Mid Summer's Day in December

Um, did I wake up today in Australia? It didn't seem like it when I went outside this morning at 7am and the temperature was a balmy 34 degrees F. But by 10am, the Sun was shining bright, and I started shedding jackets and layers like a Siberian Husky blowing his coat (more about huskies later).

I started noticing a few bees around, so I went to check the hives. The little ladies were pretty active at the entrance. They were taking advantage of the nice warm day to take cleansing flights, and even doing a little foraging. The lavender from the distiller seemed to call them over from time to time. And my cup of tea also seemed like quite tasty (I suppose it was the sugar). That reminds me, next week I'll need to order some replacements for a few of the hives I lost last year. Hard to believe it's that time already.

The whole family pitched in today and vegetable garden and the garden around the house. The storms had made a mess of the place. Grass was growing thick, the mint all needed hacking back. The finally dead tomatoes and basil plants needed clearing. And of course, weeding. We even had a chance to harvest a few carrots for dinner tonight. Look at this ugly root my daughter pulled up. Not pretty, but steamed long enough, anything can be tender and tasty! I had some this evening for dinner. Very yummy. Daniella roasted pumpkins for soup tonight. You can make a delicious pumpkin soup very much like the carrot soup I described in my previous post (see Season's Greetings w/ Carrot Soup), but with roasted pumpkin. Use more paprika and garlic rather than ginger (we use jalapeno, because that is the pepper I grow a lot) to spice it up. I'm stuffed now on roots and squash.

I've been taking advantage of the holidays to spend a little time with Sofie, my dog. Sofie is a Siberian Husky. No, she is not blowing her coat right now, thank goodness! But she has been hanging out with me while I do my lavender distilling. Unfortunately, Sofie isn't well. A couple of months ago, she went lame in one of her legs. She's taking medication now, and that seems to be keeping things manageable for now, but the doc says that it is only a matter of time before the medication won't be enough. She is losing weight, but she is still as beautiful as ever. If you know huskies, the advise is usually to make them work for their treats. I've been a bit lax these last few months knowing her state, and she takes advantage of me. Oh well, everyone needs a free lunch now and again. She's comfortable now, and I'm thankful for that.
Well, looks like the mid-summer's day has given way to the realities of the season. The mercury is at 39f and falling. Gonna be COLD tonight!

Season's Greetings w/ Carrot Soup

Season's Greetings from Carmel Lavender. Here at the farm, it is Christmas Eve, and we wish everyone a happy Holiday Season, and a very joyful New Year.

We were fortunate last week to be treated to a mini snow flurry up here at 1700 feet, bringing a white Christmas to us a week early. These things are ephemeral, and it didn't last long, but I took some photos and thought I would share them with you today, along with my recipe for cream of carrot soup!


In this photo, you can see the lavender fields sleeping under the snow. Don't worry, they will be fine. Within a few hours, the snow would be gone anyhow. But it was sure beautiful while it lasted. I am fortunate to have been here to see it.

Cream of Carrot Soup

I would like to share my latest culinary experiment. As you can see, winter has finally come to the farm. The tomatoes, which were actually still producing in early December, have finally succumb to the frost. Within one day of the first frost, the basil was gone. It was amazing it had lasted so long as it was. My turnips and cabbage are not yet ready to harvest. So what I have most of right now are carrots. And lots of them! I planted these last spring, and they are quite large. So I thought I would try my hand at adapting a favorite recipe I make for cream of squash soup, but use carrots instead. The results were amazing! I used real cream, but if you use soy milk instead, it would be entirely vegan!

What you will need:

• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Water
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Ginger root
• Cream (or soy milk)
• Paprika

The ingredients are listed above in the order they are added. I must apologize in advance for the lack of measurements. The fact is that I don't use them. Why? Well, because eating is very much a matter of mood. The proportions change with the mood. But here are some guidelines I used. A large bowl of chopped carrots is about 1 quart of volume. Olive oil is maybe a few tablespoons. I use an entire onion, because the more onion, the sweeter the soup, and I want it sweet. Use less if you don't like it as sweet. The ginger root is metered by smelling the soup as you grate the root into it, while stirring occasionally. Stop when the soup smells "gingery" enough. And the paprika is simply to add a dash of color and zip at the end. So very small quantities.

