Lavender Fields at 123 Farm
DETAILS:
Location: At Highland Springs Ranch & Inn - 10600 Highland Springs Ave. Cherry Valley, CA 92223
Hours of Operation: Lavender Fields Walk (seasonal) - June 6th thru July 19th, 2020: Wednesday thru Sunday, 10AM to 5PM
123 Farm is currently observing social distancing & health guidelines due to COVID19. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. No walkups allowed.
Admission will be accepted up to 30 minutes after the time on your ticket.
The last ticket is at 5PM and the farm closes at 6PM.
Bring your printed ticket or screen ticket to the outdoor admissions entry.
When visiting please wear a mask or other face-covering for your protection and that of others.
While the website asks to limit your walk to 30 minutes to avoid overcrowding, the staff on site told us that we were welcome to stay up to an hour. Enforcement is based on the honor code system, but please observe.
Please visit their website below (under “resources”) for any updates due to COVID19.
Parking: Free parking on site.
Cost: $8 adults / $7 seniors & health care workers / $4 children 5yrs+ / Free - children under 5
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Miscellaneous:
Only service dogs allowed.
Guests are required to stay on the fixed course; all other paths are closed.
restrooms available. (at time of this post)
Due to COVID19 health measures, food and gift purchases are by credit card only. No cash accepted during this period.
Lavender-infused products (candles, essential oils, soaps, etc.) available for purchase.
Lavender-infused foods (sandwiches, desserts, alcoholic drinks, etc.) available for purchase.
123 Farm hosts a variety of events throughout the year such as a Lavender Festival, Olive Oil Festival, Sourdough Bread Festival, and a Sheep Sheering Festival. Please see their website below (under “resources”) for schedule of events and current information.
Who knew that there are almost 450 different varieties of lavender in the world?! This staggering total is a little easier to imagine once you visit the abundance of lavender grown at 123 Farm in Cherry Valley, California. While the real count there isn’t quite that high (they still grow a lot of varietals though!), the lavender fields at 123 Farm is an impressive sight to behold.
Considered Southern California’s largest lavender farm with over 20 acres devoted to this fragrant crop, 123 Farm at Highland Springs Ranch & Inn takes pride in its health-minded legacy. All produce grown on the property is certified organic and comes from heirloom, non-GMO seeds, and no chemical pesticides are used on the property. At over 160 years old, 123 Farm at Highland Springs Ranch & Inn has quite the history. It began as a stagecoach stop before undergoing several permutations as a resort destination, attracting visitors such as Wyatt Earp, Albert Einstein, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, and Ernest Hemingway. In addition to its famed lavender, 123 Farm also presses olive oil from its large grove of olive trees (they host a yearly Olive Oil Festival in October) and raise sheep, heirloom chickens, and pigs (they host a yearly Sheep-Shearing Festival in April).
But we’re here to talk about lavender. Blooming season for this perennial shrub generally runs from May thru July, depending on the variety. This coincides with 123 Farm’s yearly Lavender Festival, typically held in early June (unfortunately, the 2020 festival was canceled due to COVID19). During this stretch of summer, 123 Farm opens its two lavender fields to the public for a leisurely stroll. As you walk through the lush purple and green landscape, surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountains, it almost feels like you’re in the midst of a dream as the familiar scent of lavender pervades the air all around you. Hypnotic might be too strong a word… or not strong enough.
Commercially, the majority of lavender is grown to yield oil through the simple process of steam distillation. Since the ‘vera’ varietal is widely considered one of the best oil producing lavenders, this is the variant that is most prominent at 123 Farm and is harvested on site in a single stainless-steel distilling unit. When you visit, you’ll be able to watch and learn about this technique during one of the many informational demonstrations held throughout the day. To give you a sense of how much lavender is used during this process, you need about 250 pounds of lavender to produce 1 pound of oil (depending on the variety). This provides a better understanding why a 10ml bottle of essential lavender oil will cost upwards of $20. After you’re done with your leisurely jaunt, do yourself a favor and enjoy one of their many lavender-infused goodies. We went with the lavender mojito and lavender ice cream. Both were delicious. And if your pocket book is willing, lavender-infused products in the gift shop are also available for purchase. Yeah, we picked up one of those $20 10ml bottles as well.
RESOURCES:
123 Farm website
And if you’re looking for a nearby place to eat, you should give George’s Market a try. It’s a great, inexpensive German Market that makes great sandwiches and sausage plates.
