Bringing New Life
to an Old Farm.
Join us in the Journey.
Meet The Owners
Terry Gorton & Rick Vesci
Piper Cub & Kallie
About the Farm
In the early 1880s Almay Moroni and Rosetta Hunt were headed to Mesa Arizona from Salt Lake Utah when they passed through Pine, Arizona. Rosetta saw her native Italy in the beautiful mountains and begged Almay to stay. They did, acquiring most all the land nearby. They raised a huge family, farmed corn, and cattle and left a wonderful legacy.
In fact, the log cabin which today houses our lavender drying operation was built in 1890 as storage for the Hunt family. Almay and Rosetta’s eldest son John met his future wife Annie Belle in second grade at the historic Strawberry Schoolhouse and when they married, they received a portion of the original homestead for their home--- and our Farm was born!
The first hand-hewn log portion of our house was built around 1910, then added on to as John and Annie Belle added 7 children to their family. We are the first owners of this lovely farm outside the Hunt/Randall family. We feel blessed every day! We are currently under consideration as a National Historic Landmark.
In 2015, we began the restoration of the old farmhouse as true as we could to John and Annie Belle (including our Lavender Kitchen where we use Annie Belles old kitchen to teach heritage food techniques and food preservation classes along with our culinary Lavender classes). We then added a new wing for modern conveniences!
Our historic “Ditch” irrigation rights along Pine Creek gives us wonderful, natural spring water for our lavender and gardens. With such beautiful land and water, one day we asked ourselves---“what should we grow here?” and the answer of how we decided on lavender may surprise you.
After researching the most important question, “What won’t Elk eat?” we came to the realization that lavender was the answer. We knew nothing about lavender however, we knew a lot about Elk invasions! So, we planted 5000 lavender plants. Our varieties included Royal Velvet and Provence, which are both culinary varieties, and Grosso which is one of the most beautiful and aromatic lavender varieties. Then we watered and weeded... and hoped. Now, here we are in love with Lavender or as Olivia calls it, “Lovender” and the Elk pretty much stay away. The lavender grows higher every season and we get to meet you all: our fellow “Lovender” friends enjoying this beautiful mountain valley that Rosetta first called home more than a century ago.
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Swipe back and forth to display photo of old farm and Pine Lavender Farm today!
WHAT MAKES OUR LAVENDER SPECIAL
Our lavender is grown using natural creek water fed directly from Pine Creek, which flows right behind the farm. This pristine, spring-fed creek is diverted directly onto our plants, which provides unparalleled nutrition and hydration for the lavender. The result is a quality and purity found in few lavender fields around the world. The farm also sits in a near-perfect climate zone for growing lavender. The high elevation and dry air actually produces higher concentrations of oils within the plants, which gives them increased healing and aromatic properties.
THE TYPES OF LAVENDER WE GROW
We grow three distinct varieties of lavender on the farm: Royal Velvet, Provence, and Grosso. Both Royal Velvet and Provence are considered culinary lavenders, and are world renowned for their flavor and herbal qualities. Provence is generally used in savory dishes like chicken, pasta sauces, and anything in which you might use rosemary. Royal Velvet has a sweeter profile and is mostly used in confectioneries and baking. Grosso is not for cooking, but is, perhaps, the most aromatic lavender in the world, making it the perfect lavender for making essential oils, sachets, and bouquets.