Untitled - Vauxhall Gardens

With the new Josephine Skin Care line now gracing our market
table along with the already tried-and-true skin care products, it
might seem a little difficult choosing the right product. We
now are offering two serums, two daily moisturizers, two eye
creams and two night creams. Is this really necessary? Well,
when you have the very best skin care ingredients at your finger tips it is very hard to not provide the option.
The choosing won’t seem so difficult when you discover that
there really isn’t a bad choice! There is a lot of amazingness
packed into every product that we make but there are some
subtle yet distinct differences because of the botanicals that we
use and the attributes that they provide. Here, then, is a quick
low-down on what makes each product great:
Night Cream
Belle Nuit - it is pretty hard to beat the anti-aging benefits of this cream
because there are four extracts of Helichrysum in the formulation.
Josephine - Rose and Rose Geranium are the height of bedtime luxury.
Increased circulation repairs damage and gives the skin a healthy glow.
It is pretty hard to go wrong with a beautiful herbal cream or lotion that features a high concentration of delectably fresh botanicals. Spring is all about
new beginnings so try something different in your skin care regime and see
how good it make you feel and look.
Serum
Calendula~Helichrysum - repairing and anti-aging.
Josephine - alleviates sluggish skin making it more radiant.
Daily Moisturizer
Precious Elixir - this is a light, balanced, nutrious moisturizer
for daytime. A bouquet of botanicals in the formulation provides a myriad of benefits to the skin.
Josephine Day - Rose and Rose Geranium will make the skin
look healthy and vital all day long in this nurturing and hydrating therapy. Mature skin rejoice!
Eye Cream
Calendula~Helichrysum - repairs and protects the delicate skin
around the eyes.
Chamomile~Geranium - good for those with dark circles and
is particularly gentle for those who are hyper-sensitive.
Josephine - luxury nutrition with intense benefits.
It feels like Spring has sprung for many
weeks here in Kilbride. On May 10th we
did our first plow of the garden and now,
10 days later, we can full on work the soil
like it was far later in the year. This fabulous weather has been far too tempting not
to be out getting a major jumpstart to an
exciting new growing season. As a result of
our assuming that it would still be too cold
and wintry to be outside, we are running
around madly trying to put this all together
for the actual start of Spring on March 20.
Many things to be looking forward to
in the coming weeks. Of course, there is
the usual delights of getting everything going in the fields. The beginning of a garden
is always the best part because there is so
much hope and promise. We have high
yield expectations this year and we hope we
don’t have another Chamomile disaster!
Then, there is the Soap Conference we
will be attending in May for 10 days!!
There is actually lots happening in our Soap
Department these days: Vauxhall was recently awarded a Greenbelt Microgrant to
build the most amazing, fully automated
soap cutter that we have designed. The
Anhkim Pham from Houston, Texas was visiting the Brick
Works market while on a visit to Toronto. While there, she
bought some Complexion Soap and a love affair began! Back in
Houston, she realized she could not live without it so I mailed
her a supply and Anhkim, a computer animator, sent me some
original art in thanks. We’re mesmerized by her talent.
concept is based on a discussion we had at last
year’s soap conference with a soaper from
Australia who makes 2000 pounds of soap a
week (!!). Kim and Penny Jewell of Thulby
Herb Farm shared their method of cutting
that much soap. Let’s just say that this conversation concluded with a bit of an ‘Eureka’
moment and we’ve been scheming about it for
months.
The other big thing we are looking forward to sharing with you all is the new website. Our new website will have a new website
address to match the new logo and ’identity’
as well as ecommerce shopping capability.