First, I picked a large bowl of carrots and cleaned them. I cut them into chunks about 1 inch long, and set them aside. I did not bother to peel them. First, the skin is nutritious. If nature intended us to eat carrots without skin, they would grow naked. This is all part of whole food eating. Second, it is work. Why make work out of taking the nutrition out of your food?

Next I got a large soup bowl. Put a thin layer of olive oil at the bottom, and saute an onion. In case it isn't obvious, chop the carrot into small 1/4 inch pieces before placing into the oil. When the onions become translucent, they are ready.

Then add about a 1 to 2 pints of water and the carrots. You want the water to just cover the carrots maybe 1/2 to 1 inch higher than where the carrots would fill the pot w/o the water. The more water, the runnier the soup, the less water, the thicker the soup. I like thicker soup, so I just cover the carrots with water. Let the pot boil, then reduce temp so that it simmers. Let simmer until the carrots start to melt. You should be able to easily mash a carrot with a fork with very little effort when it is done. Don't be impatient. Let the heat do the work for you! I also add a few minced cloves of garlic at this point.

While the carrots are simmering, grate a peeled ginger root into the soup. I used a peeler to get the skin off (yes I know what I said about holistic food, but the ginger root skin is too tough and won't melt when you cook it, but feel free to keep the skin if you don't mind some bits of ginger skin in your soup). Grate some root, stir it in. Then smell the soup. Gingery enough? No? Add some more until the ginger smell is apparent. I used about two to three inches of a fairly large root. Don't be shy! Ginger not only tastes great, but it is healthful too.

Once the soup has cooked sufficiently (at least an hour or two), then puree the soup in a blender. This will most likely need to be done in batches unless you have a humongous blender or are making a tiny amount of soup. Once all the soup is blended, put it all back into the soup pot, and add the cream. I add cream until the color starts to turn just a bit pale, but not too much. You also want to make sure the consistency stays thick enough. I put about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cream to achieve this. Remember, cream is very rich. Taste as you add if you aren't comfortable w/ the color guidelines.

At this point, I usually turn the heat off. The soup is pretty hot, and you can burn the cream. But if you want, you can cook it on low for another 10 minutes or so, but take care to stir continuously so the cream doesn't burn. Once the cream is added, you have to be careful.

Serve into bowls, and sprinkle just a pinch of paprika on the top to give a nice dusting of red color. Not too much, unless you really want it spicy. Though consider carefully not to overpower the ginger. Less ginger, more paprika will be okay. If you have made it really gingery, then you're not going to want to complicate the ginger with too much paprika.

Now enjoy! Mmmm. Should be very nice treat on a cold winter night. Happy Holidays.

On Christmas Eve, a family of wild turkeys came to visit us. I watched them through the window as my pumpkins roasted for the pies I will be making tonight. Good thing for them we're eating a traditional Bulgarian vegetarian Christmas eve meal tonight!

Cooperation is Key to Local Success

Last night, the Carmel Valley Cooperative sponsored a local Holiday Faire. It was a small event in size, but the event for me represents what is needed to make local economies work: cooperation and community.

Of course, this sounds obvious. We've been told since we were young, that cooperation is the key to success. We all know this within our hearts. However practice can sometimes be more difficult than concept. For just as we all know the value and benefits of cooperation, we are equally trained in the art of competition. Finding a balance can be a delicate endeavour, but one I feel is worthy of pursuit.

The Faire last night, for me, was symbolic of the purpose for which the Carmel Valley Cooperative was created: for small local producers, to work together, to create relationships with customers. The goal is for each and every product to find maximum potential to enrich the lives of those in our community, and by making our labours of love sustainable for our lives too. After all, if we cannot afford to do those things that enrich our community, then it benefits no one.

