The outside of Lavender Ridge Farm. When you first walk up you can see the little house in front of their lavender fields. (Photo credit: Samantha Altergott)
I recently went down to Lavender Ridge Farms, here in Reno, NV and found the atmosphere to be super friendly. I talked with both Kristy and Mike Harris, the owners of Lavender Ridge. Mike shared their process of starting the farm. In 2000, they traveled to New Zealand. Kristy noticed all this Lavender products and farms. She began researching the holistic properties of lavender and realized it had been used for thousands of years. It’s been used to help people with many different aliments such as headaches, burns, insect bites and insomnia. Lavender is also used as a culinary spice.
One of their lavender fields on the back of the property. They will start to bloom in late July/early August. (Photo credit: Samantha Altergott)
Lavender has a lot of history behind it and after researching and visiting some of the New Zealand farms. They went up to a lavender festival in Washington. After looking into all the benefits of lavender and their uses, they decided to use their open land and planted their first crop of lavender. They planted about 1,000 plants in their upper area.
Mike had to learn how to distill the lavender oil, that’s what the lavender is all about. When it comes to healing it comes from the oil. Mike learned how to distill from the farmers in New Zealand when they went back the second time.
The next year they added their first distillery and harvested. They got their first batch of oil and then had to figure out what to do with the oil. They decided to make products. Today, 12 years later Lavender Ridge offers close to 60 products on their website. They have switched their focus from farming to hosting weddings at their farm. They still harvest their lavender every year and make products for the public to purchase.
When they first started making products they did a few of their own lavender festivals. They used to have musicians come. They made their own lavender ice cream and lavender lemonade.
They had tons of people come from around the country to visit their farm. They now have over 2,000 plants. Their lavender will bloom in late July/early August. They are able to make products for the whole year from their harvests in the late summer/early fall. They even have their own bee hive and have been known to sell lavender honey from the bees. (Look for our profile next week on the Mason Valley Beekeepers.)
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Kristy and Mike Harris at their beautiful lavender farm. Twice a month they allow people to come to their property and buy lavender products. You can purchase their products online on their website: http://lavenderridgereno.com/products/ . The rest of the month they focus on making their venue the perfect place to host weddings.
Some of the products I plan on trying from Lavender Ridge Farm. So far I am in love with the lotion. It keeps my hands soft and smooth. (Photo credit: Samantha Altergott)
Source:
http://www.netherfield.co.nz/lavender-uses.php
Written by: Samantha Altergott
The Heart of Reno's Roots 