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The Blog

Spring Workshop

Spring Workshop

by | Feb 1, 2018

We're planning and organizing our Spring Friday Workshop Series now. Send me an email if you have an idea or request for something you'd like to learn or share! amy@whitehillfarm.us

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Tailgating at ESPN College Game Day!

Tailgating at ESPN College Game Day!

by | Jan 30, 2018

Wow!  What an experience!  This great team representing White Hills Farm cooked for ESPN’s College Gameday VIPs and The Home Depot VIPs, Saturday September 2,, 2017 for the College Football Kickoff Classic at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia....

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Prepping for College Game Day!

Prepping for College Game Day!

by | Jan 30, 2018

Everyone knows Masters Week in Augusta is a special time. You just never know who you will meet! Well, Patrick was at a friend’s house, grilling and chatting with a guy, and gets invited to tailgate at College Game Day on ESPN. Patrick says, “Sure, that...

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Georgia Organics Conference

Georgia Organics Conference

by | Jan 25, 2018

Interested in attending the Georgia Organics Conference? Whether you're a farmer, a foodie or a backyard gardener, there's something to learn at this fun educational conference. And if you happen to sign up for their Friday Farm Tour, you'll be able to...

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TEDx Augusta

TEDx Augusta

by | Jan 18, 2018

Once again, the folks at the clubhou.se have organized TEDx Augusta. We'll be one of Augusta Locally Grown's volunteers participating in the morning snack break. I love how TEDx combines technology, community and local food- it's an idea worth sharing!...

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We Were Featured on Augusta Locally Grown!

We Were Featured on Augusta Locally Grown!

by | Oct 10, 2017

Wow, y’all, I can’t tell you how touched I am to be featured on ALG’s meet my farmer post. Thank you, Kim! It’s funny how life can move in a direction you never thought possible. Looking back now, I can say that it was getting involved in Augusta Locally...

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The posts below were entered by Lisa Kessler before we purchased the farm.

Farm Closing, Update

by | February 13, 2017 | Ben and Lisa | 2 Comments

We will be closing the farm on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2017. During the afternoon on St. Pat's Day, we will have a large closing sale with farm goods and many furnishings available. Sale opens at 2:00 p.m. and will close at dusk. Cash and carry. Lots of...
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Happy February!

by | February 1, 2017 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Our work keeps moving, even in the winter! We will be getting spring plants in the ground by the end of March. We will have several spring events so watch our FB page, White Hills Farm, LLC, for upcoming events.
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Closed for the Season, except for Black Friday!

by | October 20, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Hi All! Thanks for a wonderful lavender and herb season with our local and not so local community!! We love interacting with each of you. We are closed until March 2017, when lavender season begins...... EXCEPT, Black Friday. If you would rather not be in town, come...
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Fall, and a new farm schedule is here!

by | September 24, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

What a great spring and summer season we had at the Lavender Barn! A big thank you to all of our visitors, volunteers and interns. We will be closed, Friday, September 30th. Our Fall Schedule The Lavender Barn is open on Fridays at the farm, unless posted, from 10...
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September 23rd, Come and Farm Store Tailgate with Us!

by | September 20, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are open this Friday, at the farm store. We have farm-fresh scones for sale, our new Summer Salt and lots of exciting White Hills Farm necessities, available. At 10:30 , I have our versatile and healthy barbecue rub recipe, ready to demonstrate and share! Kathleen...
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September 16, Arts at the Farm, Cinnamon Rolls with Heart

by | September 12, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Every Friday this month, we are honored to have Chef Kathleen Fervan, trained at Culinary Institute of America and longtime teacher, creating with us. Don't miss these Friday class opportunities. Last week was amazing as we learned to create Bouquet garni, great stock...
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September 9, We Welcome September Fridays with a Rosemary Feature Day

by | September 5, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Rosemary, easy to use and easy to grow. But, did you know there are numerous varieties, each particularly suited for specific cooking applications, be it vinegars, herb blends or salts? Come out for our open 10:45 a.m. demonstration and then stay for a mini-class...
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September 2nd, Rosemary for Remembrance

by | August 29, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Rosemary is scientifically "for remembrance" and has several other health promoting benefits. At the farm, it is at peak and we are offering a great sampling of varieties and considering the MANY ways it may be healthfully included in cooking and in household use....
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August 26, Wild and Cultivated Grapes

