A scenic 40-minute drive from Temecula Wine Country lies Fork & Plow Lavender Farm in Aguanga. A private farm, Fork & Plow hosts a variety of seasonal ticketed events and intimate workshops centered around the crops they cultivate. In the past, there have been lavender and sunflower u-pick events, a lavender wreath-making workshop in time for Valentine’s Day, a gnocchi-making workshop using farm-grown sweet potatoes, and even a soap-making workshop using essential lavender oil. The farm’s Juniper and Spruce wreath-making workshop is entering its seventh season, and on a recent beautiful fall morning, I attended a Tea Blending & Scone Pairing workshop with a few friends.
Hero photo of the lavender fields above by Cari Gordonne.
Fork & Plow is owned by Buck and Belinda Watkins, who care for the farm and design special events for their guests. When they purchased the farm in 2014, it was initially covered in peach trees, and they created baked goods and preserves to sell to locals. Eventually, the trees stopped producing, and the farm was replaced with fields of lavender, which they traveled 16 hours to source from Red Rock Lavender Farm in Concho, AZ, and bring home to Aguanga. They soon began hosting the farm workshops, which became coveted tickets to attain. Buck heads up the care of the farm, and Belinda leads the workshops and designs packaging artwork for their lavender-based products. Over the years, the business has flourished, and today, they take orders for holiday pies made in their licensed kitchen, sell their lavender products online, and share recipes with their community.
Tea Blending and Scone Paring Workshop
On the morning of the tea blending, the warm welcome from Buck at the farm gate set the tone for the day. Towering pine trees bordered the path, reminding Buck of his initial vision for a Christmas tree grove, and the farm was adorned with an array of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes. After a short uphill walk along a lavender field-lined path, we entered the lovely farm shop where a table for eight had been set with teas, dried fruits, botanicals, and spices for our blending. A tempting tier of scones waited in a corner, and shelves filled with dried lavender and lavender-based goods lined the walls. Classical arrangements of popular tunes played in the background, making us all feel like we had entered the world of Bridgerton.
Belinda, with nearly a decade of experience in crafting signature tea blends, greeted us and skillfully guided the event. We started with a guided tasting of four different types of tea, white, black, green, and oolong, so we could understand what our options were for a base. Then, it was up to us to choose our favorite base and experiment with steeping the tea with different flavors to create our unique blend. Fortunately, there was plenty of time for trial and error and sampling of friends’ teas throughout the event for those of us not skilled in the world of tea-making. While our preferred blends were being packaged up for us (with custom labels!), we enjoyed a tea and scone pairing prepared by the farm kitchen. Chocolate scones paired with Lady Grey tea, Lemon-blueberry scones paired with Strawberry-Lavender tea, and Pumpkin scones with Sunset tea. Please don’t ask for my favorite. They were all delicious.
Priced at $60, the tea blending workshop may seem steep, but consider all that is included: personalized instruction from the owners, a cozy group of just eight guests, high-quality loose-leaf teas for tasting, fresh homemade scones, and your very own jar of custom tea to take home. This memorable experience adds a meaningful layer when you consider that you are supporting local farmers whose work enriches the community. When you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind experience, put one of Fork & Plow’s intimate workshops on your list of things to do the next time you’re in Temecula.
www.forkandplowlavenderfarm.com
Things to know: Open for Fork & Plow is a private farm and is open for ticketed events only. Events sell out quickly, and the best way to know about them is their email list. No pets. The paths around the farm are unpaved, with loose gravel and dirt, and the walkway up to the farmhouse is short but uneven and uphill.
