Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Lavender Hill Farm


Over the weekend, Christopher and I woke up bright & early and headed west for one of our Summertime Adventures stops for 2012: U-pick lavender at Lavender Hill Farm. The farm, located in Niles, Michigan, is situated on 30 acres of land with rolling hills of lavender, several bee boxes for honey harvesting, a wildflower preserve, and even lambs.

To be honest, this was our most questionable adventure yet. When we pulled up to the farm, we thought about turning around because it was literally someone's backyard. We couldn't find any obvious parking spots or noticeable "U-PICK" signs like most U-pick farms, and from what we could see, the tufts of lavender seemed so sparse... hardly a 30 acre farm's worth. But what kind of adventure would it be if we gave up? We walked into the small basement shop (which smelled heavenly, by the way) where we were greeted and handed a twist tie and a pair of garden shears to pick to our hearts content. 


Once we got into the field, I was happy to see that a quick walk up the hillside led to was a much larger area filled with lavender. My favorite variety was a deep purple English lavender with teeny little flowers. This past Saturday was the first week of the U-pick season, so half of the field wasn't even in bloom yet, which was a little disappointing. If you ever decide to take a visit, I would recommend going in July, when the long-stemmed and hybrid lavenders are available for picking.


There were honey bees and bumble bees everywhere. I've never been stung before, so I was a little afraid they would finally get me, but for the most part they minded their own business and I ended the day bee sting free. It was actually incredibly peaceful to hear the gentle buzz of the bees and the wind rustling through the plants. The bees helped us find the best lavender, too -- where they harvested nectar, the lavender blooms were abundant and fragrant. Thanks, bees. 



One thing we learned from this trip is that Christopher hates the smell of lavender, and like any other manly man, he doesn't really care about flowers in general. This little adventure was definitely more enjoyable for me. He was a good sport, though, holding my bouquet as needed and taking photos to document our adventure.


We paid $5 for one large bunch of lavender, which ended up filling a large milk glass vase and a mason jar at home. Not too shabby. I also bought a packet of dried culinary lavender that I'm excited to experiment with in the kitchen. The trip was two hours round trip, and we only spent about an hour and a half picking the lavender, so I don't know if we will be repeating this particular adventure. Either way, it was definitely a unique (and fragrant) experience and I'm glad we went! (we also made a pitstop at Byler's Market... their fresh donuts make any road trip worthwhile!)

Chris and I have been working on a new list of adventures for this summer, combining the activities we missed last summer and adding in a few new ones -- let me know if you have any ideas for the Indiana/Michigan area!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

This looks beautiful! You should take a antiquing/thrift store day. I found some really great ones in Goshen. Like Home Again, which is right downtown, and HUGE. (And it's real close to Olympia Candy...which is kinda awesome too)

Sharon Telschow said...

Amazing! It's like going to the south of France. Just think of how much time you saved there. That Christopher. He's a goodie.

Katherine Ross said...

@Amber -- A day full of antique/thrift stores sounds awesome. And oh how I love Goshen! We're definitely going to plan a trip there soon, maybe dinner at the South Side Soda Shop...

@Sharon -- Everything at Lavender Hill was very French, especially their little gift shop. And yes, he is a goodie :)

emily said...

LOVELY, indeed! Such gorgeous photos! I'll have to make a trip there some time!

Carrie said...

This sounds like so much fun! I could never, ever, sweet talk my husband into picking flowers with me. Even if donuts were involved. You have one awesome guy!

I would love to make a trip like this and and possibly include some kind of tea house lunch with some great friends.

I'm loving all of your summertime posts! I really feel that I'm more appreciative of summer and less incredulous.

Katherine Ross said...

@Carrie -- I don't think he would have gone if he had known just how girly it ended up being! Haha. I agree, the whole time I was there I kept thinking it would be such a fun girls day activity.

Latrina said...

How fun! That sounds like a brilliantly beautiful day. I love that you two are being adventurous & making lists of activities to do. My husband and I are doing the same thing. :) We've been living in a new state, 2300 miles from home, and figured might as well make the best of it here! And see and do as much as we can. :)

Ronnie said...

What a beautiful idea! I would love to walk through a field of lavender one day. I just love them so much. Gorgeous photos, Katherine.
Ronnie xo

Tang said...

This just looks amazing. I love these kinds of adventures! And I love love love flowers.