Not a 100% sure yet how it is all going to
work but I’ve seen the proofs and I’m very
happy with the streamlined clarity of who we
are and what our product line is. The proof
is in the pudding so decide for yourself when
it is finally up and running. The new website
address will be: Vauxhallgardens.ca
Lastly, we having been dipping our toes
into the social media pool and are delighted to
report that …. Twitter is a lot of fun!! It also
really appeals to our practical side as well: a
quick and painless way of posting bits of information regarding our whereabouts and goings-
on. It has actually begun to feel familiar
and we’re ready to mingle! Please follow us
@GROWEXTRACTMAKE to get current
updates about everything that is going on in
the world of Vauxhall Gardens. Or, if you
prefer, you can see our Twitter postings on
our Facebook page at: Vauxhall Gardens.
Of course, nothing replaces the social
aspect of the farmer’s markets that we attend. The last weeks of Spring will see the
regular outdoor season begin. We look forward to seeing you out and about one perfect-weather-day in the very near future so
you can check out for yourself what we’ve
been up to. See you soon!
6306 McNiven Road, P.O. Box 532,
Kilbride, Ontario L7P 0K1
905.336.1594
peaceloveandflowers.ca
The days are getting longer and once again Ontario farmer’s are busy prepping and planting. Amazing things grow in this fair province so
try and make it out to one of the following markets and enjoy this local bounty:
Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue, Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The most common comment from first-timers to this market?
“Wow, this place is so cool”. Many have made it their regular market because of the wide variety of vendors and activities at this site.
Please note: We will not be at the market May 5th and 12th - we will be attending a soap conference in Portland, Oregon.
Also, market hours change to 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. May 5th.
Sick Kids, University and Elm, Tuesdays 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. You will find us in the Atruim of the hospital which is located just inside
the main entrance off of Elizabeth Street. Please mark you calendars for the following market dates until the end of May:
Mar 20
Apr 3, 17
May 1, 15
and .…. starting weekly outdoors on June 5th. The outdoor weekly market at Sick Kids is a
vendor favourite because of the right-in-the-city-but-on-a-leafy-lane atmosphere. The very, very best from local, bona fide farmers.
CBC, 250 Front Street West, once-a-month on Thursdays, 8 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. During the market in February we had two CBC stars shopping at the market! If mingling with Canadian icons is not your thing then the excellent variety of vendors at this market will definitely
entice you. Next market dates:
Mar 29 Apr 19
Total Health 12, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, see website for times: totalhealthshow.com
Apr 20, 21, 22
Roses are the symbols of love, beauty, war and politics. To us here at Vauxhall, where we
cultivate only Damask Roses, they are the symbol of horticultural perfection and their fragrance is the symbol of absolute purity. It is both a pleasure and an honour to care for these
plants: growing strong, healthy, natural plants; harvesting the delicate blooms at the peak of
perfection to; extracting the tantalizing botanical signatures for use in our skin care. Growing roses is, quite frankly, addictive.
There are thousands upon thousands of different types of roses on this planet and each of
them belong in one of the following categories: Hybrid Teas, floribundas, grandifloras,
miniatures, mini-floras, climbing roses, old garden, shrubs and polyanthus. Damask Roses
fall into the ’old garden’ category and their genetic code is often used as the to develop fashionable new varieties that will exhibit fragrance in their attributes.
Don’t let the sweet, ethereal fragrance produced by the Damask Roses fool you into thinking
that they are delicate little creatures! Far from being prima donnas, these robust woody
plants grow into 5’ shrubs which produce hundreds of blooms heavy with perfumed resin. Of course, there are many environmental conditions that affect the quality of the roses’ perfume but we have found that, in addition to growing conditions, it is the age of the rootstock
that provides an even greater depth to the fragrance. 2012 and we can hardly wait to smell the vintage of our 5 year old rootstock!
Under the guise of so much beauty and personality, one often forgets of the profound physiological benefits that the rose imparts to the
skin. Roses have many therapeutic properties (antiseptic, antiviral, astringent, bactericidal) that translate into a beautiful tonic for the skin.
Roses also have emollient and hydrating properties which help the skin stay soft, properly moisturized and fight aging, while the stimulating action the Rose provides makes the skin appear more vital and youthful.