by | August 24, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This Friday at 10:00 a.m., forage about the farm with us for wild edibles, not the least of which is the wild grape. We will share a thing or two about those one-of-a-kind Southern grapes I grew up eating. There is the proverbial "mouth sorting" of muscadines and...
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August 19, Creating Flavor Profiles

by | August 16, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Nature provides nutrition in a bit of this and a handful of that. A gathered diet is round with vitamins, minerals and co-nutrients. Daily additions of herbs and pot greens need not be difficult. Having herbal blends that are nutrient filled on hand, and right at the...
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How to get to White Hills Farm…for a Farm Friday Tea Party

by | August 9, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are located in Dearing, Georgia. Here is our address: 1419 Fort Creek Rd. Dearing, GA 30808 706-595-5081 is our phone number, and messages may be left. We are a small farm and frequently out working, so please leave us a message. We check them every evening. Friday...
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Open Invitation Tea Party this Friday, August 12!

by | August 8, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Everyone loves a tea party and ours are special! We grow beneficial herbs with organic methods right here at the farm and then use organically grown and fair-trade sourced tea bases to create beautiful, healthful teas. This week, we will have a tea tasting event you...
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All the good herbs + salt…

by | August 1, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

August is upon us and so is ardent herb drying, out here at the farm. Epicurean finishing salts are salt blends that bring special flavor dimension to cooking, not attainable in any other way. Their dry gritty heft on a steak or gentle depth added to dips, sauces and...
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Last July Friday: Lavender Summer Cream-making

by | July 26, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

In any given old Southern yard, figs are likely "coming on". What better time than late summer to make lavender-infused creams for topping all kinds of great fresh fruits? This Friday, we will be making lavender-infused heavy cream and demonstrating several, easy...
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At Williams Sonoma, Augusta, July 23rd!

by | July 18, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We will be open regular Friday hours this week, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.. WHF cookies and cookie samples will be on deck. Our demonstration focus moves off farm, to Williams-Sonoma, Augusta, this weekend. Saturday, July 23rd, we will be featured local artisans! We are...
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Friday, July 15, is Herb Harvest and Use Day!

by | July 11, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Our schedule begins to change a bit as lavender season draws to a close but we never stop around here! Basil and other summer loving herbs are at peak. Laurie has a special herb vinegar demonstration for everyone this week at 10:30. Fresh herb vinegars add both...
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July 8, Best Pesto Methods

by | July 3, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Our mini-classes this summer have been so much fun! We have especially enjoyed the teachers who have come out to PLAY. No surprise that teachers enjoy learning and creating, even during the summer! This Friday, we will have a special tour option that takes you around...
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Friday, July 1, Wild Garlic Bonanza

by | June 28, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Today, at White Hills Farm, we were pleased to host the Georgia Tourism Department and directors of the Classic South Region, in particular! What a great group. UPCOMING On Friday, we will have an herb walking tour at 10:45, picnic lunch available by pre-ordering by...
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Friday, June 17, Happy Fathers’ Day Weekend

by | June 13, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We will be open in the farm store, only, this Friday. We are taking a break to celebrate 38 years and time with the kids! Miss Laurie will be manning the store on Friday, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., and will certainly help you with any gift needs you have....
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From plant to product, this Friday, June 10

by | June 7, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This Friday, we will have an herb garden walking tour at 10:30 a.m.. A picnic lunch may be ordered by noon on Thursday, by calling 706-595-5081. Enjoy your picnic order right here at the farm. At 1:00, we will have lavender blend demonstrations in the barn, and then,...
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Sourdough Starter Demonstration!

by | June 1, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Our herb walking tour begins at 10:30 this week. English and intermedia lavenders are abloom! Preorder a picnic sack lunch by Thursday at noon, for Friday pickup. Call 706-595-5081. Entree salad, scones and jam, and dessert along with a great summer tea blend, $8.50...
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Closed Memorial Day Weekend for a Wedding!

by | May 23, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Friends and Patrons, We are closed this coming week and weekend, for a wedding. We will be back open with Farm Friday events on June 3rd. On the 3rd we have a special baker, Tara Roberts, coming out to show us how to make sourdough starter!! Stay tuned for details...
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May 20th: Herb Garden Picks for the South

by | May 16, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Every week, we plan a 10:30 a.m. tour that focuses on growing and utilizing your herbs. No, don't keep them for years as treasures in the cupboard. None of that oregano still in the can from your first year of marriage. Smile. USE herbs frequently and freely. They are...
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May 13 is Culinary Lavender Friday!

