There are only three more weeks before Christmas. If you participate in all the cleaning, decorating, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, card sending, craft making, party attending, and travelling—whew—you probably have one more –ing to add to the list….stressing! Luckily, the farmer’s market can offer some relief. Ok, maybe you can’t find a team of elves there to finish your chores, but you can find aromatherapy. Just visit Jay and Christa Falstad at Calico Fields booth and soothe your senses with some calming lavender.
The Falstads bought their farm twelve years ago. They started with sunflowers, sweet corn and perennials, but migrated to lavender after six years for several reasons: its hardiness, product versatility, and its potential to be a niche product. Three of Calico Fields’ twelve acres are devoted to growing various types of lavender. The most popular is English lavender, which is especially good for culinary purposes. French lavender is the most fragrant, so the Falstads use theirs for drying and making essential oil.
Lavender is native to the area around the Mediterranean Sea, but it is a hardy plant that can grow well here too. It needs full sun and sandy or rocky soil to thrive, with good drainage and wide rows for air circulation. The Falstads harvest the lavender by hand twice a year, the larger in June and a second in late summer, after which they dry it in their loft barn for about a month. They then distill some of the lavender, which separates the essential oil from the hydrosol (flower water). Using the essential oil, hydrosol and the dried lavender, Christa makes products including lotions, candles, soaps, sachets and lavender sugar (especially good in lemonade and lemon bars!).
Jay Falstad works for the Queen Anne Conservation Association, where he was exposed to good land use practices. To this end, Calico Fields doesn’t use herbicides or pesticides in their fields. Instead, they have purple martin, bluebird and bat houses in their garden to control flies and mosquitoes. The Falstads also have ten beehives, from which they extract the honey after the lavender has bloomed.
In addition to the lavender and honey, the Falstads are growing hops, which are also often blended with lavender for aromatherapy (and they’re considering making lavender mead!). They are growing aronia berries as well, which were recommended by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. While these berries are not sweet, they have the highest antioxidant content of all berries, and can be made into jams, jellies and wine.
For lavender gifts or more information visit Calico Fields at the Chestertown, Easton and Kent Island Farmer’s Markets, friend them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CalicoFieldsLavender, check out their website at www.Calicofieldslavender.com, or email the Falstads at [email protected]. Shop local!
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.