There are many, well-documented values attributed to the Rose collected over hundreds of generations primarily because of its extensive use
by those with aristocratic sensibilities. The cultivation and extraction of the Rose’s fragile signatures was essential to anyone of a certain
distinction because it provided the user with a soft, dewy and youthful complexions. There is a long history of benefits including its ability
to heal scars and diminish enlarged capillaries, reduce puffiness, firm the skin, revitalize tired and sluggish skin while imparting a most intoxicating fragrance. Damask roses figured prominently in this illustrious history.
We capture the essence of the Rose in a variety of ways. The largest volume of our roses are used in hydrosol production - you use fresh
roses for making hydrosol. The remainder of our rose harvest is dried and used either in a solvent extraction process to create either Rose
Oil or Rose Glycerite,or, we use the dried petals in our facial steams. We do, however, purchase Rose essential oil and use only the Rose
otto from Turkey. Undiluted, unadulterated and good lineage is what makes our Rose extracts so fine.
Way, way, waaaaay back in the day when I studied horticulture, it was with awe and wonder that exciting new introductions plant breeders
had developed were viewed. Since the early days of my studies, I have recognized the devotion, patience and passion that is required to bring
a new shade of fuschia to a bloom, introduce a charming new scent or develop a crunchier, sweeter apple. Now, as a specialized grower, I
take great interest in the lineage of the seeds that I buy and search for those that have supremely high active medicinal compounds that have
been developed after years of research and trials.
For those of you who have not studied horticulture but have become interested in the things that go in and on your body, the following is going to shock you: basically all of the plants cultivated on this fair planet, whether organic, heritage, patented, or an All-American
Selection has been genetically modified. That is not a typo! Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of a plant in order
to produce desired characteristics. As plants are cross bred to produce the desired characteristics then the traits and genes assimilate and a
new genetic background in created. Rest assured that, for the most part, the intent of this deliberate hybridization and subsequent genetic
modification is not malicious. Rather, well meaning enthusiasts
are working tirelessly to create and contribute new plant varieties that others might find useful, pretty or desirable.
The genetically modified plants created by the Classical
Plant Breeding methods should not be confused with plants labeled GMO (Genetically Modified Organism). Classical Plant
Breeding methods have been employed for thousands of years
and many of the techniques required to create an interesting
new variety can easily be achieved by any enthusiast. GMO
plants employ genetic engineering methods that involve the insertion or deletion of genes. This is done artificially by either
attaching the genes to a virus or by physically inserting the extra
DNA into the nucleus of the intended host with a very small
The intent behind genetically modifying a seed is to increase the expression syringe or ’blasted’ by a gene gun.
of the traits you like and try to eliminate the undesirable traits.
Most disturbing is the lack of goodwill behind GMO sciAbove: Classical Plant Breeding
Below: GMO
ence: this new type of plant breeding isn’t intended to create a
prettier shade of pink or make a favourite fruit yummier. Not
even close. The sole purpose of GMO plant breeds is that they
are resistant to highly toxic herbicides and/or are able to produce pesticidal proteins from within the plant thus allowing the plants to grow
to maturity under highly chemical controlled environments. Make no
mistake about it: The businesses that produce GMO seeds are also in
the agriculture chemical business. As it currently stands, in North
America, 90% soybeans and 70% corn have ‘Roundup ready’ GMO
genes. This means, the seeds have been altered, using genetic engineering techniques, to modify their genetic structure which makes them
resistant to the broad spectrum herbicide Roundup. The seed is produced by Monsanto as is the Roundup.
Genetic diversity is a wonderful thing. If you are lucky enough
to know the farmer who grows your food or the ingredients for your
skin care products, then talking about seeds and plant selection is a great conversation starter. Seed exchanges are becoming very popular as is
the availability of unusual heritage varieties - you yourself might have even created something extraordinary in the garden without even
knowing it! Treasure these things. In coming years, you will hear many arguments and ’evidence’ that promote GMO centered agriculture.
Hopefully, after tasting delicious, natural, ’unmodified’ bounty or seeing the astounding results in your skin by using traceable botanicals,
you’ll know first hand the obvious flaws in these arguments.