by | May 10, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

The "English" lavenders, lavandula angustifolia varieties, are the sweetest lavenders both in character and in culinary quality. It is argued that many of the intermedias are just as good for cooking, but, we are entitled to our preferences! Experience has shown us...
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May at White Hills Farm means lavender is on!

by | May 2, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

The farm is bustling and we are open all of the Fridays in May, EXCEPT for Memorial Day weekend when we will host Maggie Hines' and Branden Critell's wedding festivities. We are so excited to see the old walnut tree back on duty as the sacred spot for exchanging vows....
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April 29 is Old Rose Friday!

by | April 25, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This week, we will be demonstrating making lavender and rose-infused oil!  Come out to the Lavender Barn at 1:00 p.m. to help with this hands-on mini-class. The beginning of culinary lavender bloom is on.  Our Stoechas varieties are still blooming and putting on last...
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Friday, April 22nd, Barn Open!

by | April 18, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are proud to be a Georgia farm and love to share the things we grow during our Farm Friday events.  Hours are 10 am until 6 pm on Fridays.   White Hills Farm address is 1419 Fort Creek Road, Dearing, Georgia, 30808.  Our blooming lavenders this week are Spanish and...
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Rain or Shine, Barn Open, April 15!!

by | April 14, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Hello, All! The purple is rising at White Hills Farm.  Every year, we wait with some caution to advertise the lavender blooms, but our Spanish, true French, and Moroccan lavenders are on.  We are gearing up for wedding flower deliveries, weddings, and especially, our...
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Farm Friday, April 8th Events

by | April 6, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This week, at 10:30 am, we take an up-close and personal look at April blooming lavenders.  Our farm store is open from 10 am until 4 pm and stocked with many good  things. 11:00  Demonstration:  Soil mixtures for planting and planting the variety of lavender types....
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Spring and Summer Upcoming Open Days

by | March 4, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

For those of you who would like to visit the farm: Open on Fridays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., beginning April 1st. We are only open to the public on Fridays as we host many group and private events. Our Farm Fridays are special as we have a tour and demonstration from...
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A Weekend of Drawing and Painting En Plein Air

by | February 8, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Happy February! Our next event is a new one, and one that is very exciting for us. March 19th and 20th we are hosting an all inclusive weekend of access to White Hills Farm for plein air drawing and painting. The tradition of "carrying the easel outside" is ages old...
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Lavender Bakery, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

by | January 11, 2016 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Baking with lavender is easy. Finding good culinary lavender is another thing, entirely. At White Hills Farm, we have that problem solved. With excellent culinary grade lavender, a few simple methods elevate cookies, scones, muffins and syrups to a whole new level of...
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Fall at White Hills Farm!

by | September 4, 2015 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Beauty from Botanicals ANNOUNCING FALL CLASSES** October 15 we will host an herb blending workshop from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., "Chefs' Blends: Herbal Secrets". This workshop centers around fabulous...
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Tuesday Pesto Making at Southern Made!

by | July 13, 2015 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This Tuesday, July 14th, we will be using fresh herbs to make garden pesto. Demonstration at 11:00 with sales during open hours at Southern Made on Broad and Crawford in Augusta. Dried lavender bundles will be available.
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Summer Open House at “Southern Made” with White Hills Farm

by | June 28, 2015 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

What could be better than an iced tea and herb creations tasting event on Fourth of July Weekend?? The Farm Girls at Southern Made will be hosting an open house on July 3rd from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with product demonstrations and goods from four local farms. Making...
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Last Lavender Picking

by | June 24, 2015 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

June 26 will be our last Farm Friday event for 2015. Lavender bundles will still be available this week and then gone! Our theme on Friday is bath and beauty. We will be touring around 10:15 and then demonstrating balm making at 11:00. Our products will be available...
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Our 2015 Season!

by | May 21, 2015 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are glad to be launching the beginning of our lavender season. I began a new growing series with a speaking engagement at the Aiken Garden Show. Laurie Ritchie and I had fun demoing herbs and herb methods, and teaching a great group of people, while there. Our...
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Enter, Spring…

by | April 7, 2015 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

As if nothing had happened, here is blessed spring. It has been a year of hardships and misgivings, a year of creeping back to life as it will be, very cautiously. Not unlike the unfolding of the hesitant pecan leaves and the slow unfurling of Lady Banks roses, bud by...
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Attention Friends!! Farm Fridays closed for the season!

