Agape Farms North & South

01/11/2025

We like to see articles like this from Greenhouse Growers.
DILLON, you are on trend!

"Herbs
We wrote about trends in perennials for 2024, and lavender was on the list then — and still is.

“Lavender is another hot category. Anything that’s herbs continues to do well,” Garcia says. Trends in terms of food and beauty products don’t require an expensive study. Go to your local supermarket and see how many new lavender-flavored items are on the shelves. “We’ve focused a little bit more on lavender,” says Garcia. “It’s one of those plants that checks off a lot of requirements. It’s aesthetically pleasing, provides a great smell, and can withstand little periods of drought.” Herbs like lavender are workhorse plants people are discovering, Garcia tells us. “When consumers see how fantastic herbs are, they just stay. And our herb line continues to have fantastic sales.”

Katie Tamony, Chief Marketing Officer for Monrovia, also discusses lavenders. “We’ve definitely added a lot of new varieties of lavender to our nurseries — different colors, including a reddish one called ‘Anouk Burgundy’ and another quite dark purple called ‘Anouk Purple Flare’. There’s been more of a demand for variety in lavender than we saw in the past.”"

01/04/2025

What happens on the kitchen table on chilly afternoons? Oh, just some rosemary propogation.... which unlike lavender has a sticky like pine resin quality about it. But the kitchen smells good!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year! We are starting the year by recycling, repurposing and reusing. What the heck will we be doing with this thing? Stay tuned! 💜

12/30/2024

This is super cool! 💜 Have you been noticing a lot of food recalls lately? Listeria, e-coli, etc. At lot this happens during the handling of the food product (produce) after harvest. So, producers implement something called Good Manufacturing Practice, which is regulated, and sometimes chemicals are added to rinsing solutions. Even organic growers have to use Good Manufacturing Practice. But obviously there are breakdowns or mistakes and then we end up with contaminated food.

This is a USDA study proving the antimicrobial abilities of essential oil in rinsing solutions. Specifically cinnamon and oregano. While this study focused on the reusability of the wash (how many times they could use it, and it remain potent at removing the pathogens) it ultimately shows the effectiveness of these amazing and powerful herbs.

I wonder if I can grow a cinnamon tree 🙄

A new study led by USDA-ARS and Oklahoma State University showed that oregano and cinnamon essential oils can be reused multiple times to effectively wash organic leafy greens contaminated with E. coli without losing antimicrobial activity.

12/25/2024

12/21/2024

It's only going to get better from here! Yes, today is the Winter solstice, the longest day of the year. We can look forward to longer days of being productive and farming. Sun, sun, sun. These lavender babies, seeded 12/4, have good germination, but will take the rest of the winter growing and will be ready for spring planting.

12/12/2024

Good morning Town of Latta! Looking forward to another great day here. Thanks for a restful night.

12/12/2024

Even though the lavender is asleep for the winter I still come down to take a peak at the fields and participate in Palmeto Leadership Dillon County. I stayed overnight in Latta and enjoyed a usual farm meal topped off with desert from Niki’s Sugar Shack while watching Top Chef. Desert was delish!

12/10/2024

Hehe. Sneaking up on the fox at the Agape Farms North & South

12/08/2024

Last little farm lunch before we head home for a long winters nap!

12/06/2024

I love all the visitors to the farm when we are not there!

12/02/2024

Informal Poll: Which avatar do you think fits best?

12/01/2024

Mmmm the simple things.

11/30/2024

We came down to the farm this brisk day after Thanksgiving to celebrate 4 years of farming. We visited Rough Cut Ranch in Lake View and picked up some fresh goat cheese and bread for an appetizer, hang some oil lanterns in the woods, played a little badminton and enjoyed some smoked brisket chilli next to the fire! Yum

11/22/2024

Way back when, we didn't know so many things..... so we did our first raised beds in the wrong product (it melted) and we made them by hand (sloppy and fell apart). We are professionals now, LOL

11/20/2024

The amount of things we have learned farming in our short 4 years is pretty amazing. The fun we have had is about as equal as the sweat! LOL