Our 2012 crops are almost set in stone. Still have not found anything that will surpasses our current roster of plant varieties we use so nothing
new to report there. There are, however, a number of ’additions’ and one exciting new ’trial’ that are in the works. Currently we are immersed in agonizing-selection-mode for the final varieties of rose bushes we are adding to our collection this Spring but are 100% committed
to conducting a trial of a new type of Lavender available commercially - it is called Super Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia c.v. Super). 50 of
these new plants will be tested to see if they live up to the hype. This is the main commercial lavender grown in France and its fragrance and
oil quality are said to be superlative. Can it possibly be finer than the Provence Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia) which we’ve grown for
years? Stay tuned!
Here is a listing of the botanicals we currently grow:
CALENDULA (Calendula officinalis c.v. Calypso Orange),
ROSE Rosa x damascene triginitipetala (Kazanlik Rose)
CHAMOMILE (Matricaria recutita c.v. Bodegold),
Rosa gallica c.v. Offinalis (Apothecary Rose)
Rosa x damascene
f l o r e n s ( R o s e
d e s
Q u a t r e
S a i s o n ,
COMFREY
Symphytum
x
uplandicum
c.v.
Bocking
14,
HELICHRYSUM
Helichrysum
italicum,
GERANIUM Pelargonium capitatum c.v. Attar of Roses,
ECHINACEA Echinacea angustifolia
s
e
m
p
e
r
If you were to make your own skin care products you would
see that most recipes outline a ‘water phase’ and an ‘oil phase’
in their method of preparation. The ‘water phase’ would include ingredients like aloe vera juice, glycerine, infusions or
juices, and, well, plain old water. In fact, I would hazard to
guess that the manufacturers who use something other than
just plain old tap water for the ‘water phase’ are quite rare.
Since the ‘water phase’ usually comprises the greatest percentage of the overall ingredients in a skin care product, wouldn’t
you think that it should provide the greatest amount of good?
In our opinion? We feel quite strongly that it should!
These strong feelings, quite frankly, are a bit of an obsession
around here. So much so that not one drop of tap water is ever
used in any one of our formulations. Why? Because, when we
discovered that the art of distilling botanicals results in a water
that is supercharged with the very essence of everything that
was in the botanical when it was still alive and the resultant
liquid has more active principles than even the essential oil
from the plant (because it contains all of the water soluble elements of the plant), we were smitten. Nothing else would do.
Above: The theory and process for extracting a high-quality hydrosol
hasn’t really changed for thousands of years.
Left: This is our farm’s interpretation of the principles of distillation.
Please note: the water from the rainwater harvesting tank is used only
for cooling the steam and it flows through within a separate chamber this area is called the condenser. The source of the water that is boiled
to create the steam is UV treated deep spring water.
Last year we distilled hundreds of pounds of fresh botanicals in
order to produce 150 gallons of hydrosol. Our unique distiller
allows us to truly ‘steam’ the botanicals in a large volume pot
while cooling the steam in an all copper condenser results in a
sweeter distillate. Trust me, it took us quite some time to figure
all of this out! So, even if you’re not quite understanding the
whole concept of distillation and hydrosol production, just know
this: Not all hydrosols are created equally. You definitely need
the technology to extract the delicate signature from the botanical but without the most divine botanical to start with, why
bother?
Helichrysum
Soothes the redness of rosacea or other skin inflammations like eczema
Very good in healing scars
Perfect toner for mature skin
Calendula
Widely known for its healing properties on damaged skin
Gentle yet effective toner for mature skin that has been overexposed to environmental conditions and overindulgence
Chamomile
Excellent skin toner for acne and other inflamed skin conditions
A cotton ball soaked and placed on the eyes will make puffiness and
dark circles disappear
Cooling and soothing on any skin irritation
Geranium
Cellular regenerative
Recommended for balancing combination skin
Popular for menopausal women as it gives the sensation of deep,
inner peace and calmness