A bonus stop on this year's Nebraska Passport is Our Lavender Co., located just four miles south of the Big Springs exit on Interstate 80 and a few minutes from the Colorado border. Our Lavender Co.
was created in 2019 by Stephanie Anderson, her sister Nicole Palser and her mother Peggy Palser. After the birth of her second child, Anderson suffered from severe post-partum depression. She had always wanted to start a garden, and with her family's help, they turned an old camper into a greenhouse.
"This little camper, and growing plants, and putting my hands in soil was the place where I found healing," Anderson said. "And God used agriculture — this thing that I wanted so desperately to escape in western Nebraska — to save my life." While visiting Minneapolis, Anderson's mother-in-law had told her about an article on a lavender farm in Sequim, Washington.
After doing more research on lavender, Anderson and her mother and sister, Peggy and Nicole, decided to fly out to Sequim and learn about growing lavender. "It was fun collaborating, or just getting together with my girls and just dreaming, you know," said Peggy Palser. The farm — which sits on five acres of their multi-generational corn operation — boasts 18 different varieties of lavender and is home to 7,500 lavender plants.
They offer tours of the farm with knowledgeable lavender guides who teach about the care of the plant, harvesting and all of lavender's uses. During peak season, people can pick their own lavender and garden flowers to create a unique bouquet. They also have a small store with an assortment of lavender goods and gifts, most made directly on the farm.
From selfcare products to soaps to gardening tools, there is something for everyone. Products can also be shipped nationwide through the online store at ourlavenderco.com .
So far, they have had people visit from all 50 states and nine different countries and are excited about the future. "We've not yet had a lavender festival, but that is one thing that we want to have on the farm is the lavender festival, and I think that's going to be in the near future," Palser said. They also hope to increase awareness of cultivating lavender growing in Nebraska and bring more light to agricultural research about lavender.
"There's a lot of people that are making self-care lavender products. And there are people that are growing, almost hobby farm lavender farms," Anderson said. "Our goal is to kind of bridge that agricultural gap in showing the scalability of lavender farming, and connecting the lavender growers with the lavender users.
" Their summer hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.
m., with the best time to see the field in full bloom being July and August. Visiting during other hours is possible by reservation.
They are also partnered with Harvest Hosts to give visitors with RVs the opportunity to stay overnight on the farm. "The story of how we started a farm out of the darkest season of my life, that link of hope in a dark place, is something that a lot of people resonate with," Anderson said. "And to know that one in seven women experienced that, but still I felt so alone is something that I don't want for anybody.
" After starting the farm, Nicole Palser encouraged Anderson to share her story with visitors in person and on their website. "It wasn't until I started sharing the story of where it all began, that we actually started seeing a lot of traction as a business. Not that it's used in any way, shape or form as a marketing tool," Anderson said.
"But that resonation of hope from a dark place, beauty from the ashes. It inspires, its inspiring and I feel like dreams inspire dreams, hope inspires hope." Our Lavender Co.
Where: 20380 County Road 4, Big springs, 4 miles south of I-80. Hours: May-september: tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.
-5 p.m.; saturday, 10-4 p.
m. offseason by appointment. Phone: 507-298-1812 Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
