Lavender Hydrosol: A Cosmetic Superstar

Cristin McDonnell has studied Ayurvedic medicine and brings her interest in healing to our work here at Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields. This is one of a series of her blogs on healing. I tend to get very excited about all of the healing properties and health benefits of lavender, that I take the cosmetic… Read more »

Lavender, WW I, and My Grandmother

Lavender, WW I, and My Grandmother  Cristin McDonnell has studied Ayurvedic medicine and brings her interest in healing to our work here at Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields. This is one of a series of her blogs on healing. Moving to California has certainly opened new doors in terms of thinking about my family. It… Read more »

An Unexpected Gift: Helichrysum and Healing

Cristin McDonnell has studied Ayurvedic medicine and brings her interest in healing to our work here at Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields. This is one of a series of her blogs on healing. Leah’s Story Ever since I came to Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields, I have been intrigued by the plant helichrysum. We have had… Read more »

The Healing offered by Helichrysum Italicum

Cristin McDonnell has studied Ayurvedic medicine and brings her interest in healing to our work here at Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields. This is one of a series of her blogs on healing. I am a believer in thoughts creating reality, being careful what you wish for, that kind of thing. Researching plant medicines, I… Read more »

Deciding Which: a Hydrosol or an Essential Oil?

Deciding Which: a Hydrosol or an Essential Oil? Cristin McDonnell has studied Ayurvedic medicine and brings her interest in healing to our work here at Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields. This is one of a series of her blogs on healing. I was in the process of writing this blog when my mom called. I… Read more »

Gemini: Working with the Moon

Gemini: Working with the Moon It’s a “flower” day, the moon in Gemini, an air sign, and ideal for working with aromatics. This morning we are pruning the lavender  back into the little mounds in which it will stay for the next ten months. It is important to finish this pruning now so the plants… Read more »

Cristin’s Heart and Soul

Cristin’s Heart and Soul This is the first of Cristin McDonnell’s blogs, a young woman who is helping us with marketing throughout this fall. She comes with a great deal of heart, a friend of plant and animal alike. She is also a student of Ayurvedic medicine and will share her research on plant medicine… Read more »

Squash Blossom Recipe

Squash Blossom Recipe One of my all-time favorite summer treats is fried squash blossom. I grew up on a small farm in the Midwest, and summers always brought that special evening that happened perhaps two or three times a summer, when my mother served only corn-on-the cob, garden fresh tomatoes—and fried “pumpkin” blossoms (for we… Read more »

Cristin McDonnell: A New Face on Our Ranch

Cristin McDonnell: A New Face on Our Ranch We are happy to introduce Cristin McDonnell, who will be helping us with marketing our lavender and aromatic products over the next few months. She is a native of Virginia and has been drawn to the West Coast to study sustainable practices in farming and business. She is particularly sensitive… Read more »

The Uneasy Marriage of Agriculture and Tourism

The Uneasy Marriage of Agriculture and Tourism When did agriculture become so entangled with tourism? This question is foundational in the land-use issues that are spreading as fast as wild fire in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake Counties. In Napa County after 2010 and the Winery Definition Ordinance, direct marketing has officially become an agricultural activity which includes… Read more »