By Mimi Pollack
RAMONA, California — A nice place to retreat from the hustle and bustle of San Diego and escape to the countryside is Ramona, especially when you are walking around and enjoying the lavender fields at the Camel Valley Lavender Farm, on Old Julian Hwy.
It is next to the Oasis Camel Dairy and getting to see many of the 21 camels that live there is an added bonus!
Gil Riegler, an Israeli American, founded Oasis Camel Dairy 20 years ago with his wife Nancy. They opened up Camel Valley Lavender last year.
According to the website, Camel Valley Lavender gets its name from its spectacular view. Camels graze in grass pastures while beautiful views of the Santa Ysabel mountains rise in the background making the lavender fields a serene experience.
The lavender fields came to be when the Rieglers decided to make use of eight unused acres of land running along the entire south pasture line of the Oasis Camel Dairy. With a little help from a long-time ranch friend, Gil plowed, irrigated and planted over three thousand lavender plants by hand.
Envisioning the lavender fields of his dreams, Gil wanted Camel Valley Lavender to be a place that did more than just provide essential oil for the Rare Milk Camel Milk Soap he makes and sells. He wanted a destination for visitors to immerse themselves in nature, pastoral views of the grazing camels and breathtaking mountain vistas.
Gil envisioned giving guests more than just a look at the popular purple flowers that smell good. His vision is for Camel Valley Lavender to be an outdoor classroom where guests can learn about the origins of lavender farming, the different kinds of lavender and their uses, and what makes happy lavender grow. His lavender fields feature over 3000 lavender plants of five different varieties, including bouquet, culinary, ornamental and essential oil varieties.
Camel Valley Lavender is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from now until July 27th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and the whole family is welcome, including friendly dogs. You can pick your own bundle for $15. In addition, there is a gift shop that sells lavender, crafted lavender products and a variety of essential oils as well as beverages and snacks. At 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. the camels have a second breakfast and lunch which bring them right down to the pasture fence by the lavender field to say hello.
Not only is Gil a lavender farmer and a camel whisperer, he is also very talented in using his hands. His hand-made soaps are for sale.
The following are some questions I asked him.
1] I saw on the website that you had eight acres of unused land, so you decided to plant something there. Why did you choose lavender?
I have already worked with the mineral world, cutting high-end crystal art pieces, and the animal kingdom. It was time to work with plants. First and foremost, it needed to be a plant that was drought tolerant. I also wanted something that would nurture the soul. Lavender does this, the scent and color has that effect on people. It is something that is needed these days.
2] Besides your soaps and essential oils, how else do you plan on using the lavender?
I think that getting to wander around the lavender fields, taking in the colors and scents while choosing each stem in your bouquet is such a relaxing activity. We also make wonderful lavender wreaths, as well as sell the dried bouquets, culinary lavender, lavender plants…. The list goes on and on!
3] How many animals do you have now at Oasis Camel Dairy?
We have 21 camels, 5 of them belong to the Oasis Camel Foundation as they are camels that need special care. We also have miniature spotted sheep that eat the weeds around the lavender in the off season and create a fire break for the dairy. We have birds [Nancy is a well-known bird trainer], horses, one donkey, and a bunch of racing turkeys.
4] What would you like the public to know about Oasis Dairy Camel and the new lavender fields?
We started the camel dairy because we absolutely love camels. Along the way we realized that we love people as well, so instead of focusing on selling the milk, we turned to education. We love hanging out with our guests, we love seeing the smiles on the faces of our visitors. Camels and people, our two favorite things! The Lavender fields are an extension of this love. Now we get to create a relaxing magical place for guests to visit.
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Some friends and I went there last weekend, and it was a very pleasant experience. The lavender fields were magnificent as were the views, but seeing the camels up close was my favorite part.
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Mimi Pollack is a freelance writer based in La Mesa, California.
it was a memory filled experience reading Mimi’s article, as I visited the farm maybe 25 years ago and don’t pass that way anymore altho I still live in North County, but at 97 don’t drive as much, but I still drive.
This is very interesting place we visited many years ago. Gil had amazing stories about the camels. You can immediately see how pationate he about what he does there with his family. True Israeli story, where the kindness, and curiosity meets entrepreneurship
Sounds like a beautiful & interesting place, Mimi. Did you taste the milk?
Pamela
Although we don’t sell the raw milk for human consumption, you can buy freeze dried powdered milk, or as i prefer, taste it through our camel milk chocolate!
Thank you for this story Mimi…~Queen JAMS