The Lavender Festival at Sonoma Lavender in Kenwood, CA

May 16, 2002

Today I went to the Lavender Festival at Sonoma Lavender in Kenwood, CA. This is the first year I ever heard of it and forgot to ask how long they've been holding this event. I also don't know how long they've been in business because their web site lacks such details. But this lavender farm is family run with 5 acres and around 7,000 lavender plants. They only supply wholesalers and are open to the public just once a year. Lucky for me, I heard about the festival last weekend!

It's a quaint little farm with acres of lavender and a lavender-painted barn. The lavender festival was made up of a culinary booth, make and take crafts, cut your own lavender, farm tours, and discounts on all of the products they sell through other distributors. They grow three types of lavender, the most popular being the English lavender because it has the sweetest scent and taste for culinary uses.

First I took the farm tour. But I didn't stay with it long for the guide (who I believe was the owner of the farm) was long winded. So after hearing how to grow your own lavender plants from clippings, I went off to do my own thing. Here's what I learned about clippings from him and some of the gaps are filled in by a very helpful man at the local Friedman Brothers…

Cut your stem of lavender from the bush with sharp shears. Cut it into equal thirds. Moisten each end. Dip one end into a root-encouraging product such as TakeRoot rooting hormone. Get a metal pan and fill with, and here's where it gets confusing, the farm guy said some sort of enhanced water but the man at Friedman Bros said to use sand or a starter mix. After a couple weeks, the roots will be visible and you can begin planting. Another suggestion from the man at Friedman's was to bend a wire hanger and place on the pan like a handle on a basket. Next stretch plastic wrap over it creating a dome-like greenhouse effect.

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After learning about this, I decided to wander the farm on my own. If you go there, or any other lavender farm, beware! It is not for the bee fearing person. I have a strong phobia of bugs and I gotta tell you, there were thousands of bees and I was standing right in the middle of all of them. But happily, the bees really are busy with the lavender plants and when you start to mess with one bush, they pretty much move away from you and onto the next one. It's not like eating food at a picnic. They really have no interest in people. I asked a couple of children who don't live there but are friends of the family and spend lots of time on the farm if the bees ever bother them. They said they've never been stung and the bees mind their own business. Good to know. But if you have an allergy, stay away and don't take the risk.

The craft booth was a bit disappointing. They had two little girls sitting under a tent-cover teaching people to make sachets. I will have the directions in the Bedroom section of Bad Things. But basically, it was scoop the lavender and tie. Very basic and something I already knew how to do. I kind of hoped to have something unique to share.

Ever try a refreshing glass of Lavender Lemonade? Well, they had another little tent-cover giving away cups of the beverage for free. I have to say it's a little weird. But if you like mint, you will probably like it. Lavender is classified as an herb and is a member of the mint family. For Lavender Lemonade recipes, check out the Kitchen section of Bad Things.

Wandering over to the Culinary Tent, there was a full menu of lavender foods. The menu included baked goods such as Lavender Blueberry Muffins, Lavender Merlot Brownies, and Lavender Cream Cheese Bars; frozen treats such as Lavender Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream or Lavender Vanilla Strawberry Ice Cream; lunch items such as a Lavender Chicken Sandwich, Lavender Caesar Salad, or Lavender Chicken Caesar Salad; or beverages including the lemonade, Lavender Ice Tea, and Lavender Coffee. I found a couple recipes to share that are similar to these items and they can be found also in the Kitchen section of Bad Things.

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Finally it was time to cut my own lavender. They give you the shears and a quick intro and send you off to cut away! The smell being in that field was so wonderful. Surrounded by lavender you can feel it's soothing quality. Unfortunately, I decided not to take my time as even though the bees had no interest in me, I chose to get far away from them as quickly as I could. An 8 oz. Bundle was $5, 16 oz. for $10. I brought my lavender home and right away turned it upside down to dry. When it's finished, I will post a few more lavender projects in Bad Things, including Lavender Wands.

In their barn, they had tons of lavender products for sale, all at a discount and many at half price. If you would like to purchase any of their products online, you can find them at http://www.uniquelycalifornia.com/sonomalavender/ But for all the DIY'ers out there, I studied them to see what we could do ourselves.

If you're in the area, you should check this out next year. But look into other farms as well. Fresh lavender is wonderful and the scent is so much stronger than dried. It's nice to have in the house in place of flowers and it's decorative as it dries. The lavender plant has so many uses; you'll want to find a place to supply you year round.

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