

| Record Searchlight.com / Home › Features › Home & Garden Saturday, June 30, 2007 Making Scents Lavender farm is aromatic adventure By Laura Christman (Contact) Reporter Laura Christman can be reached at 225-8222 or lchristman@redding.com |
| In the NEWS! |

| Point of Interest by: Marty Sternberg Lavender Fields Forever T U S C A N H E I G H T S L A V E N D E R F A R M Lynette Gooch learned to love growing things as a young girl. Her parents owned 40 acres in Calaveras County where they raised fruits and vegetables. They also grew grapes for homemade wine. Today, Gooch and her family, husband Richard and son Justin, 12, grow more than 140 varieties of lavender in Whitmore. “I knew all my life that I was going to have a garden,” Gooch said. “My dad taught me about growing things and I still love it.” That love has blossomed into a thriving family business. The Gooch family looked all over for the perfect piece of property before settling in Whitmore. “The minute I stepped one foot on this piece of property it spoke tome,”Gooch said, “I knew we had to buy it right now because this was it.” Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens is located 35miles east of Redding. With eight acres dedicated to growing lavender, The Gooches hope to expand their crop to include more than 200 varieties by fall. Besides growing the plants, they produce a line of organic lavender specialty products from bath salts to culinary items. The use of lavender dates back to the early Egyptians, who wrapped their dead in scented shrouds. Ancient Greeks used the herb for its medicinal qualities, soothing aching backs, easing insomnia and treating insanity. But it is believed that the Romans were the first to bring the plants to Britain. True English lavender is known for producing the most oil. At the Gooch farm, they grow mainly Tuscan. This variety is their personal favorite because it produces a lighter - colored oil and has a fragrant floral smell. But there are hundreds of different varieties. “Lavender can grow anywhere,”Gooch said. “We are looking for all the varieties that will survive and thrive here in Whitmore.” Rows and rows of the silvery - gray plants will soon begin to put out towering purple shoots. At the height of their growing season, the oldest plants will reach over 5 feet. “It takes about 55 gallons of buds to produce 8 ounces of oil”, said Richard. “We’ve used up everything grown last year,” he said. “We make our own line of beauty products here, doing our own bottling and everything else,”Lynette said. “Once the plants are harvested in the fall, we go to work. The majority of plants are bundled and wrapped to sell at places like MarketFest in Redding and the farmers markets,” she said. Some of the buds are also dried for use in sachets and pillows. The farm is registered organic and offers lavender teas and spices. Lavender sugar and Tuscan grill bundles are just a few of the products available at their website: www.tuscanheights.net or at the gift shop. The farm is open to the public during the height of growing season, on weekends during June and July. The first weekend in June is the second annual open house with tours of the grounds available by appointment. Call (530) 472-3066 for more information * |




| Site design: THLG ~ Lynette M Gooch Site Content Copyright © THLG 2003 - 2008 All Rights Reserved |

| Have a HAPPY Lavender Day! |
| Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens ~ PO Box 206 ~ 12757 Fern Road EAST ~ Whitmore, CA 96096 Copyright 2006 - 2008 Phone: 530*472*3066 email: lavenderinfo@tuscanheights.net |
| CA Certified Organic Grower USDA-NOP: [7 CFR.405(c)] Shasta Co. Registration: #45~0050 |
| Lavender Consulting Do you have some questions about growing lavender, and you just cant find the answers? Tuscan Heights can help! |

| enjoy Magazine ~ June 2007 |
| Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens has been featured in: FALL 2008, New Age Retailer Magazine - Awards THLG w/ "Best of Show" product award for: Tuscan Heights Lavender * Gourmet ~ Golden Apricot Lavender Tea May 3rd, 2007 issue, "Bottom Line" Section of The East Valley Times May 19th, 2007 issue, "Home & Garden", Inside/Outside - In Brief Section of The Record Searchlight June 7th, 2007 issue, "Bottom Line" Section of The East Valley Times June, 2007 issue, "Point of Interest" Section of Enjoy Magazine (See below) June 30, 2007 issue, "Home & Garden", Section Redding Record Searchlight |

| More 2008 info Coming Soon! |
