Sunshine Herb and Lavender Farm
Farm #F Tour Bus Route D
Steve and Carmen Ragsdale
274154 Hwy 101
Sequim, WA 98382
Access - Turn Right on Guiles Rd.
360.683.6453
Come Experience the Essence of the Valley" at Sunshine Herb and Lavender Farm. Located just east of Sequim on Hwy 101, at the gateway to the Sequim-Dungeness Valley, you can roam acres of lavender and herbs. Feel the stress melt away while enjoying the surrounding sights, scents, tastes, and sounds. Owners Steve and Carmen Ragsdale offer farm tours, demonstrations, and a show of their antique tractors. Reward yourself with a cool Lavender Smoothie or Lemonade at our BBQ.
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Farm Activities
This is the schedule for 2009. The 2010 schedule will be updated in June.
Daily
10 a.m.-6 p.m. U-pick
Lavender
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Old Time Tractor Display, Meet the keepers of ancient
iron with which the breadbasket of America and the world was built
11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Lavender
University – a crash course in lavender care.
11 a.m. & 4 p.m. Meet the Farmer — with guided tours by Steve or
Carmen Ragsdale. Learn about our 45 Varieties that we grow on our farm for
resale. Learn about proper care and conditions to grow healthy lavenders.
Answers to the question uttered by visitors throughout the valley, “Why doesn’t
my lavender look like that?”
10 a.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop -$15
11 a.m. Lavender
Swag workshop - $15
11:30 a.m. Kitchen Angels workshop - $15
12:30 p.m. Lavender Braid workshop $10
1 p.m. Lavender Wand
or Basket workshop - $15
2 p.m. Lavender Swag workshop - $15
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Lavender Wreaths workshop
4 p.m. Lavender Braid workshop $10
4:30 p.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop - $15
5:30 p.m. Lavender Swag
workshop- $15
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sequim Valley
Car Club
10:30 a.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop -$15
11:30 p.m. Lavender Braid workshop $10
12p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lavender Wreaths workshop
1:30 p.m. Lavender
Swag workshop - $15
2 p.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop - $15
3 p.m. Lavender Braid workshop $10
3:30 p.m. Kitchen Angels workshop - $15
4:30 p.m. Lavender Swag workshop - $15
5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop - $15
5:30 p.m. Lavender Braid workshop $10
10 a.m. Lavender Wreaths workshop
11:30 p.m. Lavender Swag workshop - $15
12p.m. Lavender Wand
or Basket workshop -$15
1 p.m. Culinary Tour
demonstration - Steve and Carmen Ragsdale will be preparing their
signature smoked Lavender Baby Back Ribs and transform regular chicken into
Lavender Apricot and discuss which lavender to use and how to prepare it from
your own garden.
1:30 p.m. Kitchen Angels
workshop - $15
2:30 p.m. Lavender Swag workshop - $15
3 p.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop - $15
4 p.m. Braid workshop $10Lavender
4:30 p.m. Lavender Wand or Basket workshop - $15
5:30 p.m. Lavender Swag workshop $10
Sunshine Herb & Lavender
Farms Signature apple wood smoked Baby-back Ribs with a choice of baked beans
and corn on the cob or a Romaine Lettuce salad with house dressing; BBQ Chicken
with a choice of baked beans and corn on the cob or a Romaine Lettuce salad
with house dressing; Lavender Pulled
Pork Sandwiches prepared to perfection with our Pork rub and basted with our
Lavender Cranberry BBQ Sauce. Meal comes
with a choice of baked beans and corn on the cob or a Romaine Lettuce salad
with house dressing; Hot Dogs and chips
(with out Lavender)
Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm Espresso and Ice Cream will have a great selection of deserts and beverages to top off our great meals.
Friday
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Northwest Country Boys – classic toe tapping Country
2 p.m.-5 p.m. Shades of Green - celtic music
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Northwest Country Boys
2 p.m.-5 p.m. Shades of Green - Celtic music
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Northwest Country Boys
2 p.m.-5 p.m. Shades of Green - Celtic music
Terrific Totes, Glass
Gardens NW, Amy’s Decadent Chocolates, C & A Kelly, My Beading Heart,
Mack’s Novelty & Ceramic Shop, Mcunes Creative Side, Grand Stick Solist,
Bead Away, Fairy Myst Creations,
Provence Arts & Linens, Serenity Sea Glass, Devine Creations
Farming for a Healthy Lifestyle
Story by Betty Oppenheimer
Anyone driving Highway 101 to the east of Sequim has watched owners Steve and Carmen Ragsdale developing Sunshine Herb and Lavender Farm over the past several years. With its perfectly plowed, rectangular fields of lavender, and the new barn being completed in time for the 2006 festival, Sunshine is the newest farm on tour this year at the festival.
Carmen is a cosmetologist with 30 years of experience. She has been making her own line of naturally infused bath and body products for more than 10 years.
“My products focus on physical care for the beauty of women,” said Carmen. "Farming helps keep us in shape, and hard work only builds character, a good way to retire.”
Starting on their single acre in Port Orchard ten years ago, they grew their own herbs and lavender, and she developed a line of creams, soaps and lotions under the name Sunshine Herb Company.
“It got bigger than we thought it would,” said Steve. “We outgrew our acre, and I got tired of dragging the products everywhere.”
After many years of traveling to craft shows, they decided that they wanted to open a business.
“Our products did well in the craft shows; we saw there was a demand for them,” explained Carmen.
That little business transformed into a 9 acre farm after an “accidental” drive through Sequim. Steve knew the area, but neither was aware of the growing popularity of lavender here. They settled on property 10 miles east of Sequim. For more than 2 years, they commuted to the farm from their home in Port Orchard, and finally in 2003, they moved into a cabin on the property, so that they could concentrate on planting and landscaping. They’ll build their house later.
“We have the bones here,” said Steve of the basic lay-out of the farm. “Now we’re filling out the rest of the plan.”
For now, they’re focusing on propagating in the greenhouse, planting new beds, and creating a nursery bed for testing new varieties of lavender and other herbs.
“There is such a wonderful range of lavenders, some high in essential oils, other for cooking and crafting,” said Carmen of their new focal herb. “We’ve had a booth at the Street Faire for two years,” said Carmen, “and many people have stopped at the farm. With the help of son Richard and grandson Vincent, the farm is shaping up for its debut on the tour.”
It is obvious from the welcoming paths and many planted areas that it was their intent from the start has been to open to the public. This year, they are focusing on completing the barn, which will house a new gift shop and smoothie/mocha bar (larger than the tiny shed they have been using) with a work area where people can see where Carmen makes soap, candles and cosmetic products.
They currently distill about 80% of the lavender they grow, and will be distilling on-site during the festival. They now have 36 varieties of lavender, selected for high essential oil yield. In addition, they press oils from some of their other herbs, and others are infused with heat into the base cosmetics. They will be adding more medicinal herbs to the gardens as time passes, for use in the many blends Carmen produces for problem skin, including eczema, acne and dry skin, eye creams and an arnica-based massage cream to ease muscle pain. They hope to grow all of those herbs on-site over the next few years.
Future plans include viewing gardens composed of “outdoor garden rooms,” each focusing on a different variety of herbs – thymes, mints, medicinal herbs and the like.
In the short time that they have been open, Carmen and Steve can see the power of lavender farming in the area.
“People are already developing an attachment for this place,” said Steve. We have found that our neighbors have been very supportive of our new adventure.”
“I would love to see this farm become a destination for people to come and enjoy the environment and the products,” added Carmen.