9 August: Edible Tour—Lavender And Farm

Sunday, 9 August 2015

Long Beach Peninsula Edible Garden Tour

The annual edible garden tour, presented by the Long Beach Grange, is a benefit for local food banks.

Lavender And Farm

“Living sustainably on 3 acres on the Bay.”

This lavender farm and large kitchen garden was also on the tour in 2013.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo: looking east from the road

looking west over the lavender field; the big building is for drying and processing.

Allan’s photo

looking south

tour guests and guide (Allan’s photo)

fragrant field

tour host and lavender wand maker (Allan’s photo)

Tours are available on most days, it seems.

making lavender wands

the harvest

lavender wands

lavender cookies and tea

by the lavender products sales shed

We then to the path along the south side of the animal field and the large kitchen garden.  There, I saw baby goats on the loose!

They are allowed to wander as they will always come back to their mother.

Hershey and Honey: Allan’s photo

The one with the tiny ears (left) is a Lamancha goat; the ears are not cropped.  The long eared one is a Nigerian Dwarf goat.

In the fenced field, grown up goats rest in the shade.

Or bask in the sun.

ducks

Allan’s photo

This is the male goat.

His name is Darling.

looking west

Teresa brought the babies, whom she has known since their birth. (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

They have a great interest in the fenced kitchen garden. (Allan’s photo)

corn

I love the rusty fence panels, which is concrete reinforcing grid that we were able to find at Home Depot…after a search all around these parts to find some.  It was too big to transport, and we eventually used regular wire grid for our fence (a stronger more symmetrical kind than chicken wire).  This would be my favourite fence material if I could have acquired it.

looking east

east side of garden

greenhouse at east end of garden

greenhouse (and the residence, to the right in background)

The door is on the north side.

Garden People

Further east, a huge pole barn and more fenced veg on its south wall

rhubarb in quantity

Allan’s photo

road down the hill to the bay

Teresa and Allan walked down.  I decided not to because chunky gravel is hard on the knees.

another fenced area

lower level: another fenced area with fruit trees

This yellow flower down by the bay…

(gumweed)

We IDed it through this article on the lavender wand table…but is the painting upside down?  Maybe not, as it seems to grow all floppy like that.

looking up from bayside to the pole building

wild yarrow

Willapa Bay

looking west

looking east. If the Lavender Farm owners also own the tideland, they probably add oysters to their sustainability.

returning to the top of the road

Meanwhile, I had just sat at a picnic table on the east side of the pole barn and enjoyed the view.

Willapa Bay

telephoto with oyster beds

lavender planted along the ridge

buzzing with bees

The three of us walked down the road along the north side of the house, where the owners of the farm were cleaning an enormous tuna. I wondered if they had caught it or if they knew a tuna fisher-person.  With goats, ducks, chickens, a huge kitchen garden and lavender farm for an income, Lavender And is an impressive exercise in living off the land.

Next: the last garden of the day and one of my favourites