• Skip to main content

Mad Lavender Farm

An experience you'll come back to.

Adrienne Crombie

Innovative Yoga with Jenn Stas – Live Wild & Free

April 16, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

When people ask, “How did you get the idea to do Goat Yoga?” the short answer is, “Jenn Stas.”

I first met Jenn in 2015 when she signed up for a Tarot workshop that I was teaching on the farm in our tipi. We got to chatting and Jenn let me know that she was a yoga instructor and founder of Wildflower Sup Yoga. She noticed that we had a couple of Dwarf Nigerian goats and asked me if I’d consider offering goat yoga classes. I had no idea what she was talking about. Jenn showed me a You Tube video of a goat yoga session and it looked like massive fun. So I said yes, by all means, I think we should do that. Goat Yoga has been a major attraction at Mad Lavender Farm ever since.

It is so fitting that Jenn Stas introduced Goat Yoga to Mad Lavender Farm. Jenn always injects a bit of playfulness  into her yoga practice and so the unpredictable high jinks that ensue when goats are brought onto the mats are well within her comfort zone. She delights in their antics and has innovated postures and sequences inspired by the goat’s natural instinct to jump, cuddle and play. My favorite is Daisy Goat Bridge.

This season Jenn is offering Partner Goat Yoga, an adventure on so many levels,  Restorative Baby Goat Yoga, aka goat cuddle yoga, and Lavender Yoga, which takes place in the lavender field in full bloom and does not include goats. All are highly recommended. You will be in the hands of a master with the heart of a child. Have fun!

Jenn and Adrienne with baby goat
Thats Jenn on the right on her first visit to Mad Lavender Farm.

Filed Under: Partners

Growing Community on Mad Lavender Farm

April 15, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

When you put an intention out to the Universe, it may not be exactly like waving a magic wand. It usually takes a little time to see it manifest. Case in point: two years ago a large area of prime space in our fenced-in garden in lay fallow. We envisioned a luxuriant flower garden but there were other projects that needed our attention. In the interim we seeded the area with clover as a crop cover and kept it on the back burner. The following year Nicole Spadafora of SpadaFlora Botanical Artistry approached us asking if we would consider growing flowers in that space. It felt like a magic wand had been waved over the arc of those years.

I know full well that it takes a lot of work to grow flowers, to grow lavender, to grow anything. We pitched in with Nicole and her assistants to lay in the rows of organic compost and irrigation lines that would establish her first five rows of flowers. Because farmers are in direct partnership with the sun, rain and soil, the results always feel like so much more than the sum of all our labor. Because it is. When we partner with Nature the results are magnificence beyond human capacity. That empty area in our garden is now transformed into a riot of color and a mad flutter of butterflies. Nicole hosts Pick Your Own Flowers, Open Flower Bars (look for dates this summer) and workshops in botanical design and wreath making throughout the season on our farm. She has massive energy and a deep passion for what she does – this is a woman in love with life who wants only to share her gifts with you.

I have more stories to tell you about the wonderful people we partner with on Mad Lavender Farm. Don and I came to farming late in our careers. I am an artist and have spent many hours working alone in my studio and on job sites. Don is a musician with a background in media arts and woodworking and he also works in a very focused way. We knew coming into farming our land that the challenges would be many and unpredictable. One thing we were very clear about, however, is that we both craved more companionship with others and that, along with growing lavender, we wanted to grow community on our farm.

 

Mad Lavender Farmers
Adrienne & Don in 2015, when Mad Lavender Farm was just beginning.

 

We did as much planning as we could in preparation for our new venture. Aware that we lacked experience, we joined the US Lavender Growers Association to connect with other lavender growers throughout the US. We signed on as a host farm on WWOOF USA: WideWorld Opportunities on Organic Farms to enlist volunteers in exchange for room, board and farm experience. What has also developed over the past seven years is a connection with the organic farm community in our area and partnership with local artisans that is mutually supportive and so gratifying. These relationships are what the good life is truly made of.

I want to introduce you to the wonderful folks that we have formed partnerships with whose skills and passion help to evolve  Mad Lavender Farm into what it is today. Each one has a story of how they came to be here and how we have grown together. Stay tuned and over the next few weeks we will be telling you more about the talented women and men that we have the pleasure of knowing and working with.

Filed Under: Partners

Pick Your Own Lavender Workshop – First Bloom in June/July

March 8, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Dates: June 16th through July 11th, Wednesday through Sunday

Time: 1/2 hour bookings from 9am to 11am
Cost: $25 pp
Maximum # of people: 8

Schedule Appointment

 

This workshop is designed for adults. We want you to have the full advantage of our expertise in lavender and to cut beautiful bouquets of fresh lavender to take home with you. If you choose to bring your children and to make it more of a family experience, you are responsible for your children and for their activity. Children are not permitted to cut lavender.

 

We will show you how to recognize the different stages of bloom and when is the best time to harvest for decorative, sachet or culinary uses. You’ll learn how to cut the lavender to avoid damaging the plant and how to hang your bunches to dry.

 

Lavender is in bloom from mid June through early July.

