Meet Kate at Orchard Farm
It is important to take your skincare seriously. With that in mind, we would like to invite you to a special collaboration between Intrigue and Orchard Farm Soap, a Moscow-based producer of fine soaps, salves, lotions, and creams made from homegrown botanicals. This will feature a wide array of unique products specially curated, as well as a selection of their tried-and-true standards.
Kate and her husband moved to the Palouse nearly two decades ago with the dream of starting a farm. In 2004, they purchased an acre-and-a-half of land and Orchard Farm was born. They still live on the original early-1900s farmhouse, and they have since converted the barn into a commercial kitchen. Kate’s interest in making her own herbal products while studying massage therapy and herbology in New Mexico. With the new farm and facilities at her disposal, it was logical to try and build a business around her passion.
Kate sold her soaps initially at the Moscow Farmer’s Market and through the Moscow Food Coop. While these remain pillars of her business, she has since expanded to supplying twenty different stores all over the country as well as an online store and a burgeoning cut-flower business that delivers directly to people’s homes. Now Orchard Farm features 28 different kinds of soaps and a litany of other wonderful skincare, beauty, and hygiene products hand-crafted onsite from their homegrown herbs and botanicals.
Of their soaps, the Lavender is perennially popular. Made from a natural blend of coconut, sustainably harvested pure palm and olive oils that is then infused with lavender essential oil produced in the Willamette Valley, and lavender buds grown on the farm, a bar of this is the perfect way to cleanse both your hands and your mind after a long day. Other year-long favorites include the earthy-yet-effervescent Lemongrass Calendula, the piney Cedar Sage, and the aptly named Gentle Bar with shea butter, dissolved silk, and the lightest touch of bergamot and lime.
In preparation for the Summer, we cannot recommend Orchard Farms’ In the Garden Soap highly enough. A captivating scent of lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary is a treat to the nose, and the addition of French green clay to their mixture of oils helps moisturize dry hands as the smattering of oats gently scrub the dirt away. Not just for gardeners, this versatile soap is great for anyone working with their hands. We recommend pairing this with their Repair Balm to help sooth cracked cuticles and dry skin.
Their Calendula Cream Natural Lotion and Rosehip Salves are lovely and versatile products to have during the sunny months, as well. Calendula, which you will see as a primary ingredient in many of their creams and balms, is a highly resinous member of the Marigold family. It has been used for centuries to treat bug bites, eczema, rosacea, and other skin irritations. It is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and can even help reduce scarring. In order to get the full healing effects, Calendula must be processed as quickly as possible after it is harvested. Lucky for us, Orchard Farms grows all of the Calendula used in their products onsite to maximize their effectiveness. No one plans on getting a sunburn or being bitten by mosquitoes, but having some Calendula Cream for an overexposed nose or some Bugs & Bumps salve seems like a great way to deal with the inevitable annoyances that come with enjoying the great outdoors.
Many thanks to Kate for her time and input on this article. Support your neighbors – Shop local!