Sunshine Herb and Lavender Farm
Farm #F Tour Bus Route 3
Steve and Carmen Ragsdale
274154 Hwy 101
Sequim, WA 98382
Access - Turn 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
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
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fire Truck Display, 1927 Graham Antique Fire Engine. Provided by Chief Patrick Nicholson from the Discovery Bay Fire Department. There will also be free goodies for the kids and parent will have the opportunity to have a family photo taken by engine for a minimal price. There will also be two beautiful Lavender baskets to raffle off for the fire department equipment.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Lavender Distillation – Through out the day we will be distilling lavender harvested from our field. Essential Oil and Hydrosol Questions and discussion.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Beekeeping on a Lavender Farm and Honey Production by Dr. Maya Bewig of Greywolf Hospital, also a member of the West Sound Bee Keeping Association.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Our Garden rock artist, Linda Harrison will be demonstrating her talent in transforming a simple rock to a rock of art.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. If you have always wanted to know what Lavender tastes like then come sample our Lavender Barbeque sauce and our famous Lavender salad dressings.
Noon & 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?”
Noon - 1 p.m. The Benefits of Lavender in Everyday Life / A Presentation and discussion by Dr. Crystal Tack, serving our Sequim community for over 20 years. She is the Director of Sequim Clinic for Acupuncture and Naturopathic Medicine and Owner and Manager of 4 Angels Heath Ranch.
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sequim Valley
Car Club
Noon - 1 p.m. The Benefits of Lavender in Everyday Life / A Presentation and discussion by Dr. Crystal Tack, serving our Sequim community for over 20 years. She is the Director of Sequim Clinic for Acupuncture and Naturopathic Medicine and Owner and Manager of 4 Angels Heath Ranch.
1 p.m. Culinary Tour
demonstration - Meet the Farm’s Chef Harvey as he will be demonstrating how Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm prepares there signature smoked pulled pork sandwiches. “From the smoker to the bun
Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm’s Signature Apple wood smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches prepared to perfection with our pork rub and basted with our Lavender Cranberry B.B.Q. Sauce. These mouth watering sandwiches are topped with grilled onions, Cole slaw, with a choice of baked beans or our house specialty salad. This year new is our Sunshine Beefy Burger topped with grilled onions, cheese, Lettuce, tomatoes. Pulled Chicken Tortilla Salad Wrap, cooked with our chicken rub and simmered with our Lavender Apricot Pineapple B.B.Q. sauce, wrapped in a tortilla with our salad toppings.
House Specialty Salad with or without B.B.Q. chicken. Hot Dogs to please the big and little kids … with Chef Harvey’s grilled onions……no lavender just good dogs.
Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm Espresso and Ice Cream Bar will have a great selection of for that sweet tooth.
Friday
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Northwest Country Boys – classic toe tapping Country
2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m - Jubilee
10 a.m.-1 p.m. - Northwest Country Boys
2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. - Jubilee
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Northwest Country Boys
2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Jubilee
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.