Community truly a powerful motivating force behind everything that I do. I am often amazed at how strongly this has developed, especially when I reflect on my thoughts years ago when I first considered farming. In the beginning, farming seemed to be the ultimate independent experience. Just one's self living off the land. It doesn't get any more independent than that, right? Well, as with everything in life, reality is much different when experienced first hand. The reality has been that nature is amazingly complicated and powerful. Living off the land, so to speak, is just as complex. I am a hands-on person. I actually like to get my hands dirty (literally!) and what I have learned is self evident in retrospect, but unpredictable. When you throw a shovel at the earth, and it bounces back from a stone the size of a golf-ball, and you look at the size of the field that must be turned, it is not really overwhelming independence that you feel. In fact, it is quite humbling. The value of neighbors and community is never so evident than when you are doing everything on your own.

Well, yesterday's Holiday Faire reminded me of this value as a microcosm of how we can come together in a community to enrich our lives. I was struck by the thought last night while talking to some of the guests that came looking for Holiday gifts, what an amazing thing it was that they were there. Today's local newspaper (http://www.montereyherald.com/) runs the headline:

HOLIDAYS FILLED WITH PLENTY TO DO
Take a deep breath and count your blessings
Shopping: Four area shopping centers will offer extended hours as the Christmas holiday approaches.

When I read this, I wondered: Is this serious? We are bombarded with messages like these. Go to the large corporate box stores. Be thankful that you can buy plastic toys from China, produce from Chile, cheese from France, and shoes from Italy. Almost every dollar we spend at these malls gets put on a truck heading straight out of town. When it comes to building a local economy, the competition comes from outside the community. The challenge is always to keep our competitive energy focused in the right place: in building a larger local economy for everyone. As a small producer, I have talked with some of these stores about interest in carrying produce from a small producer like myself. There is always initial interest. But so far, the red-tape has made this difficult, esp. with the larger stores. I am pushed to add overheads. Outside of my personal dislike for spending more time on things that are not directly related to growing and producing, adding overhead creates pressure to grow bigger. Something I do not want to do. I want to stay small. I know that sounds strange in today's world. It seems the key is to stick with smaller, locally owned businesses, and to continue to reach out directly to the community.

Last night's event gave me hope. The people there were either friends or friends of friends. They were a community in the truest sense. And they were supporting us in our passions for creating local. This is a very precious gift that we should not take for granted. In return, it is my hope that the product of our passions will make their lives richer too.

My co-op partner Elizabeth was there with her soaps. She has been working long hours these last few weeks on her craft. In fact, a conversation only a few hours before I left yesterday, she was in her workshop bottling lotions. You can see the care and attention she puts into her products in her beautiful display as well as the variety. Soaps, lotions, lip balms. Plus two new products this year, a shampoo bar gentle enough to use to wash your hair with, and a lotion bar. The lotion bar is very cool. It looks like soap, but when you touch it, it feels like lotion. You have to try it to really know what I'm talking about! Elizabeth's husband Mark brought refreshments to make the mood more festive. Everyone pitches in to add their touch to the experience. That's what makes cooperation work.

Kerin is a local artist that produces beautiful jewelry. Kerin has been making jewelry in the area for ten years. Kerin has been travelling quite a bit lately, so we were fortunate that she was in town this month. She brought with her special pieces including some stone pieces that were very unique. There was one agate piece that had the most amazing natural spirals in it, a theme that is common in her work. It was fun just to look at the different pieces, and the creativity that goes into each one. Kerin has a business called Acqua Fire, and you can see more about her at the http://www.acquafire.com/ website.

And of course, there was lavender. In the photo at the right, Daniella displays the various products, including the new pint sized hydrosols we showed at the Yule Fest. It was so rewarding to meet the interesting folks that love lavender. Many just enjoy the scent. But I also met some very interesting individuals that use lavender and other essential oils for well being and healing. Learning a bit about people's lives and how what I do enriches them is one of the best gifts of all for me.

