right in.

So today, when I drove the 7 minutes from my house to Red Ridge, walked into the gift shop, said hello to the owner, Penny Durant, and saw my products displayed for sale in their gift shop, my heart was so full of gratitude for this community, the wonderful people that live here, and the support and encouragement we have received from from so many as we continue on our little lavender adventure.

Today I can say that sometimes dreams do come true. So don't ever be afraid to dream big, You just never know what might happen.

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When to Harvest Lavender

7/2/2018

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When should I harvest my lavender?

This is a question I often get asked, and it really depends on what you want to do with the lavender you are harvesting. The lavender above isn't quite ready to harvest. Although it is very close to flowering, it needs another day or two in the field.

If you are harvesting for culinary uses, you should first of all only harvest angustifolias (also known as English Lavender or “true” lavender) and harvest it when just 2-3 buds have flowered, as shown above. The reason behind this is that once the lavender dries, you won’t want the spent flowers in with the buds. One or two in there is fine, but more than that and it just looks unsightly.

If you are harvesting for fresh or dried bouquets, again, cut when just a few flowers have opened. The buds will stay on the stem better if they haven’t yet flowered and there will be less shedding.

If you are harvesting for sachets or potpourri, you can harvest anytime once buds are about ⅓-½ open

If you are harvesting to make essential oil, harvest once about half of the flowers on the spike have withered.

Whatever you are harvesting your lavender for, it is sure to smell amazing! And there is nothing better than spending an hour or two in the garden, harvesting the result of your hard work and care!

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Lavandula angustifolia "Felice"

6/22/2018

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A few months back, at an Oregon Lavender Association meeting, Andy and Melissa Van Hevelingen were sharing their wisdom about all things lavender, as well as showing some varieties of lavender they had found on a recent trip to England -- one of which was an angustifolia called “Felice.”

Well, I had to have it. I mean really...what are the chances? My wonderful mom, Felice, was such a supporter my lavender growing endeavor (of all of my endeavors really), that it seemed fitting (and miraculous!) to have a field full of Felice lavender as a tribute to her, not only because of how supportive she was but also because, like lavender, she made the world a more beautiful place and she made those around her happy. But after looking online for a seller and realizing that this variety was only sold in Europe and couldn’t be shipped, I contacted Melissa Van Hevelingen about maybe, possibly buying any Felice that she could propagate from the plant she had brought back with her. She graciously said yes -- but cautioned that the Felice were turning out to be a little persnickety and she wasn’t sure how many, if any, would take. So I tried not to get my hopes up (but did anyway). And then a few weeks ago, after several months of crossed fingers and silent prayers, Melissa delivered five beautiful Felice lavender to me and I couldn’t be happier. (Thank you Melissa!) I am hoping that eventually those five will turn into fifty so that I can have my field of Felice, but for now I am thrilled with those five.

But what do I do with five? They have been in the greenhouse for a few weeks because I have been struggling to figure out the perfect place for them. Should I go ahead put them out in the field with the hope of adding to their number? Should I create a little memorial garden for Mom on the side yard? Should I plant them on the hill with the fruit trees? Nothing seemed quite right.

And then a few days ago, I was harvesting some very happy, healthy lavenders that are planted by the front patio overlooking our lavender fields. This is where we entertain our friends while looking at the beautiful view of the mountains, and where we drink our morning coffee as we watch the hot air balloons go up with the sun. This is where we sit in our Adirondack chairs and sip a glass of wine after a long day and watch the sky light up from the sunset. This is where we watch the fall colors, and catch snowflakes, and pick blackberries and listen to the birds. This is where some of the best parts of our life happen And I knew that was exactly where the Felice lavender should go -- not off in a field or in some quiet memorial garden, but right in the middle of everything, right there in the middle of our lives, as Mom always was.

So this weekend, I will move the lavender that is already there and plant the Felice lavender in its place. I know it’s not the same as having Mom here again, but just maybe, when I’m sitting on the patio enjoying the day and accompanied by that beautiful purple Felice lavender, she will feel a little closer.

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The ReBirth of a Lavender Farm (Dundee Edition)

10/21/2017

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Well, Summer is over and as I sit inside on a rainy Fall day here in Dundee, Oregon, fire blazing, my heart is full of gratitude for this place and for a productive summer full of dreaming, planning, learning, tilling, planting, harvesting, and pruning.

May was all about the planning -- and waiting for the rain to stop for a few days so that the earth could dry out. We spent many a soggy afternoon walking our property, measuring possible rows, using stakes and twine to help us visualize and then draw up a little map of the space we imagined, complete with areas for picnic tables, hammocks, Adirondack chairs and a farmstand. In the meantime, I also researched which varieties of lavender would work best for what we wanted to do and contacted several growers in the area, hoping they might have some plants to sell me.

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A Circle of Purple Sunshine

7/9/2017

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On a sunny summer day in Dayton Oregon at Red Ridge Farms, I and a group of 40 or so women set about making our very own lavender wreaths. Maybe you’ve seen them in gift shops or home furnishing stores -- those often expensive, wispy bursts of purple sunshine that transport you to a softer, simpler existence. But they aren’t difficult to make and can be easily and cheaply done in a few hours using lavender or any number of plants/herbs/tree branches from your own yard. If you’re interested, here’s a step by step of how to make your own lavender wreath (although most of the same principles apply to any other kind of wreath making).

