What We Do
At Frolicking Deer Lavender Farm we are growing and hand-crafting lavender products to help you feel better, more relaxed, and healthier. Our oils, creams, salves, lotions, and soaps are infused with pure aromatic lavender oil to sooth and nourish the skin, hair, and spirit. Through the ages lavender has been an amazing curative gift of nature, and today our farm has the pleasure of sharing this remarkable plant with you.
Farm History
The farm was founded in 2002 by our neighbors who had insight to recognize the re-emergence of lavender oil and the increasing popularity of its cosmetic and therapeutic derivatives.
Frolicking Deer Lavender has an established 13 year reputation of providing the finest hand-crafted lavender products to nourish the skin, relax in a bath, escape at a spa, or slumber peacefully in a deep lavender mist sleep.
There are over 400 sub-species of lavender in the world, and with good fortune the finest French Grosso and Provence and English dwarf Munstead, varietals are drought tolerant and thrive at our 7800’ elevation in the arid high desert of west-central New Mexico.
Our Background
After many, many years at school, graduate degrees in geology, gold exploration on the frozen lakes of Ontario, helicopter supported field mapping in B.C., the long durations away from home, and the ebb and flow of the financial tide that drives the mineral commodities engine, we were presented with a business investment to purchase Frolicking Deer Lavender.
We are currently building new terraced lavender beds while transplanting and propagating the former fields onto our 62 acres overlooking the Plains of San Agustin and the Gila Wilderness, and still harvest and craft wonderful lavender products in our new production facility.
It is important to note, especially in this age of eco-awareness, that we are also off-grid and solar reliant that allows us a curious satisfaction in growing a water-wise commodity with an energy-wise philosophy.
As our scientific and formulating minds wander through less regimented paths of naturopathic, therapeutic, curative, or even shamanistic research, we explore non-lavender based ointments and concoctions made by our sister company Rain Mesa Botanicals that can also be found in our store.
Why Lavender
There’s apparently an innate connection between lavender and humans. We say this because of the remarkable reception our lavender products receive at trade fairs and street show venues. We see it first hand, “Oh my gosh, I just love lavender!” You’d be surprised how much we hear this. It’s a unique scent that one doesn’t forget once exposed. Young children even recognize it, usually from mom’s attempt to calm them, relieve headaches, relieve her headache, heal cuts and scratches, and certainly get the kids to sleep.
Lavender can improve your life by reducing stress; its natural aromatic properties induce relaxation of the body and mind and assists in lowering anxiety. Lavender is a centuries-old healing herb; it was used as part of wound care during the Civil War and WWI. Lavender also has an array of culinary uses and is a flexible ingredient that lends its unique flavor to anything from sweet baked goods to savory meat rubs.
Testimonials
"I simply love the lavender Smooth and Silky. Really want to share this with people, and of course get more for myself! I am a great believer in lavender as an aromatherapy remedy. I think it is the best for everything and have always had the natural oil on hand. You are making such wonderful things with it!"
― Gail Boggs from Tain, Scotland
"I just had a massage therapist come in asking for the Jungle Massage Oil in a "professional size" since she goes through a lot of it"
― Marisa Wolfe at Yoga del Sol
"I just discovered Frolicking Deer today while I was at Cherry Fest in High Rolls, NM, and the timing was perfect. I actually had a little bit of a headache when I woke up, and it was on the brink of becoming a migraine, and while walking by I hear "it's good for migraines" and I quickly turned to see. I purchased the Jungle Pain spray, and boy did it help relieve my headache, but it also relieved some tension in my neck that I had from the altitude change. Thank you so much. I also loved the lavender tea that I tried, and will be sure to purchase some online soon."
― The Quick Shopping Cart Team
"I just bought the Jungle Magic Pain Spray - it relived most of the pain in my thumb (“trigger finger” awaiting surgery) and rendered it more flexible. Also quickly relieved my migraine headache. This is good stuff! So glad I got it."
― Joe from Homestead, FL
The Process
Our products are constantly being invented and created in our farm production shop. It seems pretty straight forward and most of the times our formulations are intentional...and sometimes not. Our Lavender Suncatchers were quite an accidental invention. When purchasing the company we inherited a variety of less popular and discontinued products. At a show in Santa Fe, Amber took the lid off of a jar of large grained soaking salts...(nice idea but they were too coarse to dissolve in a bath). Well, the good old New Mexico sun decided to cook our table that afternoon,
but as the rays hit the lavender oil saturated salts they instantly released the amazing aroma and, with a bit of tweaking, our eco-friendly lavender potpourri Suncatcher salts were born. Let’s never underestimate the power of accidental discovery.
Distillation is a wonderful thing. Take a 15-year Scotch from Glenmorangie in Tain, Scotland for instance. Lavender is not so different. I like to tell people “Just because you can grow the grapes doesn’t mean you can make fine wine.” That takes skills and that is where this conversation ends.