by | July 22, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Hello Friends, We have had a wonderful lavender season at White Hills Farm. The development of our small enterprise has been enhanced tenfold by those of you who have come out and experienced our lavender beginnings. We are so grateful and loved meeting and doing...
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July 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th, Dog Days of Summer Happenings!

by | July 2, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Memory. My maternal grandmother, standing on the screened porch looking out across the field on a hot summer evening. "Young'uns, the Dog Days of Summer are upon us," she would declare, wiping her Irish brow with a cotton hankie. Those Dog Days have arrived in...
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Encounters

by | June 25, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

The deepest insights and blessings arrive by way of encounters, incidental or fated, unmediated by social devices and machinery. We committed to being open on Fridays to share our farm and its successes and disasters with folks who wanted an experiential visit to a...
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Summertime Herb Blendings

by | June 17, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Wild garlic, fresh tomatoes and leafy basil are presenting themselves with gusto and it is PESTO time! This Friday we will be open from 10 AM until 6 PM and will be making pesto for our 11:00 demo. Our signature basil blend includes columnar, purple and leafy green...
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Dynamic Infusions

by | June 9, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are loving our Farm Fridays! What a great crowd last week, all picking lavender bouquets, gorgeous wild garlic bulbils and making basil top dressing with us. Lavender is such a multi-talented June dancer. She feeds the bees, paints the field and offers amazing...
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Come and Get Long Stem Lavender, This Friday!

by | June 2, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This week only, we are selling lavender bundles!! We are harvesting our long stem lavenders and will pick a bundle for you on the spot. Other products available for sale in our tea and personal care lines, right here on the farm. Wild Garlic is at its peak and we are...
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Farm Fridays, Going Strong!

by | May 28, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

This year, we have opened lavender season with a cooperative agritourism emphasis! On Fridays, we are open for walk-abouts, demonstrations and sales as McDuffie County's featured lavender farm. Lavender season is upon us and we are currently harvesting English...
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New Ink and Turn the Page…

by | May 19, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Sometimes, it is time to turn the page, and what better time than on the waning of a cool spring moon! Summer is upon us and with it an early lavender bloom. Time for the beginning of scented days and busy product making. Three lovely girls spent all day Friday...
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OOPS! Closed on Friday due to surgery…

by | May 14, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

A sweet little incompetent ER Doc told me I was having a bad dream last month, did no physical exam, and yes, sent me right home all hung on my EKG looking just great. Medicine, today. No curiosity, no cure! Yes, I am griping! However, last Sunday night I had another...
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Farm Friday Happenings, May 9th!

by | May 6, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are a modest organically principled flower and herb production farm. Fridays we are open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.. From Thomson, GA, take HWY 17 south toward Wrens. Turn left at Happy Valley Store intersection, which is Fort Creek Road. We are 3 miles down on the...
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Finally, Spring Breeze…Wedding plans, Capitol Ideas!

by | March 12, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Calls for wedding ideas, wedding favors, brides who are panicking because they don't have "just the right place" to welcome family and friends to their couple beginnings...that's SPRING, and we are gearing up! We offer both one-of-a-kind favors, a farm venue, vintage...
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Elderberry, A Fine Thing for Winter

by | February 3, 2014 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Here, a simple blurb about a very good thing. Progressive medical research shows that this fine berry syrup could help to halt the replication of some H1N1 beasties. Think of it as the fashionable herbal condiment of choice this winter. Make it, and use it frequently....
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How do you like yours…..

by | December 11, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Relativity. You know, some days you, well, give up. You've had it with those opposing internal arguments. You've scrapped with them long enough. You throw them in their corners, tell them to stay in their rooms for awhile until they can get along, put them in time...
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Fall for Fermentation

by | October 14, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Best wild harvest? Let's say what happens on the roadside, stays on the roadside. There you are, careening down the highway, taking in the roadside floral abundance and you have a wild urge to stop and... Before the poetry happens, and you stop to pick the bundles of...
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Fall Workshop — Foraging for Wild Teas

by | August 28, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Sunday, September 22nd, 2:00 p.m. until..... We are hosting a great, afternoon of wild plant foraging that emphasizes field and forest tea plants with culinary and medicinal uses.  A real-live hiking adventure for the backpacking gourmand.  This is a hiking shoes and...
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Gone to Flower