Yule Fest at the Gardiner Tennis Ranch

Last week I got a phone call. It was Kathy over at Carmel Valley Olive Company. If you recall from my article this summer (read August article, The Olive Connection), Kathy and her husband Alfred grow olives on their farm just down the road from me. Kathy would be exhibiting their olive oil at The Gardiner Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley that weekend. She had mentioned our lavender, and the owner, Monique, was interested in having Carmel Lavender there as well.

Yule Fest was an all-weekend affair. There was a dinner on Friday night, wine tasting Saturday, and a brunch and puppet/magic show on Sunday. I spoke to the folks organizing it, and we would be exhibiting on Saturday and Sunday. The folks at Gardiner had really decked the place out nice. The courts were transformed into a Yule-time celebration facility, with large heated tents beautifully decorated with boughs of fir and cypress, holiday banners, bows, and bigger than life stuffed animals. (See the resort at the Gardiner's Resort website)

Daniella and I prepared what to bring that week. We decided to introduce a new product at the Yule fest. Events like these are always good for finally getting around to finalizing that product you've been thinking about. In this case, Daniella has been using the lavender hydrosols in our laundry since August, and she swears by it. The lavender water definitely gives a nice scent to the wash. And what's more, she finds the wash to be softer and fluffy. We don't really know why, but when something works, you go with it. Also, since the hydrosol is distilled water, it is ideal for using in the iron. Daniella's idea is to bottle the hydrosol for laundry use. So we set to work on preparing some product samples for the event. You can see the results in the photo to the right. Each bottle bears the characteristic Carmel Lavender hand-stamped label, and a single stalk of lavender.

Once we arrived, we set up the table. Here Santa Daniella shows off the lavender products that we had. We also included some lavender lotions and bars from our neighbor at Lizard Creations. You can see our new product creation displayed prominently. Daniella also showed-off some gift packaging, with diffuser pendants packaged together with essential oils in a Carmel Lavender gift box. She really put together a nice display.

Going to these events is always a treat. I love talking to people about lavender. So exhibitions where people come to smell the fruits of our labor and enjoy the beauty of lavender make me feel wonderful. In this particular event, there were periods when folks attending were eating or watching the show. And during these times there was opportunity to meet and fraternize with the other exhibitors, which is always fun because it expands your awareness of the creativity of people that live around you.

Here on the right is Kathy and Tracy talking in front of the Carmel Valley Olive Company exhibition table. Kathy was treating visitors to yummy samples of olive oil drenched bread. If you would like more information about the Carmel Valley Olive Company, their delicious olive oil, or contact information, you can find it on the Carmel Valley Chamber of Commerce website. Tracy was exhibiting some of her antiques which included some amazing bola ties, jewelry, and Christmas ornaments.

Also showing her wares was Therese Baisinger. Therese is an amazingly talented artist from nearby Santa Cruz. She makes very beautiful and unusual glassware. Her work really made an impression on me. The first thing that strikes you are the brilliant colors. Vibrant reds. Florescent greens. And each having some unique adornments in accenting colors or gold. In addition to the display in the photo above, her work was being used by the chef serving hors d'oeurves during the wine tasting. Very esquisite I must say. (Visit Therese at her Baisinger Studio website)

In all, it was an extremely fun event. If you wish to see the exhibit, we will be displaying today, Saturday December 20th from 4pm to 7pm at the Monterey Stone Chapel (next to Tarpy's Restaurant) at the intersection of Highway 68 and Canyon del Rey.

Hope to see you there. This year all our family and friends receive the the gift of Carmel Lavender, just as we have throughout the year.

Winter Oil

They say if you want the best oil, you have to get up pretty early in the morning. A few years ago, I took a trip up to Sequim, Washington. They grow a lot of lavender there. It is home to one of the largest lavender festivals on the West Coast in July. Anyhow, I was talking to one of the growers, and she told me that the distillers like to start early. They would be up before sunrise to begin distillation. Well, I do want the best oil, so why question what is already known. I got a break in the weather. A full day without rain. So I went outside at 6 in the morning to start up the distiller. It was quite a beautiful morning. Imagine if you will absolute silence. No sound whatsoever. Absolute stillness. To the west, just over the lavender fields, a full moon was quietly setting. With this backdrop, I started my business, turning on power and water, filling the boiler, lighting the furnace. And I sat in the darkness and waited for everything to warm-up. To begin making golden lavender oil from the lavender I had picked up from Ann a few days before.