 

Heartful of lavender.

Complimentary lavender lemonade will be served, made from our own recipe.  Your bunches will be wrapped in tissue paper, tied with purple raffia and you will take home instructions for the care of your lavender and our recipe for lavender lemonade.

 

You will take home our recipe for lavender lemonade.

 

Filed Under: Workshop

Agni Hotra Fire Ceremony – May 26th

March 7, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Date: Wednesday May 26th
Time: 7:45 PM
Suggested donation is $20.
Schedule Appointment
Agni Hotra is an ancient fire ritual performed to purify the environment, reduce pollution and increase an atmosphere of healing. First found in the Vēdic scriptures, practice of the Fire Ceremony blesses Mother Earth as well as the practitioners.
Join us on Wednesday, May 26th with Bonnie Pariser leading us in our first Agni Hotra of 2021 on Mad Lavender Farm.
We will be chanting the Maha Mrytunjaya Mantra, a mantra to aid in healing on all levels. This simple yet powerful tool is used around the world with amazing results to help transform lives and heal the planet.
Limited reservations available for social distancing.
Please dress in layers, as the Fire Ceremony will be held outdoors.
Agni Hotra Fire Ceremony with rose petals
Bonnie Pariser Yoga Loka
I have been practicing Agni Hotra for about 25 years.  At first it was as a participant, adding literal fuel to the literal fire, chanting the appropriate mantras and helping to support the group intention and energy in whatever way I could.  I remember the first time I was in India and encountering a group of people who did an agni hotra every day, regardless of where they were.  It was a group of about 20 people, of all ethnicities and ages.  They were part of a larger organization that vowed to have at least someone lighting this healing fire at all hours of the day, across the entire globe.  They kindly invited us to join and it was a spectacular experience.  Another trip to India I was honored to be invited to lead an Agni Hotra on a farm where they had been performing Agni Hotras just about every day.  They claim their lush fields, healthy livestock and abundant harvest, compared to their neighbors, was a result of this practice.   Last year in India I was happily surprised to find that the managers of the retreat center we were in were devoted practitioners of Agni Hotra.  The two “fire brothers” as we called them were sent to an ashram at the early age of 10ish to study with a Guru whose main practice was this Vedic Agni Hotra.  Their father had stumbled upon the practice when he was in the military in India and it had such a profound effect on him, transforming him from an angry violent person, to a serene and spiritual person, that he sought out this Guru and entrusted his two young sons to the Ashram’s care.  We were happy to be able to participate in the twice daily ritual with people who had really studied and devoted their lives to this ritual. I was thrilled to once again stumble upon dedicated practitioners and experience a fire lit by them in the same way as it has been done for more than 5000 years.
I have, weather permitting, been doing Agni Hotra in my small yard in the middle of Frenchtown for some time.  I can definitely tell the difference in my yard when I am doing it- the birds come more often and the plants grow steadily.  I can tell the difference in myself as well. One of the things I love about this beautiful practice as it allows you to participate on a grand scale- sending healing energy as far as you can conceive of (and beyond), a more personal scale (healing for friends and family) and then also the effects are clearly felt ones own body. Energy channels are cleared, the mind is cleared,  your vibration is raised, and if all that wasn’t enough, it smells good.
I hope you can come join us for the fire ceremony.  Every voice added helps us to bring just a bit more peace and healing into this world which really needs it.  We can join in the energy of the others who care deeply about our earth and those who inhabit it, and add our voices, intentions and fires.
Bonnie Pariser
Yoga Loka
Certified Yoga Therapist
T.R.E. Provider

Filed Under: Event

A Mother’s Day Card Workshop – Handmade Paper Hearts – Sunday, May 2nd & May 9th

March 7, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Dates: Sunday, May 2nd 

Sunday, May 9th

Time: 1pm – 3pm

Schedule Appointment

 

Make some magic in May: upcycle a pile of ordinary junk mail and make an extraordinary piece of art.

In this 2 hour workshop, we will guide you through paper making from upcycled paper material, lavender and rose petals. Once the paper pulp is poured into a heart shaped mold, the hearts can then be decorated with ribbons, beads, stamps and paint. The finished cards are bound with a tiny ribbon on the spine.

Each attendees will make at least 2 cards and will have their own paper making press to work with.  Each Mother’s Day card you make will come with an envelope. Teens and adults are welcome in this class.

Attendance is limited for social distancing. For our safety and yours, please bring a mask.

 

This workshop is scheduled on two different days: the Sunday before Mother’s Day, for those who want to make a cards as a surprise for Mom as well as on Mother’s Day for those who want to share the experience with their mother.

Lavender tea and lavender shortbread cookies will be served for refreshment.

Adrienne Crombie
Adrienne Crombie

Adrienne Crombie is an artist, lavender farmer, artist and co-owner of Mad Lavender Farm. Adrienne designed the Mad Lavender logo, develops their product line and continues to paint murals on any available surface on the farm.

Filed Under: Workshop

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 10
  • Go to Next Page »

Copyright © 2021 · Parallax Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in