Serendipity

Apr 1, 2026

Serendipity

Flashback to December 2024. We took a family trip to Spain! Many of you know we have a daughter who lives in Germany. She travels to all kinds of places (for work and pleasure) and planned a family Christmas in Malaga, Spain. There were 9 of us, and we had a great time. So many things to see and do -- super old buildings, many historical tours, mountains to hike or bike, Christmas market shopping, and delicious food (patatas bravas and churros, anyone?). Perhaps the most engaging experience I had was attending a private “Botanical Printing” workshop. Our daughter had visited this area of Spain several times, and she met Ana, a fabric artist at a local market, who agreed to host us at her home and guide us through the process of printing with natural materials. What an enjoyable day! I left with 2 items I had printed/dyed, a jersey cotton wrap, and a pair of socks. They are unique to me, and only me, and I LOVE them. I left that experience thinking, “I’d like to do something like that at the orchard.”

As we moved through spring and into our busy summer season, this memory would flit back into my mind. It was still something I wanted to do, but I did not have any equipment, materials, or much experience (except for that one day). It seemed too much for me to figure out (and do) on my own. So, I stored the idea back in my memory archive for future access.

Then, SERENDIPITY!!! One day last season, a visitor to the farm asked me if she could come and pick up cherry leaves after they had fallen from the trees. Rosanne explained that she was interested in using them for natural dyeing. I was immediately intrigued as she shared her experience attending a natural dying workshop in New England. Her current project was to try out some methods she had read about in an article about using orchard materials for natural dyes. Hence, her request for the cherry leaves.

You cannot believe how excited I was. (Well, if you know me, maybe you can.) I immediately responded “yes” to her request, and then proceeded to tell her of my experience in Spain and grabbed my phone to show her some photos. She shared the magazine article with me, and I shared the instructional guide I had from my vacation workshop. Before you know it, we were planning to host our own workshop at the orchard.

I AM SO EXCITED!!! We’ve planned and played. Collected and collaborated. We have three early-season workshop dates on our calendar (with the potential for more as our season allows). If you’re interested, check it out here.