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Baby lavender spikes making their debut!

May 2021

Happy May Friends! 

This month marks a great transformation in our field as we move from the greening of our lavender plants in April to spikes starting to pop up in early May, giving the field an almost furry look.  By the end of May, we will start to see hints of purple on our Angustifolias, with our first harvest happening a few weeks later, usually early June.  

May is also the month that we celebrate moms.  Yes I know there's a whole DAY dedicated to moms, but I personally think they deserve a whole month. And since most of the moms I know love lavender, you know what to do!  Our shop and our online store​ both have lots of fragrant, natural, pampering lavender products to choose from!

Wishing you all a month full of love, sunshine and laughter! 

Something Beautiful: The Shop Mural

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Pollinate Flowers and I commissioned this beautiful mural from local artist and incredible human Christine Joy to brighten up our outside wall. It was installed last week (just in time for May Day), and WOW! I feel so lucky to have her art on display for everyone to enjoy! I'll admit that I'm a little obsessed with this mural.  It took great self control not to just have every photo in this month's newsletter dedicated to this gorgeousness. 

Something Delicious:

Herbes de Provence Frittata

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This is a new favorite breakfast dish at our house! It's easy to make, easy to clean-up, and so good!  Perfect for brunch!

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, enough to cover the ingredients

• 1/4 cup heavy cream (or milk if no cream)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 4 slices bacon, chopped 

• 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 cups baby spinach 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

• 1 cup shredded cheese, such as Gruyère, Swiss, or cheddar 

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.

2. Whisk the eggs and cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Cook the bacon in a medium sized cast iron skillet (or nonstick oven-safe frying pan), on medium-high. Stir occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. 

4. Return the pan to medium-heat, add the potatoes and sprinkle with the pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.

5. Pile the spinach into the pan with the garlic and herbes de Provence, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Chop the bacon and add back to the pan and stir to evenly distribute.

6. Spread the vegetables into an even layer. Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it just start to melt.

7. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cheese. Shake the pan a little to make sure the eggs settle evenly over all the vegetables. Cook for a minute or two until you see the eggs beginning to set at the edges of the pan.

8. Bake the frittata in oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked through. To check, cut a small slit in the center of the frittata. If raw eggs run into the cut, bake for another few minutes. 

9. Slice and enjoy!


Something to Drink: Lavender Lemonade

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Photo credit: keyingredient.com

It's that time of year again! Time to break out the lemonade pitchers!  And here's an easy recipe for fan favorite, lavender lemonade!

Ingredients

  • 5 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Ice cubes

Directions

  1. Combine sugar, lavender and 2 1/2 c. water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes more.
  2. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for at least 20 minutes.
  3. Strain mixture and discard lavender. Pour into a pitcher. Add lemon juice and another 2 1/2 c. water. Stir well. 
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use and serve with lots of ice!

A Little Bit About Lavandula angustifolia 'Felice'

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Lavandula angustifolia 'Felice' at Little Lavender Farm

Now that we've covered the different main species of lavender, I thought we'd take a look at the varieties that we grow here on the farm.  Let's start with 'Felice' since May is about moms, and Felice was my Mom's name.





Flower Color: Dark Violet Blue

Stem Length: 8-10 in

Plant Height: 15-18 in

Best uses: wreaths, sachets, culinary

I love this lavender for several reasons. My wonderful mother's name was Felice and when I heard that there was a lavender of that name, of course I had to have it.  It wasn't easy though.  It originates from the Netherlands and is grown in England and a few other countries in Europe.  It is only recently becoming available in the United States, so I really had to hunt for it.  Thankfully, the good folks at Van Hevelingen's nursery in Newburg were trying to propagate from the few plants they had, and they said they would share with me if the plants took.  They must have gotten tired of my emails checking up on the progress, but thankfully, some of the plants did take and I got 5 plants from Melissa Van Hevelingen the next Spring.  The following Spring, I got 30 more and then I started propagating on my own and added 30 more to the field.

The other reason that I love this variety is because it is lovely.  The plant itself is a green, compact shrub.  The stems are fairly short, so it's considered a semi-dwarf lavender.  The buds are a beautiful rich purple, though not as deep as Royal Velvet and the flowers are a light purple.  Felice makes the most beautiful little wreaths!  

Felice is a very enthusiastic lavender, blooming continually and cheerfully throughout the summer -- which is so very fitting for a lavender with the same name as my sweet, cheerful, energetic and enthusiastic mom.

(Happy Heavenly Mother's Day Mom!  I love and miss you!)

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Wreath made with Felice lavender

Around the Farm: Goats

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I'll be honest...until about four years ago, I didn't really like goats.  

Maybe it started in my younger Catholic school days with that Biblical passage about the shepherd separating the “good” sheep from the “wicked” goats  Or maybe it was their weird eyes. Whatever the reason, I just didn’t like them.  I always dreamed that once I had my farm, I would raise a few sheep, sheer them, spin the wool, and make a blanket or two. So raising goats never even crossed my mind.

But four years ago, our new farm came with a couple of goats, which we renamed Laverne and Shirley, so I was going to have to be OK with them.  Laverne was a brown and white Boer/Toggenburg mix and Shirley was a brown and white Boer with floppy ears. I was a little nervous the first time I walked into the barn to meet them, what with all of my goat preconceptions floating around in my head.  I thought they would be standoffish and creepy and maybe even mean. But instead they were curious and friendly...and funny. Especially Laverne, who boldly walked up and looked me straight in the eye, with her big beautiful weird eyes,  trying to figure out if we would be friends or not.  After a few minutes, she got so excited that she literally bounced off of the walls of her stall a few times, which I interpreted as “yes, we will be friends.” Shirley, on the other hand, stood quietly behind Laverne and nervously looked at us, not sure what to make of these new humans who had suddenly appeared.  After just a few minutes with those two, I was more than OK with them -- I was smitten! And I was ready to embrace my new role as goat owner.  Read more...

I hope you've enjoyed our May newsletter! Please feel free to send article ideas or questions and I will try to include them in future newsletters.

​Pam 

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