The Lavender Patch Farm, Fort Scott
Agritourism in Kansas
It seems like every time I visit one of our agritourism businesses I always feel inspired to incorporate my recent farm learnings into the small farming and gardening operations on my own property. Leaving The Lavender Patch Farm in Fort Scott was no exception. I’ve always planted lavender for the old wives’ tale for “good luck,” but now I dream of seeing waves of purple, white, and even pink varieties surrounding my garden plot.
I learned so much during my visit to The Lavender Patch Farm during our visit for this month’s segment of Good Day Kansas. Like many farming operations, harvesting lavender is a labor of love. Betsy, one of the owners of the farm, had the distilling equipment set up in the retail shop. There were 3 large totes full of harvested lavender that will be distilled very soon into essential oil. Get this, that large batch of lavender will only produce about 1ml of lavender essential oil. Luckily, there are other products made during the distillation process that is put to good use, such as Lavender Hydrosol, which is essentially lavender-scented distilled water. The uses for the Hydrosol vary from natural fragrances, lotions, and creams to herbal remedies for bites and stings, and other skin conditions.
Lavender Fest
The Lavender Patch Farm is gearing up for their Lavender Fest on Saturday, June 18th. Tickets are $5 and include field tours, distillation demos, live music, activities for kids, and lots of lavender goodness such as lavender lemonade and lavender ice cream. The retail shop will be open to purchase farm-made products like lavender essential oils, facial products, soaps, room sprays, cuddle buddies, and lots more. If you can’t make it out to the festival, the farm is open at varying hours throughout June – July, you can find their hours of operation at www.thelavenderpatchfarm.com.
The farm is just a hop & a skip to Fort Scott National Historic Site and Downtown Fort Scott. Downtown offers shopping galore with charming bookstores, antique shops, gifts & home décor, clothing, and some long-standing business that have called Fort Scott home for 30+ years such as Shirt Shack and Sunshine Boutique. Some local favorites for dining are Nu-Grille for a classic cheeseburger and onion ring delight and Luther’s BBQ, home to the best dang deviled eggs and their famous “BBQ Marshmallow”. Of course, there are other fabulous eateries throughout the community.
Fort Scott is home to some of the most rousing and humbling educational museum experiences in the state. The Gordon Parks Museum explores the life of Fort Scott Native, Gordon Parks, in his journey in becoming the first Black photojournalist to work for LIFE Magazine, as well as being a filmmaker, writer, poet, and composer. The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes profoundly highlights individuals around the world who have done extraordinary acts to improve the lives of others. The exhibits tell the untold stories of these unsung heroes and their incredible acts of courage. This is the only museum of its kind in the world and can only be experienced in Fort Scott!
