USLC 2023 Pre-Conference Workshops

USLC 2023 Pre-Conference Workshops
Thursday, January 26, 2023
9 a.m. Pacific start for all workshops

Pricing:
How to Start a Lavender Farm: $150
Culinary Pre-Conference Workshop: $200
Agritourism Tour: $250

Registration is closed - thank you!

How to Start a Lavender Farm Pre-Conference Workshop

With: Mike Neustrom and Sarah Richards

This is what you will come away with: 

• Ideas on starting a farm from scratch
• Ideas on buying an established farm
• Regulations that you need to know about
• What do you need to be able to grow lavender
• What are the pitfalls
• Thinking about how big of a business you want to build
• Learning about Vertical Integration
• Resources for business planning
• How to find more information to and ensure you have vetted sources

What you will not get:

• How to propagate lavender
• Personal help in creating a business plan
• Marketing and/or legal services

If you have taken the Michigan State University Lavender Curriculum, this seminar will add to your tool-kit because you can learn from both. 

You will be listening, asking questions, working on exercises, and learning from each other within the seminar. After the seminar you can consider your membership and participation in US Lavender Growers Association as ongoing continuing education, there are many opportunities to learn more.

Mike and Sarah have more than 45 years of experience growing and selling lavender. They don’t do it the same way, so you’ll get differing perspectives. In addition to covering a lot, we expect to have a lot of fun during this time together. 

The workshop will be 5 hours long with a break for lunch, which is included in the registration fee.

Culinary Pre-Conference Workshop - filled

USLGA has brought together three culinary lavender experts, Chris Mulder of Barn Owl Nursery, Nicole Callen of Norwood Farms, and Nancy Baggett, author of The Art of Cooking with Lavender, for this fun and jam-packed day of seeing, tasting, and discovering all the secrets of cooking, baking, and decorating with culinary lavender.

You’ll learn what lavender varieties to use, what ingredients to pair them with, and how to achieve the best lavender flavor in dishes and come away fully informed on all aspects of culinary lavender. You get to take home copies of all the recipes demonstrated, plus tip sheets, and your own lavender tea blend, herb salad dressing seasoning mix, lavender-spice baking mix and paper piping cone made during the day.

Here are just some highlights of the nearly 20 demonstrations and the dozen tastings you’ll enjoy!

Demos that teach you how to:

• Debud, clean, dry, and store culinary lavender.
• Extract lavender flavor, fragrance, and color using the tea infusion method.
• Blend and attractively package lavender and lavender teas.
• Make your own lavender-herb tea blend to take home.
• Create 5 savory lavender recipes, including herb salad dressing, dip for crackers, and infused brie.
• Garnish dishes and beverages with lavender.
• Make your own lavender-herb salad dressing blend to take home.
• Make two different lavender sugars to use in baking recipes.
• Make lavender extract and custom-colored lavender sparkling decorating sugar,
• Roll, cut out, and decorate lavender shortbread dough.
• Make an easy, safe, all-purpose lavender royal frosting.
• Make a simple, disposable paper piping cone to take home.
• Decorate lavender cookies with piped-on lavender icing sprigs.
• Package a sample lavender-spice baking blend to take home.

Tastings include:

• Assorted lavender infusions and lavender teas.
• Lavender savory recipes including salad dressing, infused brie, squash soup, berry cocktail, dip
• Lavender baking sugars
• Three lavender syrups
• Lavender royal frosting
• Lavender shortbread finger and lavender-ginger-spice cookies

Off-Site Agritourism Tour

Transportation will be provided.

Embark on a day-long journey to two of the most renowned agritourism locations near Portland, Oregon. On this agritourism tour, which will depart from the hotel early Thursday morning, you will have the opportunity to tour two farms, connect with multiple local vendors and sample their products. 

Durant at Red Ridge Farms

For nearly 50 years, the Durant family has grown wine grapes, acting as stewards of the land on this hill they call home. Since then our vision has grown to include Durant Vineyards Winery & Tasting Room, award-winning Durant Olive Mill extra virgin olive oil, Durant Kitchen, Durant Body & Spa, Red Ridge Farms specialty plant nursery, gift shop, overnight lodging, event spaces, expansive gardens, and the Durant Nature Trail.

As an honored guest, you will be touring the winery and olive mill, learning about the process behind the scenes, and tasting the olive oil and wine!  There will be some shopping time for you to peruse the local products and lunch will be served.

Sunderland Acres Lavender Farm is an oasis in the middle of the city. This little urban farm is a hidden gem in the heart of Northeast Portland just minutes from the Alameda Neighborhood and Alberta Arts District. Their motto is “Eat Your Flowers.”

They take pride in using only environmentally friendly farming methods to provide chemical-free culinary lavender and lavender products. Their farm is a haven for wildlife including a herd of deer, a wide variety of birds, raccoons, squirrels, opossum, as well as their rescued feral cat, Jasper, and miniature donkeys, Jack and Emily. Meet Bella, Darling Clementine, and Magnolia, and see how these Babydoll sheep help weed their lavender fields. See their newest additions, Thistle and Fern, mini Holland Lop bunnies.

Learn how this urban farm makes events and farming possible and visit with some local vendors who will be guests at the farm that day!

Cancellation Policy: No refunds after December 1, 2022.