by | August 5, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

There is the bending over the garden bed in the spring, to closely examine the hopeful basil's opposing leaves in shoot. Then, pulling the grass and weeds to allow the thing to move toward mature leafing, toward perpetuation of its aromatic species, toward that moment...
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Wild Mushroom Dry Saute

by | June 23, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Rain. What a tangle, huh? You love it, you pray for it, you sometimes do an Indian rain dance, hoping to shake it out of the anvils. We have had an amazingly rainy Spring and early Summer! Here we are at the Summer Solstice, the near full moon, and the rain has...
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Lavender is not just for aromatherapy! Culinary leanings

by | May 30, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Let's face it. It is hard to find a gentleman who is amazed by lavender. A chef-friend and her guy pal came out for dinner a week or two ago. I took him to the lavender, you know, to show him what it looked like, to stick some under his nose and to make me feel good...
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Lavender Newsflash!

by | May 19, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

We are very happy to be recently placed onsite with "Everything Lavender" under US Farms to See, National Listing!! Come out and smell the lavender.... The lavenders currently blooming for us are: Stoechas types: The aromatherapy "Butterflies" Dentata types: Elegant...
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Using Wild Garlic

by | May 9, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

SOMEONE who grows cultivated garlic recently challenged me with his sulfite content. Okay, I admit, his garlic IS bigger. HOWEVER, in reliable studies, wild garlic has been shown to have nearly five times the beneficial sulphurous compounds that cultivated garlic...
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Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!!

by | April 15, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Spring Rains have created a motherlode of fresh, firm garlic. We are harvesting, washing and prepping the wonderful garlic for year-round use. Stay tuned for methods and garlic madness!
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Want to concentrate herbal flavor, dry it!

by | March 22, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

It may sound antithetical, but with a few exceptions, drying herbs enhances and concentrates flavor! Essential oils and aromatic chemicals in your herbs give them their flavor. Tiny cell pockets and sometimes capsules or nodules on the leaf, bloom or stem material...
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When do I pick herbs for best quality and aroma?

by | March 9, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Herbs are best picked when nearly dry, after the morning sun has had time to mop up the dew! Nip soft herbs with clean fingers and use sharp shears or pruners to clean-cut woody herbs. For culinary herbs, a quick, clean water rinse and spin in the lettuce spinner will...
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Herbs that compound their fragrance with age…

by | February 23, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Dozens of the "hard" floral herbs are more fragrant with aging. Fragrance evolves and matures in the first six months after drying before generally declining in the herb's second year as herbal dried matter. We know this to be true of most Lavenders and Lavender...
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Sweet Everlasting, Gnaphalium Obtusifolium AKA “Rabbit Tobacco”, now available for sale!!

by | February 14, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Great lot this year with the frequent rain that has been so renewing!
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Making Herbs a Part of The Everyday…

by | February 7, 2013 | Ben and Lisa | 0 Comments

Welcome to White Hills Farm where we grow, harvest and offer for sale our own Southern Grown Lavendula products and other delightful herbals!  We are a part of the Augusta Locally Grown cooperative network of farms and farmers. Given to companion planting, fostering...
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Heavenly!

Sitting on the porch that is the definition of home-grown comfort, Amy brought out a dish of pecans to snack on with our lavender iced tea. The pecans were sweet with a hint of salt and ... smoked! (Patrick throws a lot of stuff on the grill and in the smoker and the results are always spectacular.) The pecans were like heaven.

Between the lavender everywhere, the porch, the view, the company, and the pecans, we might just as well have been in heaven.

Jan Perry

You'll want to go back again and again!

Among the gardens and 100-year-old farm house is a picturesque red barn where Amy and Patrick not only sell their merchandise but also entertain and/or put on workshops. I have had the pleasure of attending several of these events ranging from cookie making, to lavender harvesting and arranging, to yoga classes.

I am always looking for what they have available because once you experience the sheer beauty and peaceful feel of White Hills Farm you too will want to go back again and again.

Audrey Doyle

For me, it's a place tied to fond memories

White Hills Farm is the perfect backdrop for any occasion -- it has this way of enveloping and elevating meaningful celebrations. For me, it's a place tied to fond memories and an eagerness to return. Year round, its something to behold, a slice of heaven run by the best of people.

Allison Vrtachnik