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The Joy of Discovery

6/30/2017

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One of the very fun things about moving into a well-loved house is discovering all of those previous acts of love. Especially when it comes to the garden: the rose bushes hidden among the blackberry bushes, the bird houses scattered throughout the garden, the brilliant purple iris that emerges on a grey day, the absolute joy of peonies, the fruit trees and the guessing game that comes with that (I know it’s a cherry tree...but what kind of cherry? What kind of pear? What kind of apple? What kind of grapes?) -- and, of course, a giant tractor tire filled with rhubarb.

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Laverne and Shirley

4/29/2017

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I never liked goats.

Maybe it started in my younger days with that Biblical passage about the shepherd separating the “good” sheep from the “wicked” goats Or maybe it was their weird eyes. Whatever the reason, I just didn’t like them. I always dreamed that once I had my farm, I would raise a few sheep, sheer them, spin the wool, and make a blanket or two. So raising goats never even crossed my mind.

But our new farm came with a couple of goats, which we renamed Laverne and Shirley, so I was going to have to be OK with them. Laverne is a brown and white Boer/Toggenburg mix and Shirley is a brown and white Boer with floppy ears. I was a little nervous the first time I walked into the barn to meet them, what with all of my goat preconceptions floating around in my head. I thought they would be standoffish and creepy and maybe even mean. But instead they were curious and friendly...and funny. Especially Laverne, who boldly walked up and looked me straight in the eye, with her big beautiful weird eyes, as if she were trying to figure out if we would be friends or not. After a few minutes, she got so excited that she literally bounced off of the walls of her stall a few times. So I took that as a “yes.” Shirley, on the other hand, stood quietly behind Laverne and nervously looked at us, not sure what to make of these new humans who had suddenly appeared. After just a few minutes with those two, I was more than OK with them -- I was smitten! And I was ready to embrace my new role as goat owner.

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Cooking with Lavender

4/8/2017

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Lavender is wonderful for sachets and soap and lotions and salves and wreaths...but cooking? As much as I love lavender, it certainly wasn’t the first thing I reached for to flavor my recipes. Sure, I had made lavender lemonade and lavender shortbread, but that was the extent of my lavender culinary experimentations. So when I heard that the wonderful Nicole Callen from Norwood Lavender Farm and Chris Mulder from Barn Owl Nursery were offering a "Cooking with Lavender" class, I had to sign up.

The class took place at the Barn Owl Nursery, where, because of a pretty intense rain/wind storm the day before, the power was still out. So we all huddled together in Chris’ drying room with her pellet stove blazing and the sound of the generator in the background, and on a cloudy cool day in April, our culinary horizons were expanded.

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Move-in Ready

3/24/2017

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Sometimes the place you thought was your place isn’t your place after all. That "awesome barn" farm we fell in love with? Well...it came with an equally cool log house -- but one which would have taken a LOT of time and a LOT of money to make it what we wanted. Which would have meant a lot less time and money for growing lavender. And that’s what I want to do.

So we said goodbye to that place and grabbed onto a different, more realistic, equally exciting one. This new place also has land (though not as much), and a barn (though not a cool old wooden one)-- but it also has a house that has big windows to a big view, a perfectly sloped, open field for growing lavender, a greenhouse (!), a guest apartment, two goats, one chicken, and lots of fruit trees. A move-in ready farm! On top of that, it is surrounded by wineries and the beautiful red hills of Dundee. And, most importantly, it was “Mom-approved.” So we close escrow in a few days and I can hardly wait to move in.

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Farm Shopping

2/1/2017

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Farm shopping is just as fun as you would imagine. Every new place holds its history and its promise, both for what it is and what we could make it. Each one has it charms and its challenges. One farm might have the perfect sloping, open, south-facing land with a view, but is out of our price-range, or is in the wrong location, or just doesn’t feel right. Another might have a beautiful house, but the land is too steep or not sloped at all or too wooded. And I knew going into this that we might be shopping for a while.

But I knew we had found our place when we saw the giant wooden barn and my husband walked toward it as if in a trance, and then continued back behind it. I knew we had found our place when I saw him walking around the land and looking up at the sky as if to say, “OK I’m here” -- completely ignoring all of us gathered to discuss this latest possibility. After a while, Mark walked over and said “I love it” -- and I knew he did and that this would be our place. The barn was beautiful, the land was sloped (though a few trees would need to be cut down to open it up a little), there was a (bonus) 1 acre vineyard that grows pinot noir, it had its own forest -- it was on 30 acres of Oregon heaven. It has a detached garage for space to create an artist’s studio or little apartment. It has a small shed next to the garage that could be converted into the Little Lavender Shop. I could see where I would put the chickens and the greenhouse and the herb garden and perhaps a few goats. I could see where visitors would park when they came to pick lavender. The house was a log home. I never would have chosen a log home, but it’s beautiful and we could make it our own. There was so much promise here.

The present owner is an engineer (as is Mark) and as we talked with his daughter about the history of the farm and the stories that go along with it, we both felt an incredible sense of responsibility. We wanted to be the new caretakers of this land and love it as much as her dad has. Later that day, my sweet husband wrote the owner and his daughter a letter promising to do as much.

We have put in our offer and it has been accepted. And now we wait. And we dream. Little Lavender Farm part 2 has begun.

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<<Previous

On Dreaming Big Dreams

When to Harvest Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia "Felice"

The ReBirth of a Lavender Farm (Dundee Edition)

A Circle of Purple Sunshine

The Joy of Discovery

Laverne and Shirley

Cooking with Lavender

Move-in Ready

Farm Shopping

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