Santa Ynez Valley Guest Current Issue Articles

You can buy the fragrant buds by the bagful and make your own products, such as mulch for the yard (helps deter deer and other yard nuisances). You can also purchase culinary grade lavender.
  With five acres planted in Grosso Lavender (revered for its healing properties) as well as many other varieties, the farm is at its photogenic best from late spring through July when harvest begins.
  With three-hundred-year-old oak trees scattered around the property and olive trees lining the entranceway, that were planted by Spanish missionaries over 175 years ago, Clairmont farms is a photographer’s dream.
  Glenn Thalheimer, Meryl’s business and life partner is well aware of the farm’s photogenic qualities. His photographs of the area, of their pet chicken flock and of the lavender fields decorate both their shop and website (www.clairmontfarms.com). By the way, these “welcome anywhere” chickens come with names and a hand (?) in the business too. You can buy a dozen or so of their free-range eggs for your lavender soufflé. “We have a good life here,” Glenn said with his characteristic grin.
  My visit to Andre Organic Lavender took on a surprising turn of events when Cheryl Andre-Wagner told me that they are in the process of moving to another location. This will be accomplished, literally, plant by plant.
  Starting the first week in October, Cheryl will oversee the move to their new location on Highway 246, just a few miles west of Buellton. “We’ll be completely in by mid November,” she said, adding that they plan to expand their line of products as well as offering classes in lavender wand making, drying, cutting and growing.
  Cheryl, the grower with the banking background, came to the Valley with her late husband in 1988. “Then my mom and dad made the move in 2002,” she said. Well, her mom and dad, besides adding a helping hand to the lavender business, make their home with Cheryl. “Dad does the cooking,” she says, “that’s a big help.”
  About that move, “We will take all but two of our nine different lavenders and that,” she explained, “will include three culinary varieties.”
  The “move” doesn’t sound easy. Lavender, due its drought tolerant properties, has deep, wide spread roots. “We’ll need to be careful that we get the entire root ball,” she added.
  Both lavender farms do their own distilling and it’s a fascinating process. Steam is directed through the buds and on to a condenser where it cools. Since all oils, lavender included, are lighter than water, gravity takes over for the final process, separation.

Current Issue Articles

What do they have in common? Meryl Tanz is an ex-model and one-time wife of a rock star who hales from South Africa via Canada. Cheryl Andre-Wagner is a native Californian from Walnut Creek with a background in banking and senior care. The answer to that question is that they are both likeable ladies with well-established Santa Ynez Valley lavender farms. Meryl Tanz hails from Capetown, modeled in Europe, traveled “across the pond” and came to the Valley in 1976 to establish Clairmont Farms, a thoroughbred horse ranch on Roblar. Cheryl Andre-Wagner was also drawn to the Valley through horses and now runs Andre Organic Lavender on Santa Rosa Road. I was lucky enough to visit both and spend time with these enterprising entertainers. Meryl told me, “I came to the Valley and fell in love with the area and continued with the horses until 2000, when I decided to take on a new venture.” After some 30-plus years in the racing world, she had decided to put down roots of a different sort and went into the lavender business. With advice from Rona Barrett and Nancy Lipman, Meryl took the plunge and went from breeder to farmer.
Meryl Tanz harvesting some of her lavender from the garden.	“It took about four or five months to plant the first field,” Meryl said, adding that it was “a happy time.” Then, in 2001 a Santa Maria Times reporter took a photo of their field and, to use a familiar phrase, they were “off and running.” Lavender farming isn’t easy. Though there are virtually none of the common pests that plague most in the agriculture business, it’s still very much a hands-on business. “We distill all our own oil,” Meryl said, “and make all the products we sell with the exception of our cookie mix and one of our soap products, the French one.” Sachets, herb mixtures, soap, oils, honey, diffusers, etc., fill Clairmont Farm’s modest sales cottage.
You can buy the fragrant buds by the bagful and make your own products, such as mulch for the yard (helps deter deer and other yard nuisances). You can also purchase culinary grade lavender. With five acres planted in Grosso Lavender (revered for its healing properties) as well as many other varieties, the farm is at its photogenic best from late spring through July when harvest begins. With three-hundred-year-old oak trees scattered around the property and olive trees lining the entranceway, that were planted by Spanish missionaries over 175 years ago, Clairmont farms is a photographer’s dream. Glenn Thalheimer, Meryl’s business and life partner is well aware of the farm’s photogenic qualities. His photographs of the area, of their pet chicken flock and of the lavender fields decorate both their shop and website (www.clairmontfarms.com). By the way, these “welcome anywhere” chickens come with names and a hand (?) in the business too. You can buy a dozen or so of their free-range eggs for your lavender soufflé. “We have a good life here,” Glenn said with his characteristic grin. My visit to Andre Organic Lavender took on a surprising turn of events when Cheryl Andre-Wagner told me that they are in the process of moving to another location. This will be accomplished, literally, plant by plant. Starting the first week in October, Cheryl will oversee the move to their new location on Highway 246, just a few miles west of Buellton. “We’ll be completely in by mid November,” she said, adding that they plan to expand their line of products as well as offering classes in lavender wand making, drying, cutting and growing. Cheryl, the grower with the banking background, came to the Valley with her late husband in 1988. “Then my mom and dad made the move in 2002,” she said. Well, her mom and dad, besides adding a helping hand to the lavender business, make their home with Cheryl. “Dad does the cooking,” she says, “that’s a big help.” About that move, “We will take all but two of our nine different lavenders and that,” she explained, “will include three culinary varieties.” The “move” doesn’t sound easy. Lavender, due its drought tolerant properties, has deep, wide spread roots. “We’ll need to be careful that we get the entire root ball,” she added. Both lavender farms do their own distilling and it’s a fascinating process. Steam is directed through the buds and on to a condenser where it cools. Since all oils, lavender included, are lighter than water, gravity takes over for the final process, separation.