Opening the sacks of lavender releases some of the wonderful scent. Here you can see a handful of the loose buds contained inside. This is the good stuff. I loaded buds from the sacks into the basket, taking care not to pack them too firmly down. The warm steam will need to permeate each and every bud to release it's treasure, therefore, the more loosely packed the load, the better.


As the buds go into the distiller they have a delicate purple color to them. They are quite pretty. Much different than when they come out, as you will see later in the process. In the photo to the right, you can see the vibrant color and life the buds contain. Our extraction will condense this vitality into the oils that we remove. Pure concentrated tranquility, ahh!


After loading the distiller with the lavender buds, I got to take a break. The sun has now been up for a while. All of the mist and clouds of the morning seem to have disappeared. The air temperature is already about 70 degrees in the sun. Wow, what an amazing day this is turning out to be. In the middle of December too. I took a break from the morning work of setting up the equipment and unloading lavender to take in the warmth and beauty of the day. It is still quite calm out, though the stillness is disturbed by the birds flying about and occasionally chattering at each other, as well as the bees which seem to have emerged to take advantage of the warm weather for a cleansing flight and perhaps a serendipitous forage venture.

Suddenly, my senses were overwhelmed. Now, I've been working with lavender all day, so it's not like I don't know what it smells like. But suddenly there is an intensity that is unlike anything experienced yet today, including when I opened the big burlap sacks shown above. Looking over at the condenser emitter, I see a faint mist, and then shortly thereafter, fluid begins to flow. Here on the right, you can see it coming from the emitter and dripping into the essencier. Now this fluid contains both the essential oil, as well as the hydrosol. The essencier will separate the two from each other, as we see below.


Inside the essencier, the oil and hydrosols are separated. The oils come bubbling up into the glass tube and cascade over the top, where it is collected and bottled. It is always fun to watch the "eruption" as I call it when the oil first starts flowing. It bubbles up in the tube like a fantastic smelling lava lamp. I don't have a video camera, but I wanted to capture what this is like for you. So I put my camera on autodrive, and try to capture the motion in this image. Now, if only there were a way to digitize smell!

When I am at farmers markets with my lavender, one question I get a lot is: "What can you do with essential oil?" I should dedicate an entire blog entry to this question some time. But to help people enjoy lavender and the amazing properties of the essential oil, I started carrying pendant diffusers. These are little terra cotta pieces stamped with different designs (mine has a kokopeli dancer on it). The terra cotta is porous, so a drop of essential oil is absorbed into the pendant, and it's calming, de-stressing effects can be absorbed all day long. Really something useful in these stressful holiday times, and especially so in these times of economic uncertainty which is gripping the world. We can't always fix everything that's wrong with with the banks, with the auto industry, and even the impacts this has on our own local economy, but we will be much healthier and able to do what we can if we can keep a calm perspective on events that are sometimes out of our control. Here you can see me anointing my pendant with a sterile cotton swab directly from the fresh oil. Ahh. I am wearing it now, and can smell the sweet scent even as I type this blog.

While I was distilling, my friend Tara paid me a visit to see the operation. Tara is an aroma therapist. (You can visit her at her website at www.taraspa.com) She knows everything about scents, and how to use them for health and well-being. While we were watching the oil bubbling out, she said that one of the big challenges in here work is educating people that aroma therapy is important to their health, not just a luxury. That is so true. Health is not a luxury. Without health, what do we have? I package a terra cotta pendant with a bottle of lavender oil together in this all natural Carmel Lavender gift box. What better gift to give a special friend or lover than tranquility and health! We will have these available at a Holiday Faire this Saturday, December 20th, from 4pm to 6pm at the Monterey Stone Chapel, right next to Tarpy's restaurant in Monterey. Or you can contact me through this blog. Okay, commercial is over :) Hey, I have to make a living too, you know!

