Pine-Strawberry
Feel the love at Pine Creek Lavender Farm
A
visit to the PineStrawberry area would not be complete without a stop at the Pine Creek Lavender Farm. Originally a c. 1880s pioneer farm settlement, the property was purchase a few years ago by Lavender Farm owners Terry Gorton and Rick Vesci, who fell in love with its bucolic setting and charming mountain community of Pine. Terry and Rick saw the potential in the property and knew they wanted to do something special there. When they learned that historic irrigation rights from Pine Creek conveyed with the property, they knew their vision would include some type of farming, so they began to research the types of plants that would be best suited for the local climate and soil and would be of little interest to the abundant elk, deer and other critters that like to dine on most everything growing in area gardens. Lavender turned out to be the ideal crop. Enlisting assistance from many community members who appreciated Terry and Rick’s vision for helping to create a new destination in Pine, they planted 5,000 lavender plants of mixed varieties, including Royal Velvet and Provence, which are both culinary varieties, and Grosso which is one of the most beautiful and aromatic lavender varieties. After months of watering and weeding, they were rewarded with an amazing, thriving crop—lavender turned out to be perfectly suited for the weather, soil 36
and water conditions of their property. Terry and Rick say they are “in love with lavender,” even referring to it as “lovender,” a term coined by a family member. The lavender has been thriving and providing a more abundant crop each season, and Terry and Rick have made numerous “lovender” friends in the beautiful mountain community they now call home. Since 2015, they have also done an amazing job restoring the property, doing much of the work themselves. The c. 1890 pioneer log
cabin now houses their lavender drying operation. They restored the old farmhouse as true as they could to honor the home of the original settlers (including their Lavender Kitchen, where Terry holds Saturday classes on heritage food techniques and food preservation as well as culinary lavender classes). They’ve also added a new wing for modern conveniences. The next project is a new store from which to sell their fabulous lavender bundles and products, a step up from
the current stand at the front of their property, which is currently under consideration as a National Historic Landmark. When visting Pine, Terry and Rick would love for you to stop by for a visit, learn more about their historic property, and check out their beautiful fields of lavender, and perhaps take home some dried bundles and lavender products. You can learn more about the Lavender Farm and also order the products on line at: pinelavenderfarm@gmail. com. Sign up for one of Terry’s classes or arrange for a photo shoot on the property by calling 602-772-6005 or sending your request via email to pinelavenderfram@gmail. com. Pine Creek Lavender Farm will open to the public this year starting May 5 and remain open until fall. The address is 4223 Pine Creek Cyn. Rd., just a bit east of SR87. They will be open Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Monday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Gateway - Spring 2018