August-September, 2020
Did you know? I didn’t know! The greater Sequim (skwim) area is known nationally (and possibly internationally) as a major center of Lavender farms. Besides smelling so lovely, the plant Lavender is known for many things … it is used to relieve stress, insomnia, depression, pain after surgery, and it is used as a flavor in many foods and beverages. It is used in soaps, cosmetics, and perfumes. It also seems to have antibacterial and antifungal properties. It is harvested and sold in the floral market. And, grown in your garden, it’s just really pretty.
Most varieties of Lavender plants blossom in spring or summer. I was camping here in September, maybe a bit late for the season, but there were still plants blooming in a few of the fields that I had driven past on the day I first drove to the campground. So what could I do but go find a farm and check it out?
Ah, here’s a farm now …
Around the Sequim area, you can often tell where the Lavender farms are by the lavender colored flags and the lavender colored picnic table umbrellas and, of course, signs with lavender letters.
This farm seemed like a nice place, not too many folks were visiting, so I pulled in and parked.
I didn’t go into the store. I started my tour by heading out to the fields. Oh my gosh, even the few fields that were still in bloom smelled so good!
Some fields were just dirt, ready to be planted. Some fields were covered with black plastic, with tiny new plants just starting to come through. Other fields had small, but well-established “adult” plants. And a very few fields had huge, healthy full-grown plants … you’ll see one of those soon.
I was curious about the fields with brand new plants in them. I was surprised the farmers would lay down black plastic around the plants since that would prevent water getting down into the ground around the roots.
Even with a sprinkler at each plant (photo below) it seemed the plant wouldn’t really get much water. Hmmmm.
Besides plants, I found this one visitor below on the black ground-cover. I was a visitor too, so I thought kindly of this little person. I hoped it wouldn’t damage the Lavender.
Later in this day, when I looked at the photo above on my laptop, I saw that the black ground-cover wasn’t “black plastic” but was a woven material, so water could get through it and get to the roots of each plant.
The plants above have been blooming for a few years and will continue to grow much larger with more and more blooms.
Then I noticed that each field contained a different variety of Lavender. And, on this farm, each variety was clearly named. This one farm grows more than a dozen different varities.
The photo below is a large field full of adult, blooming Grosso Lavender. It smelled wonderful!
I wandered around the fields a bit longer, and eventually headed back to the farm buildings. A worker told me I was welcome to enter the barn in the photo below. I saw no other visitors doing that but I was happy to accept the welcome.
As soon as I entered that dark doorway, I turned and looked to the left …
Rows and rows and rows of Lavender being dried in preparation for sale and/or for production of products such as lavender oil.
For some reason, all those chains and all that Lavender hanging from the ceiling made my neck squirm a bit. I hoped the Lavender didn’t mind being hung like that.
There was an oscillating fan near the entrance door that ran constantly to help the plants dry.
The photo above and the photo below show two different varieties of Lavender that were hanging, drying, in the barn.
The back wall of the barn is still the original timber wall from 1920 when the farm was a dairy farm.
Notice the two copper “stills” near the back wall. I don’t know what they were used for, maybe making and refining “lavender water”? Or maybe they remove oil from the Lavender?
Being of Scottish ancestry, I did wonder for a moment whether there might be a wee dram of whisky being produced, but I knew better. 🙂
I loved all the information about Lavender plants that I was given by the people working here. But I was fascinated by the machine above. I stood and watched it work for quite some time. I certainly didn’t understand every piece of the machine, what it’s purpose was, but it was most impressive.
Here’s a video of the busy, busy machine separating out certain portions of the Lavender plants into four separate buckets.
This farm, the B&B Family Lavender Farm, was great fun to explore. The people working there were friendly and helpful and informative. The whole place smelled divine. If you’re ever in the area around mid-July when the Sequim Lavender Festival happens, do stop in!
What a wonderful experience, seeing lavender growth in different stages. So nice that the farmers were so friendly. Love the aroma of fresh lavender!
I too was impressed with how busy the folks were at the farm, and yet were so friendly and willing to chat with me. Fresh lavender … guess I’ll be adding that to my plant list for the planting area around my house.
I grow a few varieties of lavender, but not as many as this farm does! What a treat. And yes, lavender is so good for humans in so many ways. I could almost smell the sweetness in your photos. Grosso is one of the most popularly grown commercial varieties.
Ruby, I’ve been researching because of your comments. Grosso, I’ve learned, is a hybrid between an English variety and a French variety. It’s known to be exceptionally hardy so maybe that’s why it’s such a popular commercial variety. I always love your comments and your knowledge. Thank you!
Lavender is such a delight. It was used by women in England to add scent to their hand washings. It was used in England for many purposes long before it was in use on the continent. I believe it originated in the Canary Islands. Lovely photos.
Henry, you always teach me something too! Because of your comment here, I researched the use of Lavender in England and found that indeed for hundreds of years women in England and Wales and Scotland and Ireland have used Lavender to scent their wash water … and indeed Lavender has been grown and used in the British Isles long before it became popular on the European continent. Thank you!
Oh what fun! That barn must have smelled heavenly. I believe the stills are used to extract the essential oils from the plants. I wish we could grow lavender here, but the humid climate makes it a challenge.
Oh, that barn smelled delicious! Again, your comment, Virginia, prompted me to research online and to find that those stills are used to extract essential oils from the Lavender plants. Sure wish there was a variety of Lavender that thrived in humid climates. Thanks. My readers are the best. 🙂
I could almost smell the lavender; nice report!
Thank you. 🙂
When I saw those copper stills, my first thought was for a wee dram too, Ann. 🙂
We are incorrigible. 🙂
Ann, your little insect friend appears to be a grasshopper. They are known to eat lavender if there is no other grass available to them, but that’s unusual even in cities, and it looks like your farm is out in the country where there would be lots of grasses. It’s a beautiful grasshopper, its back legs and its back look like they are machines! Great photos. Thanks.
Thanks Ruth, excellent info about that little friend. I hadn’t noticed how the photo made it’s back and legs look until you said something, but indeed it does look like a mechanical being. The details of life are so interesting.
I don’t know how that machine works at all Ann, so everything you figured out is more than I can figure out. ha! Thank you for, yet again, another super post with super photos and super information about the world.
You are welcome, Tim. I sort of, kind of, pretty much, think I know mostly how and why that machine does what it does, but I would need to get almost right inside it to know everything for sure. It sure was fun to watch. 🙂 Thanks for your nice words.