Once the oil stops flowing, it is time to remove the spent lavender and start a new batch. I have included an "after" shot of the basket with the lavender buds that have been processed. Look at the difference in color. The vitality that it had going in is entirely gone. The buds no longer have a vibrant purple hue, but rather are a pink-tan color. They have given up their essence and life. The buds will be taken over to the compost heap, where they have a chance to bring new life to the soil. The essential oils and hydrosols will be used to make our lives more rich and healthy. I guess that is what it is all about. Let us take a moment and be thankful to these flowers for bringing us such magical benefits. Thank you, Lavender!

Mesa del Sol Lavender

At a farmers market a couple of months ago, I met Ann, the owner of the Mesa del Sol winery. Ann said that she had quite a bit of lavender that she harvested from their lavender plants at their winery in Arroyo Seco. At their winery, they have a long drive alongside the vineyard leading up to the house, and both sides of the driveway is lined with lavender!

The lavender has been harvested already, and Ann needed help distilling the essential oil. So I took a ride out to Mesa del Sol, which is actually fairly close to my farm. It is quite a stunning property. If you are interested, you can check it out on their website (http://www.mesadelsolvineyards.com/). There is an adorable historic farmhouse. Ann is an architectural designer, so the whole place is done esquisitly. There is even a very charming rock-walled workshop and a gorgeous pool and grounds. My son and I got the grand tour. There is a stunning view of the Arroyo Seco river (which is going quite nicely). And an ominous view of the burned hillsides from this year's Indians Fire which got quite close. Ann grows her own vegetables there as well, so we got a wonderful tour of the private garden.

The lavender was sacked in very large burlap coffee sacks. We stuffed the truck full to the brim on our first load. In the photo on the right you can see the sweet smelling load. We called them giant sachets. The ride home was absolutely intoxicating. We played loud music to keep us from slipping into a lavender induced coma while driving home.

I'm preparing the distillery now for the distillation. This should keep me busy for the rest of this week and most of next too most likely.

I have a feeling my truck is going to be smelling mighty fine for quite some time!!

Fall Markets & Winter Gardens

Well it's been a while since my last post. For this I must apologize. I've been spending quite a bit of time outside and haven't been turning on my computer as much. Good for farming, not so good for keeping up w/ the blog ;) Anyhow, I'll try to catch up with what's been going on.

September, October, and November have been a time for going to market. Working with the Carmel Valley Co-op (http://www.carmelvalleycoop.org/) we've been trying to get to as many markets and craft faires as we could. So a lot of time has been spent preparing for and going to these events. To the right is a photo at the local village market. We had a great spread, with essential oils, soaps, dried bunches and sachets. It is always enjoyable to get out in the sunshine and talk to people about lavender.

The home garden has been another focus these last couple of months. Next spring I plan to expand the garden. So I've been preparing a new field for growing vegetables. Fortunately I finished tilling the field and sewed a cover crop just before my tiller blew up. Unfortunately, my tiller blew up. Threw a rod right through the side of the crank case. Anyone have a spare 5hp motor they want to sell? Oh well, I have a month or so to get it fixed before it gets critical. That's the breaks when working with equipment with "personality" :) I'm still getting good carrots and peppers. If you can believe it, it's December and we haven't got a frost yet. So even my tomatoes are still going, albeit very slowly. Everything else I've turned under. I've sewn turnips, cabbage, and fava, radishes and lettuce amongst others. The little plants are all doing fine. Tonight Daniella made a Bulgarian meal from our garden tomatoes and peppers called paprikash. Yum!

December is a busy month. I'm working on my distillery, making it a bit more comfortable for year round use. Also, I'm distilling essential oil from lavender grown by a local winery (more on this later). And of course, being the Holiday season, I have been spending time organizing the local Santa's Parade. Santa comes in on helicopter to a crowd of screaming kids. (http://www.santaflyin.org/)

What fun is that!