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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2007)
16 vernonia’s voice july/aug home & garden 2007 Building with Insulated Concrete Forms Mosquito Lodge Lavender Farm By Evangeline Doyle Just minutes from down- town Vernonia on Timber Road sits one of our newest farms – Mosquito Lodge Lavender. This past May, 300 Hidcote Blue Lavender plants found their way in the ground with a bit of help from owners Kathy and Barb Larsen. Over the course of a year, this mother and daughter team experiment- ed with several varieties of lavender before deciding on Hidcote Blue, a varietal ex- cellent for culinary use and sachets. Kathy said, “Lavender grows well in our local cli- mate; they require little wa- ter and prefer dry/hot soil – perfect for our summer months. And, surprisingly, the deer are not fond of lavender!” She went on to explain that the bigger chal- lenge in our area, especially for 300 plantings, is having well-drained soil. The Larsens will set more plants once they improve drainage in other areas on their property. Mosquito Lodge Lavender will open for business July 2008. This will give the already hardy plants additional time to mature. Kathy explained they will operate using a u-cut business model, and each plant should yield be- tween $5 and $15 in lavender sales. No pesticides are used in their farming technique; what remains after the u-cut season will be sold to a vendor for processing lavender oil. Kathy and Barb also envision lavender events on their farm – such as a lavender festival with music, food and art vendors. While their events will be more in- timate, Barb said there are several large-scale lavender events such as the one earlier this month in Yamhill, Oregon and the one that Sequim, Washington hosts – this year July 20-22. Sequim has eight local farms on tour as part of this year’s event. The Larsens, originally from Michigan, moved to Vernonia four years ago, presumably, I thought, to leave the mosquitoes behind. So I asked Barb about the name “Mosquito Lodge.” Barb explained that she had fond memories of her family’s home on a small lake near Lake Michi- gan where they rented out fishing boats. Each home in their area had a name – and theirs was affection- ately, “Mosquito Lodge.” She is thrilled to have brought a little bit of home with her – in name only, of course! On Friday, August 3, a relatively new building technique will be taught at the Krahn Farm at 18731 Mellinger Road in Vernonia. George Volker of LOGIX will provide training for up to fifty students on how to build struc- tures using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). Using a wall system of interlocking blocks, ICF is quick to build, has superior sound insula- tion, is energy-efficient (R-24), and has a three- hour fire resistance rating. According to LOGIX, buildings constructed using LOGIX ICF are 8.5 times stronger than convention- ally framed build- ings. Marie Krahn learned about LOGIX through her interest in building a highly- insulated struc- ture: a root cellar for their farm. She attended one of Volker’s seminars while at a retreat in Washington State. Since then she has been evangelizing this new building technique to her friends and has received over twenty requests from locals to attend a class. The class will run from 8 a.m. to approxi- mately 3 p.m. and is open to both men and women who are at least eighteen years old. This is a great opportunity for local hands-on training for up to fifty students. The cost for the training is just $20 and lunch will be provided. Contact Marie Krahn at 503-429-5180 to register or to get more information about this class. Class Scheduled for August 3. For more information, e-mail mosquitolodgelavenderNW@hotmail.com Formerly Etcetera Cornerstone Naturals Natural choices for a healthier life loose teas & spices vitamins ( Natures Naturals ) By Evangeline Doyle The Clever Cricket New, used & handmade items for children and their families T essential oils & body care 503-429-5049 www.theclevercricket.net theclevercricket@verizon.net candles & decor handcrafted jewelry 728 Madison Avenue Vernonia, Oregon,97064 open Wed. to Sat., Noon to 6pm 503-429-0335 902 bridge street – vernonia cornerstonenaturals.com sewsimple phone: 503-429-5039 Custom sewing & alterations Handmade clothing & items Children’s gifs & supplies Fabric & notions Dry cleaning service mon. thru sat. 10am to 6pm new address: 786 Bridge Street Swedish massage Trigger Point Aromatherapy Deep Tissue Reflexology Myofacial Reiki for appointment call 429-5180