Tag Archives: Georgia agritourism

From Clay to Calm: Lavender Farm Blooms in North Georgia Foothills

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Cleveland, GA |

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a fragrant and colorful oasis greets visitors to Lavender Lamb Farm—a certified farm market that’s become a serene escape for guests and a labor of love for Susan and Herb Lamb.

“Well, we wanted to do something with the land,” said Susan Lamb. “And like I said, the bunnies and the deer were a big problem. But it’s just very calming and relaxing. People are at their best when they’re here and happy. It’s a happy place. It’s my happy place.”

While it may seem idyllic now, getting lavender to grow in Georgia’s red clay was no easy task. Lavender typically thrives in dry, sandy soil, and the Lambs had to make major changes to make their land suitable.

“Beginning in January of 2016, we put truckloads of lime in,” Susan explained. “We dug down sixteen inches and put in layers of gravel. We mulched in gypsum and oyster shells and pebbles and everything we could think of to help break up the clay. Then we mounded and planted our first 500 baby plants in May of 2016 and almost immediately we lost half.”

Years of trial, error, and experimentation followed, with no two beds on the farm exactly alike. But all that hard work paid off. Today, Lavender Lamb Farm is home to rows of thriving lavender plants and a wide range of handcrafted products.

“We make all kinds of products,” said Lamb. “We distill our own essential oil and can label it by the variety of cultivar. But we also make bath and body products, soaps, candles, sachets, neck wraps, hand warmers, and culinary products too. A lot of people don’t realize you can cook with it.”

Unlike mass-produced goods that use synthetic fragrance oils, the Lambs use only what they grow—pure essential oil that’s distilled right on-site.

“A lot of things you buy in stores are fragranced with oils created in a lab,” Lamb explained. “Even if you buy essential oil, there can be other things in that bottle. For us, it’s just purely essential oil that we grow here. We know what we put into the ground. We know what we take out.”

But beyond the fields of purple blooms or the rows of handmade products, what Susan values most is the people who come to enjoy it.

“Just seeing people being so happy,” she smiled. “When they come here, they marvel at the view. It’s something they’ve never seen before. They find products they can’t get anywhere else. They just enjoy walking around, touching the plants, taking pictures. It’s all a fun and happy place.”

From experimenting with soil to crafting one-of-a-kind lavender creations, the Lambs have cultivated more than just a farm—they’ve created a sanctuary of scent, scenery, and Southern hospitality.

By: Damon Jones

Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Magic: Inside Georgia’s Burton Brooks Peach Orchard

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Barney, GA |

For more than a decade, a small roadside market in South Georgia has been churning out something locals say is worth the wait—and the work. At Burton Brooks Orchards in Barney, Georgia, it’s not the peaches, melons, or tomatoes that draw the longest lines. It’s the homemade ice cream.

“I bought it. He moved it down. And since, and it came with two five-gallon churns that got me started,” says owner Lynn Abbott, who inherited the equipment from her retired uncle. “Since then, we’ve added on to the building three times and we’re now running five churns a day, making about twenty to twenty-five churns on an average day.”

Those churns are handcrafted by the Amish in Pennsylvania and aren’t easy to come by. Though originally equipped with hand cranks, Abbott has added motors to increase production—but that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a labor of love.

“You prepare your fruit the day before with the five pounds of fruit and sugar. And you let it sit overnight in the refrigerator,” she explains. “Each churn, you might as well figure forty-five minutes from start to cleanup. So, it’s about a day-long process.”

That time and care pays off. Abbott uses a premium 14% butterfat dairy base sourced from Atlanta and follows strict standards for all ingredients. Because of state regulations, even the fruit comes from licensed processors.

“All of my ingredients have to come to me from a licensed processor, sealed up and inspected,” she says. “We can’t use our own peaches or blueberries.”

The result is an ultra-creamy, flavorful product packed with real fruit—not additives. It’s what keeps people coming back again and again.

“The way we make it, you can actually see the pieces of fruit and there’s more of a fruit taste without adding a lot of artificial flavors,” Abbott says. “So, that’s why we do it. It’s just better.”

And when it comes to the South Georgia heat, there’s no better way to beat it than a scoop—or two—of Lynn Abbott’s small-batch, farmstand ice cream.

By: Damon Jones