The Brand
Our logo is inspired by a tattoo discovered on a 2,500 year old female preserved in the permafrost of southern Siberia near the Mongolian border. National Geographic ran a nice article about the archeology and remarkable preservation of the elaborate ink adorning this mysterious, silk clad “Ice Maiden.”
Personally we see a hint of yin-yang in the design mixed with Anglo motif; a unique combination of Nordic and Asiatic influence, and geographically appropriate.
The detail of the flowers in the deer’s head contrasts the openness of the torso region offsetting the balance of the work. But the semi-circular form of the design as a whole shows unity, flow, and harmony; possibly an artistic representation of the traditional black and white spiral. The original tat, incidentally, had a griffin beak instead of a Bambi nose. We’ve even met a fellow at a renaissance fair who had the tattoo on his back. Watch out Harley Davidson, our clients are inking our logo too!
Friends of the Herd
Nolina’s Heavenly Organics, Escondida, NM
We met Nolina in 2001 as she was starting her organic farm along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque. She’s literally grown, with hardship and hard effort, a successful organic certified vegetable business and supplies New Mexico markets, grocers, and restaurants with beautiful greens, onions, tomatoes, melons etc. She also retails over 70 varieties of garlic sourced from throughout the world. We are currently experimenting and collaborating with a garlic test plot at the Frolicking Deer Lavender Farm to evaluate which varietals prefer our high altitude climate.
Roots and Rocks, Colorado Springs, CO
A long time colleague, geologist, and green thumb, Ariel Dickens, started his organic and hydroponic supply store in Colorado after brief endeavors in uranium exploration. Successful since day one, he is a great source of information and gardening supplies for the novice to expert. He taught us the importance of promoting beneficial microbiotic colonies in garden soil…a science in itself.
Peter’s Organic World, Fountain Hills, AZ
Peter Bilyk is the organic gardener madman of Fountain Hills. An hour with him, his garden and orchard, and knowledge will leave you spinning and wondering what you’ve been missing all these years. From micronutrient rich playa lake sediment, Norwegian sea kelp, amazing mesquite compost, and organic fertilizing solutions derived from New Mexico humate, make no mistake Peter has it figured out.
Big Sandy, Wikieup, AZ
In a fortuitous crossing of paths we became involved on a consulting basis with a group focused on developing organic farmland in Arizona. We suggested lavender as a potential crop as it is a drought and heat tolerant water-wise perennial, and when processed can fetch ten times or more the return as alfalfa hay by weight. They have organic farmland for sale with water rights but you can also share-crop on established fields…very cool.
Coonridge Organic Dairy, Pie Town, NM
Nancy Coonridge makes the finest organic goat cheese from her free-range goats about 40 miles northwest of our lavender farm…as the crow flies. Her accomplishments can speak for themselves and we are so excited to be in collaboration with the dairy to create our Frolicking Deer brand Lavender organic goat cheese.
Yoga del Sol Studio, Lemitar, NM
Long time friend Marisa Wolfe, massage therapist and yoga instructor, has worked with us to help tailor various products towards the spa and massage community.
Bare Root Flora
You Can Find Our Great Products at These Retail Stores & Spas
Albuquerque Olive Oil Company, 2 locations in ABQ, NM
The Range Cafe, Bernalillo, NM
Made in New Mexico, Santa Fe & Taos, NM
Rancho de Chimayo, Chimayo, NM
Bosque del Apache Nature Store, San Antonio, NM
Presidio Historical Park, Tubac, AZ
The Melting Point, Sedona, AZ
Karolyn’s Hair Kare, Magdalena, NM
Alamo Hardware, Magdalena, NM
Sundance Gifts, Socorro, NM
Taos Art Museum, Taos, NM
Banya Spa, Santa Fe, NM
Charles Motel, T or C, NM
January's, T or C, NM
Yoga del Sol, Lemitar, NM
Charities and Organizations
Girls Inc., Santa Fe, NM
Catron County 4-H, Datil, NM
San Augustin Water Coalition, Datil, NM
Santa Fe Rotary Club, Santa Fe, NM
High Rolls Lyons Club, High Rolls, NM
Community Outreach
Greenhouse construction
We are actively engaged in greenhouse development in our local area. Participants may purchase building materials and, with our construction background, we will build them a wonderful, protected structure to grow produce free of charge. This concept is designed to support sustainable living and lessen the travel expense and carbon footprint to the nearest grocery store which is 80 miles away. Besides we all know organic, homegrown food is better than commercially produced equivalents.
Landowner association newsletter
From time to time we contribute tidbits of gardening information to our annual subdivision newsletter. Last year it focused on organic soil amendment.