Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

If you had told me a few years ago that I would one day be standing in my kitchen creating my newest recipe using culinary lavender grown on our own farm, I probably would have given you a little eye roll and said, “What? There is no way.”

When I was a little girl, I grew up on a peanut farm. We spent many hot days and nights working in the fields, as well as enjoying the fruits of our labor from our large vegetable garden. There was nothing better than eating my fill of fresh watermelons and vegetables straight from the fields.

Eventually, I outgrew the farm and pursued my dream of going to college and earning a degree. As the only female in my family, that was my ultimate goal.

I went on to build a career in programming and marketing, helping businesses grow and bring their ideas to life. I loved the creativity, the people and the marketing industry. Eventually, after all the kids reached the age to leave for their futures, my husband and I searched for and purchased a beautiful piece of land outside Arab, Alabama.

We didn't buy the land with some grand plan to turn it into a farm. We wanted to build a home, a little vegetable garden and a place for our family.

Then came the lavender.

And that is where this story took a turn I never planned.

I certainly didn't expect something as simple as culinary lavender to inspire a whole new way of cooking. Exploring new lavender flavors has encouraged people to step out of their comfort zones.

It all started with chocolate. When I was at Walmart, I wondered, “Would people like it if it was in chocolate?” That's when my experiments began. It was trial and error until I could get the mixture just right. I knew that if I could get people to eat lavender chocolate, I could expand into other flavors and mixtures.

And now it's culinary lavender seasonings, sugar blends, cake and cookie mixes, teas and, yes, even culinary lavender cornbread.

Just three years ago, the idea of using culinary lavender in my cooking would have seemed utterly foreign to me as a Southern girl. But now, I'm on a journey of experimentation, pushing the boundaries of flavor and discovering all the amazing ways culinary lavender can be elevated.

Perhaps the greatest surprise, though, has been the people and the connections.

When we started J & C Local Farms, I was convinced our location would be our biggest challenge. We're a backroad farm, and I assumed that if people were going to discover what we were growing and creating, we'd have to take the farm to them.

We started with supportive local markets and pop-up events and eventually made our way into bigger events. Along the way, people began coming back and bringing their friends and family.

Many of our repeat customers have become more than just clients; they've become friends who share their stories, like how they made or served Lavender Brownies at a company party.

Now, we're opening our lavender shop and farm this year for a local shopping experience and a little peace of mind. We're calling it Back Road Farmer's Market, a monthly gathering here on the farm created as a smaller, slower way to experience this place. It's a chance to discover local businesses and products, spend a little time in nature, visit our lavender shop and enjoy special experiences along the way.

For us, it's another way of bringing people together — just an opportunity to slow down and enjoy a little piece of life here on our backroad farm.

Life has really taken some unexpected turns for me. It's been a journey I never saw coming.

It has returned me to my roots while introducing me to a creative side that I didn't know I missed. It has also introduced us to a community of people whose encouragement, curiosity and genuine support have become an important part of what J & C Local Farms is becoming.

If I could say anything about this journey, it would be that it brought me back to a farm — down a dirt road, surrounded by simple living, chickens, dogs, herbs and rows of lavender — that I now don't take for granted.

And somehow, it feels like I've found my way home.

To learn more about J & C Local Farms, our lavender products, upcoming farm events and ways to visit, visit jandclocalfarms.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Sweet Grown Alabama.