Our Favorite Guest

   It got suddenly quiet in the office a few weeks ago. You would have thought a distinguished visitor had just walked through our front doors.  Someone reverently said "do you hear that?".  After a few moments, we all exchanged smiles and got back to work, fingers on keyboards keeping time with raindrops. We had an inkling it was coming, of course, because Scott (youngest brother/farming division) keeps a close eye on the happenings in the sky, but with the dry spell we have been experiencing here in California, the rain is definitely a special guest. It is respected and celebrated and welcomed back any time. Through our big office windows, we have all had front row seats; watching the transformation of the hills surrounding us.  It's kind of like rain is one of Nature's photoshop tools...adding touches of green here and there and enhancing the colors. 

   If you are not a poetry type of person, you can stop reading now. The following is one of my favorites and I think of it every single time the world gets a bath.

I saw God wash the world last night 

with His sweet showers on high,

and then, when morning came, I saw

Him hang it out to dry.

He washed each tiny blade of grass

and every trembling tree;

He flung His showers against the hill,

and swept the billowing seas.

The white rose is a cleaner white,

the red rose is more red,

since God washed every fragrant face

and put them all to bed.

There's not a bird, there's not a bee

that wings along the way

but is a cleaner bird or bee

than it was yesterday.

I saw God wash the world last night;

Ah, would He had washed me

As clean of all my dust and dirt

As that old white birch tree!

~William Stidger~

1934

Just one of our views!

www.creeksidefarms.com

Creekside Farms Hosts Coffee Stop for AIDS Lifecycle Riders

Once again this year we set up a coffee stand and welcomed hundreds of cyclists as they passed by our ranch on Jolon road. The riders are traveling from King City to Paso Robles on the third day of the ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This year we served cookies instead of donuts and it seemed to be a big hit with the riders. Although the ranch is not far from the morning starting point, the riders not only enjoy the coffee and cookies, but are also are treated to the wonderful aroma and beauty of our lavender fields at the ranch.

The annual AIDS Lifecycle event raises millions of dollars every year that helps support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center in their efforts to provide services and support to folks living with HIV/AIDS. This year's ride has raised over sixteen million dollars to date.

Pepperberry Harvest

We begin harvesting California Pepperberries the month of  October. This year we are seeing an amazing amount of berries on the trees. Pepperberries were one of the first items we sold to Smith & Hawken back in 1989 when we started our business. Carol & her crew spent many wonderful days harvesting the berries throughout the county.

Pepperberries are still an integral part of our business. Pepperberry trees were planted on many ranches back when California was homesteaded and are still very prolific in our area. We now have trees planted at both our Greenfield location and on our ranch in King City.

Creekside Farms Joins OpenSky

Creekside Farms is excited to announce that we have joined OpenSky. This is a fun new way to shop online with your friends, anytime and anywhere. Uncover new, artisanal goods you’d never find if you were shopping alone. Connect with friends and industry insiders you want to shop with.

Lavender Harvest 2013

Our lavender fields have been breathtaking these last few weeks. We have enjoyed looking out into a sea of blue and now that it is at its peak, we must harvest it. Our bunches of lavender are hung to dry and then stored for year round use. Its vibrant color and scent makes beautiful wreaths and it is a great accent to many of the pieces we create. Before the weather turns too cold, we will go through and harvest our lavender again.
We have fresh lavender available now for a short window. We can ship fresh bunches or we welcome visitors who’d like to come harvest a bit for themselves.
 

Farm Update

All of our prep work these last few months is coming to fruition. We were finally able to start planting early in the month. We transplanted some sweet annie that had sprung up in one of our lavender fields. Shortly thereafter, our plants from the greenhouse were ready and we began planting them in the fields. Our new transplanter that Larry rebuilt and then modified was put to good use. We have planted achilia, marjoram, savory, safflower rosemary and broomcorn. Additional plants will be ready soon and we plan on having everything in the fields within the next couple of weeks.

We have been extra busy lately with simultaneously planting our fields and harvesting some of our perennials. Thyme was the first to be harvested and sage is beginning now. The sweet aroma of the thyme has filled the warehouse as it dries on the racks. Soon we will have a plethora of amazing scents as we harvest the various herbs and flowers.

Our production crew enjoys the aroma of the herbs as they dry while they create the beautiful wreaths for Mother’s Day and throughout the summer.

Farm Day 2013

This year we were once again happy to be part of South Monterey County's Farm Day on March 13, 2013.
The agricultural industry of Monterey County comes together every year to provide an educational enrichment program for all third grade students in the county. This program brings together business, industry, community and education to benefit students.

Farm Day provides information and hands on demonstrations about the agricultural industry of Monterey County. It allows the students an opportunity to be exposed to various aspects of agriculture: everything from food production to beekeeping and wreath making.

We presented to 450 – 500 third graders. The kids really enjoyed all the fragrance of the herbs and lavender we shared with them. They were especially interested in the lavender soaps in the shape of eggs we had for Easter. We look forward to participating again next year and teaching the kids about our business.