Day 1, On the Road Again. Destination Olivia

Since our big adventurer, we've only been out in the pod on a few occasions and then only for a few days at a time. Even though I made lists of what we'd taken on our long trip, it took a while to assemble it all together. We also need to sanitize the fresh water tank. When we finally drove away, the planning and packing already seemed all worth it

Driving to our first stop was a bit unremarkable. We made one rest stop at the Dunnigan Rest Area. It has lots of eucalyptus trees which makes it a nice rest stop by California standards.

Our first night is at MoonBeam Farms, a lavender and loofah farm. It's a Harvest Host, meaning RVs can stay one night but you must have your own water, power, and there are no trash facilities. In return, you are asked to support the host by spending $20-40.

Caz gave us a tour. She currently has ten different varieties of lavender. Some are culinary, others are more fragrant and provide buds and oils for her many products. As we walked around, she offered us leaves to smell and some to taste. As expected, there are differences. She explained how they trim and propregate the bushes. That made me realize I should have given our lavender more care before digging it up.

I was really interested in the loofah. I have to admit I'd never given much thought to how it grows and I never thought it grew in California; it seemed too exotic. Interestingly, it is an annual in the pumpkin/cucumber family. Each year, it is planted from seeds which are about the size of a watermelon seed. The loofah vines grow on trellises and bare green pods. These are picked between September and the first frost, dried, peeled, washed, and dried in the sun.

I've always liked the idea of using a loofah but the one time I tried I found it pretty unpleasant to use. Caz persuaded me to give it another go. She said her method of preparing them results in a softer loofah. 

Caz is an interesting person. She reminded me of my friend, Shaun the enamel and jewelry artist. Like Shaun, Caz worked for years. She developed an interest in lavender, quit her job and turned her passion into a business. She told me her grandmother grew loofah and she knew there are few American loofah farms, so she decided to see if she could fill that need. She says she is constantly thinking of and experimenting with new products. 

I'll let you know how the loofah goes once we're back home. Caz also sells online.