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Mad Lavender Farm

An experience you'll come back to.

Adrienne Crombie

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

Agni Hotra Fire Ceremony – May

March 7, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Date: Friday May 24th
Time: 7:oo-8:30 PM
Tickets: $25.

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. 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.

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

Smudge Therapy

January 10, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Mad Lavender Farm smudge sticks are made from homegrown Sage and Lavender, wild-foraged Mugwort, Sweet Annie and Rosebuds. The combination of the scents and properties of these herbs and flowers create a lovely and powerful smoke with therapeutic value.

Sage, aka salvia, is latin for healing. We grow four different varieties on the farm and I love to use combinations of sage in our smudge. Sage smoke is antibacterial and antimicrobial, so the smoke actually cleanses the air of pathogens. Burning sage also produces negative ions, which can act as an antidepressant and energy booster. Our bodies accumulate, over time, a redundancy of damaged positive ions and the negative ions produced by burning sage help to clear them away.

Lavender is a bit sweeter than sage and they balance each other well. Lavender smoke is ultra calming and relaxing. It’s a visual treat, too – the purple buds look so pretty with the sage.

Mugwort and Sweet Annie grow wild on our farm. Mugwort is used to enhance lucid dreaming, visions and protection. Healers also burn mugwort to ease superficial irritation.

The benefits of Sweet Annie aka Artemisia Annua are still being studied, particularly in relation to cancer cells, but it is most commonly used to treat Malaria. Sweet Annie’s anti-parasitic qualities are desirable for smudging, as well. The scent is sweet and fresh.

Rose helps to open your heart chakra up to love and compassion. Rose is said by some to attract fairies.

I heard a wonderful story this summer from a young woman visiting the farm about her experience with smudging. She had been in a bad relationship and it was ended but she was having a difficult time moving on. She was in a rut and she didn’t know the way out. She scheduled a massage, which was a great first step. Her massage therapist strongly advised that she take a purifying epsom salt bath and that she smudge every room in her house. She said that after she had completed smudging, she felt that a dark cloud had palpably lifted and her energy had shifted. After that, she got a great new job. And she met someone new.

Does it really work like that? I think the gifts of the natural world are here to partner with us and play with us and support us in growing to our full potential. I like that there is scientific study to affirm my experience but I trust my intuition and my experience to be my guide.

Sage Lavender Mugwort Sweet Annie and Rose Smudge
Our Smudge Sticks are crafted from Sage, Lavender, Sweet Annie, Mugwort and Rosebuds.

Filed Under: Event

Apple Lavender Muffins

January 2, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

The apples grown in Hunterdon County NJ are pretty wonderful. We had an apple orchard on our farm when I was a kid and my Dad would take us out to the orchard in the back of his truck and we would fill the bushel baskets to deliver to the local cider press. I ate so many apples then, you’d think I’d be sick of them. But there are so many different varieties of apples grown in here, my interest in them never flags. You won’t find more than a couple varieties at the supermarket. Please, do yourself a favor and check out all the many varieties of apples at your local farm market. Phillips Farm in Milford NJ has an amazing array.

How does Mad Lavender culinary lavender pair with apples? Lavender’s soft floral flavor works well with any fruit. I can’t think of a fruit that lavender wouldn’t like. I found this recipe on Instagram posted by Avalon Lavender and it looked so simple and good, just the kind of no-fuss baking I like. I made them in Jumbo muffin tins and they were perfect.

 

Apple Lavender Muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (I use Meadow White from Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse in Milford NJ)

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 TBSP culinary lavender bud

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup apple, peeled and diced (safe some to decorate tops!)

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line 12 muffin tins or 6 jumbo muffin tins with muffin cups

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients with wire wisk. Make a well in the center.

In separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir by hand just until batter is evenly moistened. Fold in 1/2 cup of the diced apples.

Fill prepared muffin tins about three-quarters full. Sprinkle remaining diced apple over muffins. Bake at 375 for 25 – 30 minutes. Test with a knife in the center – it should come out clean – to make sure they are baked through.

Cool muffins in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

 

Shown here with Phillips Farm Blackberry Butter. Yum.

Apple lavender muffin

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes

Making Mocktails & Smoothies with Tulsi Basil

December 31, 2020 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Tulsi Basil is believed to promote long life, balance and resilience and is said to relief stress and anxiety. The list of health benefits derived from Tulsi Basil is long but the for the purposes of making mocktails, let’s focus on the taste, which is incomparable. Tulsi is minty, mildly sweet and earthy all at the same time. It must be experienced.

Tulsi Basil Simple Syrup is the secret ingredient that makes an ordinary beverage extraordinary. Like any simple syrup, it’s simple to make.

Tulsi Basil Simple Syrup

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water

3 TBSPs dried Tulsi Basil leaf

1 1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat water and Tulsi Basil in a saucepan until simmering.

Add the sugar and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature. Strain into a measuring cup. Pour the strained syrup into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

I like to store my simple syrups in recycled soda bottles fitted wit a pour top dispenser.

Tulsi Simple Syrup
Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Here are a few ideas for using Tulsi Simple Syrup to liven up your beverages:

Pear Rickey Mocktail

Fill a glass half full of cold pear juice. Add 1 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice and Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste. Top with seltzer and give it a stir. Garnish with a thin slice of lime.

Blueberry Basil Mocktail

Fill a glass half full with Blueberry Basil Kombucha. Add Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste. Top with seltzer and give it a stir with a wooden or bamboo utensil (avoid using metal with Kombucha, as the detox action of kombucha may extract toxins from the metal).

Blueberry Banana Basil Smoothie

Chop a frozen banana into a blender with a half cup frozen blueberries and Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste. Add blueberry juice to blend to a smoothie.

Blueberry Basil Lassi

Blend together half cup frozen blueberries, one half ripe avocado, Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste and 1 cup of plain yogurt. Add water to thin the mix if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes

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